Christmas desserts should be fun, festive, and absolutely delicious, and these Santa Hat Crispy-Treat Cheesecake Squares check all those boxes. Imagine a crunchy, buttery rice crispy treat base topped with a layer of smooth, creamy no-bake cheesecake, finished off with adorable Santa hat decorations made from fresh strawberries and whipped cream. These treats look like they took hours to make but they’re actually super simple and don’t require any baking at all. Kids absolutely love helping to make these because they get to press the crispy treats into the pan and decorate the Santa hats. They’re perfect for holiday parties, cookie exchanges, classroom treats, or just a fun weekend activity with the family. The combination of textures is what makes these so addictive. You get that satisfying crunch from the rice crispy base, then the rich creaminess of the cheesecake layer, and finally the sweet freshness of the strawberries. They’re cute enough to be the star of your dessert table but easy enough to make on a busy December afternoon.
Serving Quantity: Makes 16 squares
Cooking Time:
- Prep time: 25 minutes
- Chilling time: 3 hours
- Decorating time: 15 minutes
- Total time: 3 hours 40 minutes
Nutrition Information (per square):
- Calories: 285
- Total Fat: 15g
- Saturated Fat: 9g
- Cholesterol: 40mg
- Sodium: 180mg
- Total Carbohydrates: 34g
- Fiber: 1g
- Sugars: 24g
- Protein: 3g
- Calcium: 6% of daily value
- Vitamin C: 25% of daily value
Ingredients
- 6 cups of crispy rice cereal
- 4 tablespoons of butter
- One 10-ounce bag of marshmallows
- 16 ounces of cream cheese at room temperature
- Half cup of powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
- 1 cup of heavy whipping cream cold
- Quarter cup of granulated sugar
- 16 fresh strawberries with stems
- One 8-ounce container of whipped topping or 2 cups of homemade whipped cream
- Red gel food coloring (optional)
- Mini chocolate chips for Santa’s eyes
- Cooking spray for the pan
Making the Crispy Treat Base
Line a 9 by 13 inch baking pan with parchment paper, leaving some hanging over the sides like handles. This makes it so much easier to lift the whole thing out later. Spray the parchment paper lightly with cooking spray. Measure out your crispy rice cereal into a large bowl and set it aside. In a large pot over medium low heat, melt the butter completely. Once the butter is melted, add all the marshmallows to the pot. Stir constantly with a wooden spoon or silicone spatula as the marshmallows melt into the butter. This takes about 4 to 5 minutes. Keep stirring so nothing burns on the bottom. Once the marshmallows are completely melted and smooth with no lumps, take the pot off the heat. Pour the melted marshmallow mixture over the crispy rice cereal in your bowl. Working quickly because this mixture sets up fast, use your spatula to fold everything together until every piece of cereal is coated with the sticky marshmallow.
Pressing the Base
Dump the marshmallow coated cereal into your prepared pan. It will be warm and sticky. Spray your hands with cooking spray or butter them lightly so the mixture doesn’t stick to you. Press the cereal mixture firmly and evenly into the bottom of the pan. Really press it down hard so it’s compact and will hold together when you cut it. Pay special attention to the corners and edges. Use the bottom of a measuring cup sprayed with cooking spray to help press it flat and even. The layer should be about half an inch thick. Let this cool completely at room temperature for about 20 minutes while you make the cheesecake layer. Don’t skip the cooling or the warm base will melt your cheesecake layer.
Whipping the Cream
Pour the cold heavy whipping cream into a large mixing bowl. Add the granulated sugar. Using an electric mixer with the whisk attachment, beat the cream on medium speed for about a minute, then increase to high speed. Keep beating until you get stiff peaks. This means when you lift the whisk out of the cream, it forms peaks that stand straight up without flopping over. This takes about 4 to 5 minutes total. Set this bowl aside in the fridge while you make the cheesecake mixture. Cold whipped cream holds its shape better.
Creating the Cheesecake Layer
In another large bowl, beat the room temperature cream cheese with an electric mixer on medium speed until it’s completely smooth and fluffy with no lumps. This takes about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula to make sure you get everything. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla extract. Beat again until everything is combined and smooth, about another minute. The mixture should look light and creamy. Take your bowl of whipped cream out of the fridge. Add about a third of the whipped cream to the cream cheese mixture. Use a spatula to fold it in gently using the same folding motion you’d use for any whipped cream. Cut down through the middle, scrape along the bottom, and bring it up and over. Once that first bit is incorporated, add the rest of the whipped cream and fold it in the same gentle way until you don’t see any streaks. The mixture should be light, airy, and smooth.
Assembling the Layers
Make sure your crispy treat base is completely cool. Spoon the cheesecake mixture onto the base and spread it out evenly with an offset spatula or the back of a spoon. Spread it all the way to the edges and smooth the top as much as you can. The cheesecake layer should be thick and creamy. Cover the pan with plastic wrap, making sure the plastic doesn’t touch the cheesecake surface, or you can tent some foil over it. Put the whole pan in the refrigerator and let it chill for at least 3 hours, but overnight is even better. The cheesecake layer needs this time to firm up so it’s sliceable.
Preparing the Santa Hats
While your cheesecake squares are chilling, you can prep your strawberry Santa hats. Wash and dry your strawberries really well. Any water left on them will make the whipped cream slide off. Leave the green stems on because those become the tops of the Santa hats. If you want to make the strawberries extra red and vibrant, you can brush them lightly with a tiny bit of red gel food coloring mixed with a drop of water, but this is totally optional. Fresh red strawberries look great on their own. If you’re using store bought whipped topping, just take it out of the fridge when you’re ready to decorate. If you’re making fresh whipped cream, beat another cup of heavy cream with 2 tablespoons of powdered sugar until you get stiff peaks.
Cutting the Squares
Once your cheesecake layer is completely set and firm, take the pan out of the fridge. Use those parchment paper handles to lift the whole thing out of the pan and onto a cutting board. This is so much easier than trying to cut it in the pan. Get a large sharp knife and run it under hot water, then dry it off. The warm knife cuts through the layers cleanly. Cut the rectangle into 16 squares, wiping the knife clean and warming it again between cuts. You should get 4 rows across and 4 rows down for perfect squares. Carefully transfer each square to a serving platter using a spatula. Keep them in the fridge until you’re ready to add the Santa hats.
Decorating with Santa Hats
Right before serving, it’s time to make these squares look like Santa hats. Take one strawberry and hold it by the stem with the pointed end facing up. Put a dollop of whipped cream or whipped topping on top of one cheesecake square. Place the strawberry on top of the whipped cream with the pointed end up and the stem end sitting in the cream. The strawberry is Santa’s hat. Add a small dollop of whipped cream right on the green stem end of the strawberry. This is the white pom pom on top of Santa’s hat. Add another tiny dollop of whipped cream at the base where the strawberry meets the cheesecake square. This is the fur trim on the bottom of the hat. Use a toothpick to add two tiny dots of melted chocolate or press in two mini chocolate chips for Santa’s eyes on the cheesecake under the strawberry hat. Repeat with all 16 squares. These are best decorated right before serving so the strawberries and cream stay fresh looking.
Serving Your Santa Hat Squares
Arrange all your decorated squares on a festive platter or cake stand. They look absolutely adorable all lined up together like a little Santa convention. These need to stay chilled, so don’t leave them out at room temperature for more than an hour. The cheesecake layer can get soft and the whipped cream can melt. If you’re serving these at a party, you can put the platter on a bed of ice to keep everything cold. Give each person a small plate and a fork. The crispy base is firm enough that people can pick these up with their hands if they want to be casual, but the cheesecake layer is rich enough that a fork is nice to have.
Tips for Perfect Santa Hat Squares
Room temperature cream cheese is absolutely essential. If your cream cheese is cold, it will have lumps that won’t mix out. Take it out of the fridge at least 2 hours before you start. You can soften it quickly in the microwave for about 15 seconds, but watch it carefully. Don’t use reduced fat or fat free cream cheese. They have different textures and won’t set up properly. For the crispiest base, use fresh marshmallows. Stale marshmallows don’t melt as smoothly. You can add a few drops of peppermint extract to the cheesecake layer for a holiday twist. If you can’t find nice red strawberries, you can make the Santa hats from white chocolate dipped strawberries or even use red candy melts to coat them. Make these a day ahead and keep them covered in the fridge. Just wait to add the strawberry decorations until right before serving. To make these even easier, use store bought rice crispy treats as your base. Just press them into the pan. For a chocolate version, use cocoa flavored crispy rice cereal or add a quarter cup of cocoa powder to the melted marshmallows. These freeze well without the strawberry decorations. Wrap individual squares in plastic wrap and freeze for up to a month. Thaw in the fridge and add fresh decorations. If you don’t have strawberries, you can pipe red frosting into Santa hat shapes on top. Use a small star tip to pipe swirls. Let kids help decorate these. They love making the Santa faces and adding the eyes. Don’t stack these on top of each other or the decorations will get smashed. Keep them in a single layer.
