Witches' Hats

These Halloween treats are all about the shape. Crisp rice cereal gets coated in a sticky mix of melted unsweetened chocolate, marshmallows, and corn syrup, then formed by hand into cone shapes with a flattened brim at the bottom. Once dipped in melted semi-sweet chocolate chips, they look like little black witches’ hats and taste like a chocolate-covered rice crispy treat.

Toasting the puffed cereal in the oven for 10 minutes before mixing is the step that makes these crispy instead of chewy. That extra crunch holds up under the double chocolate coating and gives the hats some structure.

Shape the cones while the mixture is still warm and pliable. Once it cools, it sets up fast and becomes impossible to mold. Work quickly, and if it stiffens, warm your hands under hot water and dry them before continuing.

Kitchen Tips

• Grease your hands with a little butter or cooking spray before shaping the cones. The marshmallow mixture is extremely sticky
• Flatten the bottom of each cone firmly against a wax paper-lined surface to create a stable brim
• Melt the chocolate chips in a double boiler, not the microwave. Gentle, even heat prevents seizing
• Let the chocolate coating set completely on wax paper before stacking or storing. This can take an hour or two at room temperature

Variations

• Drizzle orange-tinted white chocolate over the finished hats for a classic Halloween color scheme
• Press candy eyes or a buckle cut from yellow fondant onto the base while the chocolate is still wet
• Use peanut butter chips instead of semi-sweet chocolate for the outer coating