Rice-Cereal Turkey Treats for Kids

Rice-cereal turkey treats are marshmallow cereal balls decorated with candy corn feathers, candy eyes, and a little beak. An adult melts and mixes the hot batch, kids shape the bodies once it cools enough to touch, and everyone decorates their own turkey. They set in about 30 minutes and keep for 2 to 3 days in an airtight container.

What supplies do you need?

• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 bag (10 ounces) mini marshmallows
• 6 cups crispy rice cereal
• Cooking spray
• 1 large pot
• 1 wooden spoon
• 1 sheet of parchment paper
• Candy corn (about 30 pieces per turkey for feathers, plus extras)
• Candy eyes (2 per turkey)
• 1 small orange gumdrop or 1 orange slice candy per turkey, cut in half for the beak
• 1 red mini candy-coated chocolate per turkey for the wattle
• Small pretzel sticks (2 per turkey for legs, optional)
• Measuring cups
• 1 clean kitchen towel
• 1 butter knife for halving the gumdrops (adult use only)

How do you make the turkey treats?

1. An adult melts the butter in the large pot over low heat, then stirs in the mini marshmallows until they are fully melted and smooth. This takes about 3 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat.
2. The adult stirs in the rice cereal with the wooden spoon until every piece is coated. Work quickly because the mixture starts to firm up fast.
3. Spray your hands lightly with cooking spray. Scoop about 1/3 cup of the warm mixture and roll it into a ball about the size of a tennis ball, then gently flatten the bottom so it sits upright. This is the turkey body.
4. While the body is still warm and tacky, press 5 to 7 candy corn pieces into the back of the ball with the pointed ends pushed in and the wide colored ends fanning out. These are the tail feathers.
5. Press 2 candy eyes onto the front of the ball. An adult halves the orange gumdrops with the butter knife before decorating starts. Push one halved gumdrop below the eyes as the beak, point facing down, and press the red mini candy under the beak as the wattle.
6. If you are adding legs, push 2 small pretzel sticks into the bottom front of the body so the turkey stands.
7. Set each finished turkey on the parchment paper and let them sit at room temperature for 30 minutes until firm.

A 4-year-old can do all the decorating and loves pressing the candy corn feathers in, while a 7-year-old can shape the bodies with sprayed hands after the mixture cools for about 5 minutes. The turkeys look gloriously lopsided and the kids are proud.

When is the mixture cool enough for kids to touch?

The adult should test it first. About 4 to 5 minutes after it comes off the heat, the mixture is warm and workable instead of hot. If it is still too hot to hold comfortably for 5 seconds, wait another 2 minutes. Kids with sensitive hands can wear clean food-safe gloves sprayed with cooking spray. Never hand a child the pot or let them stir while it is on the heat. The melting and mixing steps are adult-only.

What goes wrong, and how do you fix it?

The mixture gets too firm to shape. You waited too long. Pop the bowl back over very low heat for 30 seconds, stir, and shape immediately. Next batch, have your parchment and decorating supplies laid out before you melt anything.

The candy corn feathers fall out. You decorated after the body cooled. Press feathers in while the body is still warm and tacky, and push the pointed ends in at least a quarter inch. If a feather pops out of a cooled turkey, dab a tiny bit of melted marshmallow or frosting on the end as glue.

Little hands get impossibly sticky. Respray hands with cooking spray every two or three turkeys. A thin film of butter on palms works too. Keep a damp towel nearby for quick wipe-downs between turkeys.

The treats taste stale or hard the next day. They were left uncovered. These dry out fast in open air, so get them into an airtight container as soon as they are fully set.

How do you store them?

Once the turkeys are firm, place them in an airtight container in a single layer with parchment between layers if you stack. They keep at room temperature for 2 to 3 days. Do not refrigerate them; the cold makes the cereal tough and the marshmallow rubbery. If you are making them ahead for a party, bake-day morning is perfect timing.

These pair well with our no-bake Oreo turkeys if you want a two-treat dessert table, and the apple turkey snack makes a fresh counterpoint for kids who want something less sweet.

Want more like this? Join our email list and we will send new seasonal activities as we publish them.

Frequently Asked Questions

What age is this for?

Ages 4 and up with an adult running the stove. Four and five-year-olds are excellent decorators once the mixture is cool enough to handle, and they love the candy corn feather step. Kids 7 and older can shape the bodies themselves with sprayed hands. Kids under 4 should skip this one, since the small candies are choking hazards and the warm mixture is too hot for toddler hands.

How messy is it?

Medium messy, in the fun way. Marshmallow sticks to everything it touches, especially hands and the spoon. Spray everything, including the measuring cups and the kids' hands, with cooking spray before you start, and lay parchment over your whole work surface. Cleanup means washing one pot and one spoon, then wiping the counter, about 10 minutes total if you soak the pot right away.

How long does it take?

About 15 minutes of active work plus 30 minutes of setting time. Melting and mixing takes 5 minutes, shaping and decorating takes about 10 minutes for a batch of 8 to 10 turkeys, and then they need 30 quiet minutes on the parchment to firm up. Start them before lunch and they are ready for the afternoon.

Is it safe?

The hot marshmallow mixture can burn, so melting and stirring are adult-only steps and kids shape only after an adult confirms the mixture is touchable. The candy eyes, mini candies, and whole candy corn are choking hazards for children under 4. Allergy flags: butter is dairy, marshmallows contain gelatin, pretzel sticks contain wheat, and candy corn labels should be checked for nut facility warnings.

Be safe and have fun!