These gooey, crispy treats are fun to make, and as green as the Hulk himself!
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In my quest to create treats in tribute to the characters of the Avengers movies, it was smashing good fun coming up with a treat for the Incredible Hulk!
Many of my favorite Hulk scenes are in the first Avengers movie: like during Loki's scathing condemnation of all those he feels are unworthy - he's cut off by Hulk grabbing him by the ankle and throwing him around like a rag doll! And in Thor: Ragnarok when Hulk and Thor trade similes about which of them is more like a raging fire.
The character of Hulk has had an interesting development over the course of the Marvel movies: intense and often funny in the battle scenes, but reflecting the growing struggles of Bruce Banner as he grapples with all that he is forced to sacrifice by being tethered to the Hulk.
Since Hulk is one of the most popular Marvel characters with kids, I had kids in mind while creating these treats.
I sometimes see Hulk-like explosions of emotion from the kids I work with, outbursts that seem unbelievable given how little they are!
Rage when someone cuts in the lunch line - and at the opposite end of the spectrum, unrestrained joy when extra recess is announced. If you have kids in your household channel their Hulk-energy into making these sweets together!
These marshmallow treats are adapted from the classic Rice Krispies treat recipe.
It had been awhile since I last made marshmallow cereal bars, but it's definitely one of those recipes that leaves me wondering why I don't make them more often: pretty easy to assemble and so delicious!
In addition to marshmallow and cereal mine include green Candy Melts and green food coloring - basically they're "Hulked out" marshmallow squares.
There is also a layer in the middle of purple Pop Rocks for some added animation in every bite! (This is my second recipe using Pop Rocks, the first being my 4th of July Fireworks Ice Cream Soda... clearly I have a thing for Pop Rocks.)
The decoration on the top is made with more candy melts and a piping bag. The treats are eye-catching and exciting a celebration or a Marvel movie viewing party! (One of our favorite pastimes on a rainy weekend day!)
Go green and get your hands on these Hulk treats! The recipe is below, and if you need yet more Avengers themed treats - I got ya covered:
Here are some of the tools and ingredients that I used to make these treats - most are available at craft stores or find them online:
- Wilton Color Right Food Coloring Set - makes it easy to get the exact shade you're looking for!
- Wilton Candy Melts for the writing on top: I used Lavender and Dark Green
- Decorating tips and bags like these
- Pop Rocks! Fun to eat but even more fun to add to sweet treats!
This recipe is featured in the collection, Avengers-Inspired Treats.
>> How do you like these Hulk treats? Leave a comment below to let me know!
Hulk Smash! Crispy Marshmallow Treats
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons butter, unsalted, plus 1 tablespoon extra for greasing
- ¾ cup green Candy Melts pieces, divided
- Green food coloring
- 10 ounces large marshmallows (about 40 marshmallows)
- 6 cups crisped rice cereal
- 4 .33-ounce packages of purple Pop Rocks candy
- Purple sprinkles (optional)
- ½ cup purple Candy Melts pieces
Instructions
- Use the extra tablespoon of butter to grease the bottom and sides of an 8-inch x 8-inch pan, and also a rubber spatula.
- In a large pan, melt the 3 tablespoons of butter over low heat. Add in ¼ cup of the green Candy Melts and the food coloring and stir to combine them. Add in the bag of marshmallows and stir everything over low heat until the marshmallows are melted. The sauce should be smooth and blended. Remove the pan from the heat.
- Add in the crisped rice cereal. Use the buttered spatula to stir and coat the cereal with the marshmallow mixture
- Spread half of the marshmallow-cereal mixture in the bottom and to the edges of the prepared pan: I find it easiest to do this with buttered hands but you can also use the buttered spatula. Sprinkle the 4 packages of Pop Rocks in an even layer over the cereal. If you are using purple sprinkles you can add them here as well. The top these with the rest of the marshmallow cereal, pressing it into an even top layer that goes all the way to the edges. Leave the pan on a cooling rack to set and cool for 30 minutes.
- While the pan is cooling you can cut out an 8-inch square piece of paper to plan out how your lettering and decoration will look. Write out "HULK SMASH!" in the center, in all caps and with the letters all the same height, and then draw the pointy bubble around the lettering.
- Invert the contents of the pan onto a serving dish. The square should be cooled and set. Assemble the piping bag and #6 tip and have it ready to fill.
- Melt the remaining green Candy Melts in a microwave-safe dish in 20-second bursts, stirring after each, until they are melted and smooth. Scoop this immediately into the piping bag: a little may seep through the tip but you'll still have plenty to pipe with.
- Pipe the words "HULK SMASH!" into the center of the marshmallow-cereal square, and then pipe the pointy bubble around it, following the plan you made on paper. Let this set for about 5 minutes. (Note: the Candy Melts harden pretty quickly, so don't try filling the piping bags in advance.)
- Assemble another piping bag and the #4 tip and have it ready to fill. Melt the purple Candy Melts in a microwave-safe dish in 20-second bursts, stirring after each, until they are melted and smooth. Scoop this immediately into the piping bag: a little may seep through the tip but you'll still have plenty to pipe with. Pipe the purple melts over the green lettering and the pointy bubble: this will give great contrast and dimension to the decoration.
- Once the candy melts are set and hard, the treats are ready to be served. Or, you can cover them with plastic wrap and hold them until your party begins. When you are ready to serve the individual squares, use a buttered, sharp knife to slice out 9 squares.
- The treats will keep, wrapped tightly for up to 3 days.
Notes
- Any food coloring you have on hand that is typically available in the grocery store will be fine to use in this recipe: just add drops until you reach a bright shade of green. What I use is the Wilton Color Right kit and I have been happy with the quality of the color, and especially the color chart they provide to get the perfect shade.
- For the piping I used two colors of Candy Melts in a piping bag with a #6 tip for the green and a smaller #4 tip for purple. If you don't have piping tips you can use Ziploc baggies and snip off corners to pipe.
- The melted Candy Melts run through the tips quickly. Though you have to handle the piping bags with melts carefully, I still found them easy to use. Wilton even makes special tips and bags for Candy Melts that you can pop right in the microwave, and they're not too expensive. If you'd rather, you can also try pre-loaded tubes of icing available at grocery stores for the decoration.
Nutrition
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