Valentine Pinwheels Pink Rice Krispie Treats

These Valentine Pinwheels are gooey, chewy, pink rice krispie treats rolled up with buttercream frosting. It’s a fun twist on the classic.

Who can resist rice krispies treats? They have remained popular over the years because they are so delicious!

A couple of years ago I made scotcharoos pinwheels and decided to do the same with rice krispies treats. These Valentine Pinwheels take rice krispies treats to the next level with the layer of buttercream frosting.

How To Make Valentine Pinwheels

Put the mini marshmallows into a large bowl and pour the melted butter over them. Microwave on high for 1 minute and 30 seconds, stirring at 45 seconds, until the mixture is smooth.

Can I use large marshmallows instead of mini to make rice krispies treats?

Yes! You can substitute 40 large marshmallows for the 5 1/2 cups of mini ones called for in this recipe.

Stir in red gel food coloring to make the marshmallow cream pink.

Liquid Food Coloring vs Gel Food Coloring

I prefer using gel food coloring when baking because you only need a little bit to get intense colors. This is especially important when coloring things that are a darker color. The one downside of gel food coloring is its availability. You’ll have to plan ahead to purchase it from a store such as Michaels or buy it online. I buy it in a multi-pack to have most of the colors I need.

On the other hand, the nice thing about liquid food coloring is that it is readily available at your local grocery store. It will definitely work in this recipe, but you might need to use more of it to get a deep pink color.

Add the rice krispies and stir until evenly coated with the marshmallow mixture.

Other Kinds Of Cereal

Other kinds of cereal can be stirred into the melted marshmallows instead of the rice krispies. If you want to be able to make pinwheels, I would suggest sticking to one of the crispy rice cereals such as Fruity Pebbles or Cocoa Krispies.

Spread the mixture out on a large, rimmed baking sheet or jelly roll pan. Cover the bottom of the pan with parchment paper to make it easier to remove. Or use butter to grease the pan well.

My favorite trick for spreading out rice krispies treats in the pan is to put my hand in a plastic baggie, grease the baggie with butter, and then use my covered hand to flatten the treats. Other options would be to use a greased silicone spatula or even the flat bottom of a greased measuring cup.

Next, flip the pan of rice krispies treats over onto a large sheet of parchment paper. Smack the pan several times to loosen the treats. You may need to use a spatula to gently peel the treats from the pan if you didn’t use parchment paper to line the pan.

Then, top the rice krispies treats with buttercream frosting. You can find my recipe for buttercream frosting here.

Other Filling Ideas

I used homemade buttercream to make this recipe, but you could also use store-bought frosting or buttercream from a bakery. Another option would be to use marshmallow cream.

You could flavor the buttercream with strawberry or raspberry extract to make it more unique. Or add food coloring to make it really pop.

Top the buttercream frosting with some adorable Valentine’s Day sprinkles.

Pink Rice Krispie Bars

You can stop at this point and enjoy the frosted pink rice krispie treats. Cut the treats into bars, or chill them and then use a cookie cutter to make heart-shaped treats.

Starting at the short side of the bars, slowly roll the bars up, gently pressing closed any cracks or holes that may form.

Chill until firm, and then use a serrated knife to cut the roll of rice krispies treats into Valentine pinwheels.

Top the treats with additional sprinkles, if desired.

Store the Valentine pinwheels in the fridge. To hand them out as little gifts, put the pinwheels in cellophane bags and tie them closed with ribbons.

More Valentine’s Day Recipes

• Red Velvet Ooey Gooey Bars have three delicious layers.
• This Sweetheart Cake has a fluffy, whipped frosting.
• Red Velvet Hot Chocolate Cookie Cups are simply adorable.
• Use these 25+ Valentine’s Day Ideas to make gift bags and test tube treats.