Snowball Rice Krispy Treats

So this is our first Christmas as a family of 3, meaning its important that we begin establishing some family traditions. (Because our 8 month old child is reeeally going to remember what happened this year) So far we have a list of Christmas stories to read, Santa visiting to do, gingerbread houses to make, etc, etc. One new tradition my husband wants to start is going to visit the snow during the holiday season.

Have I mentioned I live in sunny southern California? High of 80s, low of 50s... When I was a kid I thought winter lasted from Thanksgiving to December 25th. As soon as the Christmas tree comes down it's spring right?

As you can imagine, the idea of visiting the snow isn't that enticing to me. I mean it's like an hour drive to get there, its cold, by the time we get there the girl is going to need a nap, its cold, I'm going to have to find all our snow clothes... did I mention it's cold? Can we just pick up some snow in a can and call it a day?

So far I haven't convinced him to rethink this tradition, but I'm working on it. Which brings me to today's treat. Snowball Rice Krispy Treats! You know the nutty/shortbread snowball cookies everyone makes during the holidays? Rice Krispy Treat form! I believe these are even better then the real things! The nuts give it the texture of the traditional cookie and the massive amounts of powdered sugar top it off perfectly. I'm going to try and convince my husband that by eating these we can mark visiting the snow off our list. You think it's going to work?

Snowball Rice Krispy Treats
4 Tbsp butter
1 tsp almond extract
6 cups marshmallows
6 cups krispies
1 cup chopped almonds (you could also probably use walnuts, macadamia nuts, or even pecans...)

Powdered Sugar Coating
10 oz vanilla flavored Almond bark, chopped
Powdered sugar (I'd guess about 3-4 cups worth?)


Pour the rice krispies and chopped almonds in a large mixing bowl and set aside. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium high heat until melted. Turn the heat down to the lowest setting and add the marshmallows. Stir until the marshmallows are mostly all melted (this will take a few minutes--low and slow is key for perfect texture). Add in the almond extract and finish melting.

Once fully melted, take them off heat and pour over the rice krispy mixture. Stir lightly to combine. While it's still slightly warm grab tablespoon sized pieces (with greased hands) and shape mixture into balls. Set on a cookie sheet and allow to fully cool.

Meanwhile melt the Almond bark in a saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring until completely melted and smooth. Then pour your powdered sugar into a wide bowl. One by one, dip your rice krispy balls into the melted bark, then into the powdered sugar, being sure to completely coat them. Repeat with all your "snowballs", then set aside to cool for about 20 minutes. Enjoy!


Ok... I've gotten a question or two about my picture taking and where I do it. Since this post initiated one of my more professional photo set ups I thought I'd include it for your enjoyment. Remember, I'm a professional. Not everyone can have this high tech of a photo studio in their home: