Watermelon Rice Krispie Treats

There's some things in this world that just scream "summer" and I'm pretty sure we can all agree that watermelon is one of those things! The colors are so pretty, the fruit is so yummy and the emoji is constantly in my frequently used section ; ) I'm one of those people who loves to snack all day and every day and as bad as it sounds, I try and be super healthy about it! But sometimes you just need a fun snack and that's exactly where these fun (and super yummy) watermelon rice krispie bars come in to play. We're in the middle of an almost two week long heat wave now in New York and that means if a recipe says "no bake", I'm a happy camper. I can't even imagine turning the oven on when it's this hot - thank god for central AC because as much as I love summer time and fun, outdoor, summery things, I do not handle heat well! Back to this fun summer snack; they're almost too cute to eat!

Here's what you'll need: **This recipe makes one, 8" cake pan, or about 8 pops. If you want to have 16 pops with two cake pans, double the recipe**
Green watermelon rind:
2 cups mini marshmallows
1 1/2 tbsp butter
2 cups rice krispies
Green food coloring

Pink watermelon flesh:
2 1/2 cups mini marshmallows
1 1/2 tbsp butter
2 1/2 cups rice krispies
Red food coloring

Extras:
Cooking spray
Chocolate chips
Popsicle sticks

I found it extremely helpful to get everything ready before I started; once you melt the marshmallows, the mixture gets sticky and hard to maneuver pretty quickly!
Green watermelon rind:

Mix the marshmallows and butter in a bowl and microwave for 15 seconds; if it needs more time, try another 15 seconds. Once the marshmallows begin to bubble up, mix it together (sort of whipping it together) until the butter is completely melted in.

Add in the green food dye a few drops at a time. Keep adding and mixing until you achieve the shade of green you like best; I liked the way a lighter green looked and I added 4 drops at first, mixed and then added 3 more.

Add in the rice krispies and stir until they're all completely green. This takes a while (and definitely tests your arm muscles ;) and I found it to be much easier to add a cup at a time between stirs. Once everything is mixed, spray the cake pan and pour the green rice krispies into the pan. Tip thanks to my momma: put a little of the cooking spray on your fingers to mold the rice krispies into shape to avoid them sticking to your fingers. This was a HUGE help, I would have been there for hours otherwise! It's hard to get the green part into shape at first; try using your thumbs to press it down flat and use the back side of a spoon to push it all into place.

Once your green watermelon rind is set in the pan, you start the process over for the pink watermelon flesh. Melt the marshmallows and butter, mix and then add in the red food coloring. This is where you want to be super careful; if you add too many drops (especially at once) you'll end up with Christmas trees instead of watermelon! ; ) I added 4 drops to begin with, stirred and then added 3 more drops. I mixed and mixed and it was still a little too much of a bubble gum shade for my liking, so I added 3 more drops - slowly - until I got a pretty, darker pink.

Add in the rice krispies and stir; since more of the cereal is involved this time, it's definitely beneficial to add little bits at a time. I insisted that there wasn't enough marshmallow to mix into the amount of rice krispies I had, but after a LOT of mixing it finally all mixed.

Again, spray your fingers to prevent the rice krispies from sticking to you and pour the pink rice krispies into the middle of the pan. I poured about half the mixture in and molded it, then added a bit more and molded that. I used the last bit to fill in any spots that weren't even and to make the pink circle as even as possible.

If any spots need to be pressed down, use your thumbs and even it all out. Place a sheet of parchment paper (not totally necessary, so it's okay if you don't have any!) on top and put the pan in the fridge. Let it sit for about 20-30 minutes to completely cool/form together.

Cut around the sides of the pan to loosen the rice krispies and flip it over to remove it. It should come out pretty easily, if not, try and get a fork into the side to loosen it from the bottom of the pan. Then, cut them evenly into as many slices as you'd like. 8 seems to work best - half, quarters and then eighths.

If you'd like, stick popsicle sticks into the bottoms so that it's easier to hold and eat. It's sort of a process because you have to be careful not to break the slice or go through the bottom (learned that one the hard way!). My favorite part is adding chocolate chips for the watermelon "seeds", they look SO cute! They're easy to serve and they're great for all ages. I love a fun summer dessert/snack that requires no baking and no more than 20 minutes of prep time!

If you try making these, I would love to hear how they come out! They're perfect for summer and for any given day - entertaining or just need a fun summer snack : )
XOXO