I’ve been making this easy recipe for Holly Cookies for many years!  Everyone loves them!

Holly Cookies with red cinnamon candy berries

You should know that these Holly Cookies aren’t really cookies in the literal sense.  They’re more like Rice Krispie treats made with corn flakes instead of Rice Krispies– and with added green coloring.  The corn flakes are perfect for making these look like holly leaves.  Added cinnamon red hot candies act as berries for the holly.

Some people like to make these into a round shape and call them holly wreaths instead of bunches of holly.  You can certainly do that.  If you’re not so picky, then just put them in little blobs and that makes it so much easier.  They are perfectly cute as little pieces of holly.

Holly Cookies

After you make these, if you let them sit for a while, they set up nicely and you’ll be able to stack them without worrying about them sticking to each other.

I make these every year and add them to my holiday cookie platters.  They’re nice for gifting, bringing along to a party or using for a holiday cookie exchange.  Everyone loves Holly Cookies!

Holly Cookies

Holly Cookies

Another nice thing about making Holly Cookies is that they’re a pretty affordable treat to make.  There’s no chocolate involved (which can be expensive).  The main ingredients- marshmallows, corn flakes and butter are pretty mainstream and can usually be found on sale.

Plan ahead at the beginning of the season and be on the lookout for holiday ingredient sales at your market!  Walmart seems to have pretty reasonable prices on seasonal ingredients too.

Holly Cookies

If you’re looking for more treats for your holiday cookie platters, you might like to try my Molasses- Honey Ginger Cookies or these Chocolate- Peppermint StarsDark Chocolate Candy Cane Cookies, Red Velvet Shortbread Cookies and Vanilla- Almond Spritz Cookies are festive cookie choices too!

4.43 from 14 votes

Holly Cookies

These super simple Holly Cookies are a great addition to holiday baking!
Prep: 25 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes
Total: 35 minutes
Servings: 24 cookies
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Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
  • 30 large (regular, not jumbo) marshmallows
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • teaspoons green food coloring
  • cups corn flakes
  • red cinnamon candies

Instructions 

  • In a large pot, melt the butter and marshmallows over medium heat, stirring constantly. Add the vanilla and food coloring. Stir in the corn flakes. 
  • Grease a spoon and drop spoonfuls of the mixture onto a greased cookie sheet, or vegetable oil sprayed wax paper. Place 3 red cinnamon candies on each bunch of "holly," pressing slightly so they stick.
  • Let sit until they have cooled and set.

Notes

  • To make these gluten-free, just be sure to use brands of marshmallows and corn flakes that are known to be GF.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cookie, Calories: 77kcal, Carbohydrates: 10g, Fat: 3g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Cholesterol: 10mg, Sodium: 70mg, Potassium: 6mg, Sugar: 5g, Vitamin A: 190IU, Vitamin C: 0.8mg, Calcium: 1mg, Iron: 1.2mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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4.43 from 14 votes (8 ratings without comment)

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34 Comments

  1. Laura says:

    I can’t make them stick together,not even in a ball.What am I doing wrong?

    1. Lori Lange says:

      They stick together once they sit at room temp for a bit- just like Rice Krispie Treats.

  2. Aue says:

    Can I use fluff instead of marshmallow?

    1. Lori Lange says:

      I don’t think that would work the same. Haven’t tried it!

  3. Tammie Moore says:

    Made these before love them also made a large one

  4. Sylvia says:

    How do you prevent the corn flakes from breaking into small pieces?

    1. Lori Lange says:

      It’s okay if they break apart a bit.

  5. Laurie says:

    Could you use Special K instead of corn flakes?o

    1. Lori Lange says:

      Haven’t thought of that, but I guess so!

  6. Kylie McGovern says:

    Can you please advise how far ahead you can make these. Thanks for your time.

    1. Lori Lange says:

      They’re like Rice Krispie treats… so I wouldn’t make them more than a day or two in advance.

    2. Pat says:

      My holly leaves are sticky. Followed directions any suggestions

  7. Susan Mary Balistreri says:

    I’m planning on making these this weekend. How long do they last (shelf life). Can I freeze them? store in the refrigerator? or at room temperature?

    1. Lori Lange says:

      Because these are made with corn flakes and marshmallows, they’ll last as long as regular Rice Krispies treats would last. Place them in a single layer inside a resealable freezer bag if you need to keep them fresh for longer than two days (room temp). I have never tried freezing them, so I’m not sure I can recommend that.

  8. Aysegul Sanford says:

    5 stars
    Sooo cute and festive. Can’t wait for the holidays to serve these to my family.

  9. Toni | Boulder Locavore says:

    5 stars
    This is really cute!

  10. Jennifer Farley says:

    5 stars
    This is such a fun recipe! So perfect for upcoming holidays.