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These Chocolate Rice Krispie Treats are light and crunchy, with a sticky, chewy marshmallow texture you’ll adore. Real dark chocolate and cocoa powder make this dreamy treat sweet and delicious.
The Best, Most Indulgent Chocolate Rice Krispie Treats!
Everyone loves rice krispie treats, but have you tried the chocolate version? Trust me, if you haven’t made chocolate rice krispie treats before, you are gonna want to try these. They are so light and crisp, yet so full of decadent, creamy chocolate flavor!
For a gratifying after-school snack or lunchbox item, you really can’t beat a homemade chocolate rice krispie treat. I also like to make them for fun occasions like birthday parties and Valentine’s day parties. (Pro tip: cut them into fun shapes with greased cookie cutters!)
Whatever the occasion, you won’t be able to resist this scrumptious combination of crispy rice cereal, melted marshmallows, and dark chocolate.
Recipe Ingredients
For this recipe, you’ll need the ingredients for both the basic chocolate rice crispy bars, and the creamy chocolate topping. For a simpler recipe, you can choose to make just the bars – they’ll still be just as satisfying!
For the Chocolate Rice Krispie Treats
- Butter: Any butter is fine.
- Marshmallows: You can use whatever marshmallows you have on hand.
- Cocoa Powder and Chocolate Chips: I use both cocoa powder and dark chocolate chips, for an intense flavor. Dark chocolate also helps cut the sweetness of the marshmallows.
- Rice Cereal: Plain crispy rice cereal.
- Vanilla: Pure vanilla extract adds a bakery-worthy flavor to the treats, making them extra special. If you don’t have vanilla, you can leave it out.
For the Topping
- Marshmallows: Additional marshmallows make the topping sweet and give it a good texture.
- Chocolate Chips: Dark chocolate chips are my go-to, but semisweet or even milk chocolate chips also work. Milk chocolate chips make the topping more sweet than chocolatey.
- Cream: Heavy cream adds flavor, and helps the topping have the right consistency.
- Flaky Sea Salt: For sprinkling.
How to Make Chocolate Rice Krispie Treats!
This easy process is a no-bake method you’ll definitely like. Have a couple of saucepans ready for melting, and a couple of heatproof mixing bowls, too.
- Melt the Butter and Marshmallows. Melt the butter in a large saucepan over low heat. Be careful not to let the saucepan get too hot, because the butter can burn easily. Add the marshmallows to the melted butter, turn the heat up to medium, and stir until the marshmallows are melted, and then remove the saucepan from the heat.
- Add the Chocolate, Cocoa, Vanilla, and Cereal. Stir the chocolate chips, cocoa powder, and vanilla extract into the butter mixture, until everything is melted together and well combined. Add the crispy rice cereal and stir until it’s evenly coated with the chocolate marshmallow mixture.
- Press into the Pan. Line a 9×13 baking pan with parchment paper, allowing the excess to hang over the sides. (This will make it easier to remove the rice krispie treats from the pan when they’re ready.) Spoon the rice cereal mixture into the pan, and evenly press it into the pan.
- Make the Topping. While the chocolate rice krispie treats are cooling, place the chocolate, marshmallows, and heavy cream in a heat-resistant bowl. Place the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, so that the steam heats the bowl (do not let the bowl touch the simmering water). Whisk the topping mixture until smooth, and all the marshmallows have melted.
- Finish the Rice Krispie Treats. Once the chocolate and marshmallows have melted, drizzle it over the chocolate rice krispie treats and sprinkle them with flaky sea salt. Cut into squares, and enjoy!
Why Are My Rice Krispie Treats Hard?
There are a few reasons that these treats might end up overly firm. If that’s been a problem for you in the past, then make sure to avoid these issues:
- Overheating the Butter Mixture: This delicate mixture is the “glue” that holds everything together, and a common mistake is heating this mixture over too high a heat. Use gentle heat for soft treats.
- Using Old Cereal: If the cereal is stale, that can spoil the dish as well.
- Pressing Too Hard: Press the krispie mixture gently into the pan, so that some air (and softness) stays in the bars.
Tips for Success
Keep your rice krispie treats perfectly crunchy and delicious with these helpful tips.
- Melting: Be sure to melt delicate ingredients like the chocolate mixture and butter mixture over low heat, to prevent scorching.
- Softer Texture: If you prefer softer treats, you can use less crispy rice cereal in the recipe.
- Crunchier Texture: On the other hand, if you want even more crunch, you can use more cereal.
Easy Recipe Variations
Are you excited to try this super chocolatey recipe? I know you’re going to love it. And guess what? If you want to make some changes, chocolate rice krispie treats are totally flexible. You can…
- Use Other Cereals: Try using different kinds of cereal in this recipe, such as cornflakes or puffed rice, to change up the texture.
- Change the Salt: If you don’t have flaky sea salt on hand, you can use any type of salt, or omit it entirely for a sweeter recipe with the salty contrast.
- Add Mix-Ins: For a fun twist, you can add other mix-ins to the mixture, such as chopped nuts, dried fruit, or cookie crumbs. If you use a lot of mix-ins, you may want to reduce the amount of cereal.
How to Store
- To Store: Rice krispie treats should be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
- To Freeze: Just wrap each square in plastic wrap, place the wrapped bars in a zip-top bag, and freeze your chocolate rice krispie treats for up to three months.
- Thaw to room temperature before serving, and enjoy.
Chocolate Rice Krispie Treats
Ingredients
For the Rice Kripies
- 6 tablespoons butter
- 6 cups marshmallows
- 3 tablespoons cocoa powder
- ⅔ cup dark chocolate chips
- 6 cups crispy rice cereal
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
For the Topping
- 1 cup marshmallows
- ½ cup dark chocolate chips
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- flaky sea salt to sprinkle
Instructions
For the Rice Krispies
- Melt the butter in a large saucepan over low heat. Be careful not to heat the saucepan too high, as the butter can burn easily.
- Add the marshmallows to the melted butter, increase the temperature to medium heat, and stir constantly.
- Once the marshmallows are melted, remove the saucepan from the heat.
- Add the chocolate chips, cocoa powder, and vanilla extract. Stir until everything is melted together and well combined.
- Stir in the crispy rice cereal until it is evenly coated with the chocolate marshmallow mixture.
- Line a 9×13″ pan with baking paper, allowing the excess to hang over the sides to make it easier to remove the treats from the pan.
- Spoon the mixture evenly into a pan, using a spoon or spatula. Lightly press the mixture into the pan.
For the Topping
- While the chocolate rice krispie treats are cooling, make the topping by placing the chocolate, marshmallows and heavy cream in a heat-resistant bowl. Place the bowl over a saucepan or pot with simmering water. Do not let the bowl touch the simmering water. If possible, use a double-boiler.
- Whisk the mixture until smooth, and all the marshmallows have melted.
- Once the chocolate and marshmallows have melted, remove from the heat and drizzle it over the chocolate rice krispie treats, then sprinkle with flaky sea salt.
- Cut into squares and serve.
Notes
- Rice Krispies Cereal: The original rice crispy treats are made with rice krispies cereal. You can try using different kinds of cereals if you prefer—cereals such as cornflakes or cheerios.
- Texture: If you prefer softer treats, use a little less cereal. On the other hand, if you want a crunchier texture, use more cereal.
- Shaping the Mixture: To work the mixture into the pan, it’s easiest to grease your hands to press it in lightly.
- Storage: Chocolate rice krispie treats can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Nutrition
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
We loved these! Didn’t last long in our house
That’s great! I’m very glad everyone loves it! Thank YOU! 🙂
Those look choco-licious! I absolutely love chocolate, and you can’t beat Rice Krispies treats. Yummo!
Thank you so much, Beth! I hope you love it! 🙂
Everyone always begs me for this recipe when I make it! Thank you so much!
That’s great! I’m very glad everyone enjoyed it! Thank YOU! 🙂
This is such a fun treat! My kids enjoyed it! Thanks for the recipe!
Thank you so much! I hope everyone enjoys it! 🙂
Mmmmmm….. my new favorite treat! My family will go crazy over it!
Thank YOU! I hope you and your family enjoy it! 🙂
Looks impossible to resist! I’m excited to make this!
Thank YOU! I hope you enjoy it! 🙂