I’m writing this up to document an old family tradition, started when I saw a Darina Allen recipe to make a chocolate rice crispy tree. It’s simple and ideal to do with kids. A few friends asked how to make it and I couldn’t find any documented instructions online so I decided to write it up.
What you will need:
- 200g Rice crispies
- 450g cooking chocolate (save 75g to assemble the tree)
- Chopped roasted hazelnuts (optional)
- Parchment paper
- Ruler and pencil (optional, you can just wing it!)
- Icing sugar (for decoration)
The ingredient amounts above are just guidelines. You can go as large as you like with this. It’s all down to what supplies you have, how impressive you want to make it and how many people you intend to serve.
Lay out your parchment paper
Lay out your parchment paper on a table. Mark crosses on the paper at regular intervals. I started with a line 24cm by 24cm and reduced to 22cm and 20cm and so on. The smallest cross was 16cm by 16cm.
You don’t have to be exact but I like to measure it, I know, nerdy!
Melt your cooking chocolate and add rice crispies
Melt your chocolate in a bowl over hot water. When it’s melted add your rice crispies and hazelnuts (if using).
Line up your rice crispies on the crosses
Drop the chocolate covered rice crispies along the lines on your parchment paper to make a cross.
Keep going until you have covered all of your crosses on the paper.
Finally create a little pile of rice crispies to make your topping for the tree.
Let the rice crispies set
Give the rice crispies time to set before you assemble the tree.
Melt the extra chocolate
Melt the 75g of leftover chocolate to use to stick the crosses together.
Assemble your rice crispy tree
Drop a little bit of melted chocolate onto the centre of the cross and stick the next smallest cross on top of it to build up the tree.
Keep building the tree up, layer by layer and add the crown on top.
Dust icing sugar over the top of your chocolate rice crispy tree
Dust some icing sugar on top and add whatever decorations you have to hand. And that’s it, enjoy your chocolate rice crispy tree.
