It’s almost impossible to see a tray of Christmas Wreath Cookies and not smile – whether you’re a kid or an adult. There’s just something about them that’s so festive and nostalgic. It doesn’t hurt that they’re also absolutely delicious!

These cookies are basically Rice Krispie Treats, except they’re made with cornflakes and shaped into adorable green wreaths. I also like to add a splash of vanilla extract to give them an extra little something.

Tips for Making No Bake Christmas Wreath Cookies

These No Bake Christmas Wreath Cookies are perfect during this busy season because they don’t take forever to make and bake. You can throw them together whenever you want them. However, they can be a bit sticky. To solve that problem, here are my two most important tips for making them.

Use a greased measuring cup.

Use silicone measuring cups (like these collapsible silicone measuring cups) or a greased quarter cup to portion out the mixed cereal and melted marshmallows. If you do this, the cookies will come out around the same size without a ton of guesswork. They will also have that perfectly round shape that you’re looking for. It’s important to grease your measuring cup every couple cookies if you don’t use a silicone one. This keeps the mixture from sticking to the cup. Next, put each portion onto a parchment lined tray so they’re easy to remove for serving. You could grease a pan but then the Christmas wreath gets an icky greasy film.

Rinse your hands often.

As you form the wreaths they’ll start to stick to your fingers, making a sticky mess. My tip to keep that from happening is to have a small dish of water next to you while you shape them. You’ll use your (clean!) fingers to form the hole in the center of each wreath. That marshmallow can be super sticky, but it won’t stick to your fingers if you keep them damp by re-wetting them in the little dish of water between each wreath.

Decorate your wreaths.

The standard decoration for these cookies used to be maraschino cherries. These days it’s more common to see them decorated with red hot cinnamon candies or red mini M&Ms. You really can’t go wrong with any of these options but decorate them with whatever you want, including sprinkles. Just be sure to add your decorations right away while the marshmallow is still sticky. I find it’s best to shape and decorate each cookie one at a time.

Store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days (if they last that long!) or freeze for up to 6 weeks.

Christmas Wreath Cookies

Contributor: Lauren Keating

Author: Lauren Keating
Prep Time: 1 Hour
Cook Time: 10 Minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Yield: 24 cookies 1x
Category: Dessert
Method: Stovetop
Cuisine: American

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Ingredients

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½ cup butter (1 stick)
5 cups mini marshmallows
1 tsp green food coloring
½ tsp vanilla extract
5 cups cornflakes
Red mini M+Ms, red hot candies, or maraschino cherries, for garnish

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Instructions

Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
Melt butter in a large saucepan over low heat. Stir in the marshmallows and cook until melted. Remove from heat.
Stir in the food coloring and vanilla until evenly colored. Fold in the cornflakes.
Spray a ¼ cup measuring cup with cooking spray. Pack with the cornflake mixture, then turn out on the baking sheet. Use damp fingers to shape into a wreath, then decorate with candies.
Repeat with remaining cornflake mixture.
Let cool completely before removing from the parchment, about 30 minutes. Store at room temperature in an airtight container or freeze up to 6 weeks.

This post originally appeared in December 2019 and was revised and republished in December 2020.

Tips for Making No Bake Christmas Wreath Cookies

Decorate your wreaths.

Ingredients

Instructions

Lauren Keating

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