Description
Tombstone Treats are a fun and festive Halloween-themed dessert perfect for parties. The recipe combines crispy marshmallow rice cereal bars with tombstone-shaped sugar cookies, decorated with tinted frosting, toasted coconut ‘grass,’ and candy pumpkins, making an adorable spooky treat that’s as tasty as it is decorative.
Ingredients
Scale
Treat Base
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 4 cups miniature marshmallows
- 7-1/2 cups crisp rice cereal
Tombstone Cookies
- 1 tube (16-1/2 ounces) refrigerated sugar cookie dough
- 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon water
- 4 drops green food coloring
Decorations
- 1-1/2 cups sweetened shredded coconut
- Black paste food coloring
- Vanilla frosting
- Brown decorating icing
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips, melted
- Candy pumpkins
Instructions
- Make Marshmallow Cereal Bars: In a large saucepan over low heat, melt 3 tablespoons of butter. Stir in 4 cups of miniature marshmallows until completely melted and smooth. Remove the pan from heat, then stir in 7-1/2 cups of crisp rice cereal until everything is well coated. Transfer mixture into a greased 13×9-inch pan and use a buttered spatula to press it evenly. Allow to cool completely.
- Prepare Cookie Dough: Beat the refrigerated sugar cookie dough and 2/3 cup all-purpose flour together until combined. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to about 1/4-inch thickness. Using a 2-inch tombstone-shaped cookie cutter, cut out 16 tombstone cookies and place them about 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets.
- Add Toothpicks: Along the bottom edge of each cookie, insert two toothpicks halfway into the dough. This will later allow you to attach the cookies standing upright into the cereal bars.
- Bake Cookies: Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Bake the cookies in the oven until their edges turn golden brown, approximately 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from oven and transfer cookies to wire racks to cool completely.
- Tint and Toast Coconut: In a small bowl, mix 1 teaspoon water with 4 drops green food coloring. Add 1-1/2 cups sweetened shredded coconut, cover, and toss or shake until coconut is evenly coated green. Toast the coconut in a shallow pan in a 350°F oven for 5 to 10 minutes or cook in a skillet over low heat until golden brown, stirring occasionally to prevent burning. Set aside to cool.
- Tint Frosting and Decorate Cookies: Using black paste food coloring, tint vanilla frosting gray. Frost each sugar cookie with the gray frosting. Use brown decorating icing to add details and inscriptions to make the tombstones spooky and fun.
- Cut and Prepare Bars for Assembly: Cut the cooled marshmallow cereal bars into 3×2-inch rectangles. Spread the top of each bar with melted semisweet chocolate chips.
- Assemble Tombstones and Final Decorations: Using the toothpicks previously inserted into the cookies, carefully insert each tombstone cookie upright into the chocolate-spread cereal bars. Decorate around the cookies with toasted green coconut to resemble grass and place candy pumpkins as desired to complete the Halloween look.
Notes
- Press the marshmallow cereal mixture firmly into the pan to ensure bars hold together well.
- Inserting toothpicks before baking helps the cookies stand upright without breaking.
- Adjust green food coloring amount for the coconut to achieve your preferred shade of grass.
- Use brown decorating icing to write spooky messages or symbols on the tombstone cookies.
- Allow all components to cool completely before assembly to prevent melting or sliding.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 treat
- Calories: 220
- Sugar: 18g
- Sodium: 110mg
- Fat: 8g
- Saturated Fat: 4.5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 34g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 2g
- Cholesterol: 15mg
