We do birthdays a little differently here. I’ve pretty much gotten away from birthday cake altogether, but I don’t think my kids miss it at all. We start the day with birthday waffles. And this year, for the birthday party, we made “Krispie Kitties.”  They were a big hit with all the little girls, and they fit right in with our animal theme.

To make these Krispie Kitties, start out like you would with rice crispies bars. But before you begin, snip enough vines of black licorice to make heads and tails for all of the kitties. You’ll need these ready to go, before the cereal hardens up.

Melt 1/4 c butter in a large pan over low heat.

Add a bag (10 oz) of mini marshmallows in the pan, and stir until they melt.

Add 6 cups of crispy cereal and mix well.

Coat your hands with butter or oil because here comes the sticky part. Form enough large balls to form the body, and the same amount of smaller balls to form the head. Smush them together, like you are making a snowman.

Then very carefully, use a knife to poke two small holes to stick the licorice tips in for the ears, and do the same for the tail. Work quickly, before the marshmallow has time to cool and harden the balls.

Let your kitty sit and cool. Dab a small bit of pink frosting on for the nose. If you can find them, use 6 small bits of thin rope licorice stuck into the frosting for whiskers. We couldn’t get our hands on the thin ropes, but the girls didn’t seem to miss them. It’s obvious these little guys have good pedigrees, even without whiskers.

These sweet treats are surprisingly low in sugar, and are one of the few things my girls can eat without going bonkers from sugar overload. As a bonus, very few of the girls actually liked the black licorice, which meant more for me!

Have you made other types of little krispie critters? I’m sure this would work for other animals, too.