These chewy Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Rice Krispie Treats are the best indulgent dessert that stay soft and chewy for up to 5 days! All you need is 30 minutes start to finish and 6 simple ingredients.
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📋 About the Recipe
- The smooth and creamy peanut butter compliments the buttery richness of these treats so nicely!
- Super simple to make! All you need is 6 easy ingredients and 30 minutes.
- Easy to cut as bite sized as you'd like. Cut smaller slices as desired for kid parties and potluck gatherings.
- Great make-ahead dessert. This rice krispie treat recipe uses extra marshmallows and butter to keep these treats soft and chewy for up to 5 days.
- Uses both unsalted butter and unsalted peanut butter to keep the sodium levels lower! With delicious added flavor from semi sweet mini chocolate chips!
- Perfectly paired with my other flavored treats: s'mores rice krispie treats and hot chocolate rice krispie treats!
🛒 Ingredients
A few notes about the ingredients:
- Rice cereal - A crucial component in any rice Krispie treat! Be sure to use the full amount of rice cereal. Using too little will prevent the treats from fully setting and using too much will prevent the treats from properly sticking together.
- Marshmallows - Another rice Krispie treat essential. Marshmallows are the key to making them soft, gooey and fluffy!
- Butter - Adds a rich, creamy flavor and keeps the treats moist and chewy. I prefer to use unsalted butter but salted butter will work, too! Just make sure to leave out the added salt.
- Mini chocolate chips - the addition of chocolate chips makes these treats extra indulgent and adds great texture in the form of a small crunch!
- Peanut butter - It's important to use natural peanut butter in this recipe. Peanut butters with added ingredients will alter both the flavor and the texture of the marshmallow mixture and is not recommended.
📓 Instructions
1. Prepare a 9x13 baking pan by spraying it with nonstick spray and adding parchment paper to the bottom for easy removal.
2. In a large pot, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Once the butter is almost completely melted, add the marshmallows.
3. Stir to coat the marshmallows fully in the butter. Cook for 5 to 8 minutes, stirring intermittently until the marshmallows melt completely. Don't overcook, as this will cause the mixture to burn and the marshmallows to harden.
4. Remove the pot from the heat. Stir in peanut butter, vanilla extract, and salt.
5. Pour in the cereal. Stir to fully combine, making sure to scrape any additional marshmallows from the bottom of the pot.
6. Allow mixture to cool for about 5 minutes before stirring in chocolate chips, reserving some for the top of the treats.
7. Dump out the cereal and marshmallow mixture into the 9x13 baking pan. Using a greased spoon, spread out evenly from edge to edge.
8. Top with the reserved chocolate chips, gently pressing down so they stick to the top of the treats.
9. Allow the rice krispie treats to cool and slightly harden for about 15 minutes before slicing into 15 even-sized rectangles.
10. Remove them from the baking pan and use your hands to mold them into evenly shaped rectangles.
⁉️ Substitutions and Alterations
- Mini chocolate chips help to add chocolate flavor, but still keeps the treats chewy and even in texture. You can use full sized chocolate chips in a pinch- the crunch from the chocolate chips will just be more substantial.
- Substitute salted peanut butter for the unsalted natural peanut butter, if desired. Please note that using peanut butters with added ingredients other than peanuts and salt is not recommended.
- Substitute salted butter for the unsalted butter and kosher salt, if desired.
❄️ How to Store
To store: For optimal, long lasting results, store your treats at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Refrigeration is not recommended as this will harden the marshmallows and alter the texture of your treats.
To freeze: These treats freeze well for up to 6 months in a freezer-safe zip top bag. Be sure to allow them to fully thaw on the counter for about 15 minutes at room temperature before enjoying. You can also speed up the process by microwaving for 15 to 30 seconds to help soften.
🔍 FAQs
If your treats taste stale, a few things could have happened. For starters, using stale marshmallows and stale cereal will yield stale treats.
However, if those things are fresh and your treats still taste stale, it's likely too much butter was used. Too much butter will prevent the treats from fully setting and will cause them to taste stale and soggy.
This can also be caused by a number of things. If your treats are not sticking together, it is possible you used too much rice cereal, too much butter, or did not melt the marshmallows completely before mixing in the cereal. Be sure to measure correctly and take your time melting the marshmallows low and slow.
Try spraying your knife lightly with cooking spray between slices. This will help prevent sticking and make it much easier to get nice clean lines.
These treats are fairly indulgent on their own, but if you want to go over the top, dip them in additional chocolate or peanut butter!
💭 One More Tip
Keep the heat on medium-low when melting the butter and marshmallows. Using too high of heat can cause the marshmallows to burn or make them too sticky and hard which will result in a hard treat.
🍴 Related Recipes
Share your cooking with me! If you make this recipe, I'd love to know! Tag @yourhomemadehealthy on Instagram or leave a comment with a rating and some feedback at the bottom of this page!
📖 Recipe
Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Rice Krispie Treats
Equipment
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 15 ounces mini marshmallows (about 1 ½ bags)
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¾ cup unsalted natural peanut butter
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 8 cups rice cereal such as Rice Krispies
- ⅔ cup mini chocolate chips divided
Instructions
- Prepare a 9x13 baking pan by spraying it with nonstick spray and adding parchment paper to the bottom for easy removal.
- In a large pot, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Once the butter is almost completely melted, add the marshmallows.
- Stir to coat the marshmallows fully in the butter. Cook for 5 to 8 minutes, stirring intermittently until the marshmallows melt completely. Don't overcook, as this will cause the mixture to burn and the marshmallows to harden.
- Remove the pot from the heat. Stir in peanut butter, vanilla extract, and salt.
- Pour in the cereal. Stir to fully combine, making sure to scrape any additional marshmallows from the bottom of the pot.
- Allow mixture to cool for about 5 minutes before stirring in chocolate chips, reserving some for the top of the treats.
- Dump out the cereal and marshmallow mixture into the 9x13 baking pan. Using a greased spoon, spread out evenly from edge to edge.
- Top with the reserved chocolate chips, gently pressing down so they stick to the top of the treats.
- Allow the rice krispie treats to cool and slightly harden for about 15 minutes before slicing into 15 even-sized rectangles.
- Remove them from the baking pan and use your hands to mold them into evenly shaped rectangles.
Storage
- To store: For optimal, long lasting results, store your treats at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Refrigeration is not recommended as this will harden the marshmallows and alter the texture of your treats. To freeze: These treats freeze well for up to 6 months in a freezer-safe zip top bag. Be sure to allow them to fully thaw on the counter for about 15 minutes at room temperature before enjoying. You can also speed up the process by microwaving for 15 to 30 seconds to help soften.
Notes
- Make sure to heat the marshmallows low and slow. Melting them too fast may result in burning or hard treats.
- Store leftover treats in a properly sealed airtight container to prevent them from going stale.
Nutrition
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