Halloween Wreath Cookie Recipe

One of my favorite Christmas cookies is a pretty green wreath made of cornflakes and marshmallows that uses red hots for holly berries.  I love these easy no-bake treats so much that I decided to retool them for my favorite holiday -- Halloween.  So here's a recipe for what I'm calling . . .

Halloween Wreath Cookies
Adapted from a recipe in Rose's Christmas Cookies by Rose Levy Beranbaum

You will need:
4 oz unsalted butter
3 cups marshmallows
orange food coloring (or red and yellow mixed)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 cups of cornflakes (I used Special K because it was on sale)
Halloween-themed sprinkles (I used ghosts and bats)
flat work surface covered in wax paper
nonstick cooking spray
large saucepan
wooden spoon
spatula

In your saucepan, melt butter over a low heat.  Add the marshmallows and stir them until they're completely melted and smooth (about 6 minutes).

Remove the pan from heat and whisk in food coloring and vanilla.  Add more food coloring than seems necessary; you really want the color to be deep and bright so that it doesn't wind up getting diluted when you add the cornflakes.

Stir in the cornflakes, making sure they are well coated in the orange marshmallow goop.  (At this point, Berenbaum recommends keeping the mixture warm by placing your saucepan in a larger saucepan of hot water.  I've never found I needed to do so, but it might be helpful if you're meticulous or are working with young children.)

Spray your fingers with non-stick spray and pick up a handful of the cornflake-marshmallow mixture.  Plop this down on the wax paper and mould it into a donut shape using your hands.  (Berenbaum recommends using two greased spoons, but my hands always get covered in marshmallow anyway, so I don't see any point in making even more dishes.) 

Sprinkle each wreath with a smattering of sprinkles while it's still sticky.  (You may want to pat them into place so they stay put.)  Continue working until you've used all the cornflake mixture.

Let the wreaths cool and solidify, then store in an airtight container.  I find it helps to use a greased spatula to slide the wreaths off the wax paper, as they can be a bit fragile and hard to handle even once they've firmed up.

Since this recipe is essentially the same as a Rice Krispie Treat, you can also pack the cornflake-marshmallow mixture into a baking pan and cut it into bars, which would be a great, easier-to-transport alternative for a seasonal bake sale.  Either way, it makes a tasty treat that's always been a hit at my holiday parties.