Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Treats

Super-gooey and delicious Peanut Butter Rice Krispies Treats with extra marshmallows and miniature Reese’s cups mixed throughout. These bars are topped with a simple chocolate and peanut butter topping.

Looking for a different flavored krispie treat? Try our Fruity Pebbles Rice Krispies Treats or the original Rice Krispie sTreats recipe! These Scotcheroos are another similar treat you may enjoy.

Peanut Butter Rice Krispies Treats

These Rice Krispies Treats are for the peanut butter and chocolate lover! They’ve got peanut butter, mini Reese’s® cups, and a soft peanut butter-chocolate topping. They’re gooey, crunchy, and rich. They’re also quick and easy with no baking required. 

We make Rice Krispies Treats year-round, but they get made more frequently in the summer when we’re craving something sweet but don’t want to heat up the house with the oven.

**Note: Rice Krispies, Fruity Pebbles,  and Reese’s Cups are trademarked brands of several cereal and candy companies. We use these names in our recipe for easy identification purposes, but any other similar product can be substituted.**

How to make these treats

• Line a pan. These bars are gooey and sticky! For easier removal and less mess, line the pan with parchment paper or foil.
  • I recommend a 9-x-9-inch instead of an 8-x-8-inch pan for these bars since they are quite thick even in the wider pan. The smaller pan makes the bars too tall and more difficult to eat. I personally love this 9 x 9-inch cake pan for this recipe.
• Create the sticky marshmallow base. This mixture consists of butter, brown sugar, heavy cream, marshmallows, and peanut butter (all super wholesome ingredients, right?!). This is the sticky base that will hold the bars together.
• Add some flavor enhancements. Off the heat, we add in a little salt and vanilla extract which amps up the flavor of these Peanut Butter Rice Krispies Treats.
• Pour marshmallow mixture over cereal. Then gently stir to combine. Add the mix-ins — Reese’s minis and a few more miniature marshmallows. Both will get gooey and melt a bit. Load the mixture into the prepared pan and gently press into one even layer.
• Add chocolate and peanut butter topping. Last, but not least, we melt chocolate chips with peanut butter to create a soft chocolate topping for the bars. I use the microwave to melt this mixture — when microwaving chocolate, microwave in short bursts and stir the chocolate often. Remember, the mixture is still melting even outside of the microwave.

Peanut Butter Rice Krispies Treat tips

• Low heat: When marshmallows are exposed to high heat, they will make the bars as hard as a rock. The lower the heat, the longer it takes for the marshmallows to melt, but the better the bars will turn out.
• Use extremely fresh marshmallows: The fresher the marshmallows, the softer and more enjoyable the Peanut Butter Rice Krispies Treats will be. I generally buy marshmallows the same day I make these.
  • Pro-tip: When purchasing marshmallows, gently press on the bags to feel for the softest marshmallows.
• Don’t overcook the marshmallow mixture: Stir over low heat until the marshmallows are just melted and then immediately move them from the heat. It’s also important to stir the marshmallows constantly while they are melting.
• Avoid compressing: Don’t push the cereal mixture into the pan. Instead, place them in the pan and gently press them down. The less you compact these Peanut Butter Rice Krispies Treats, the better they will be. When bars are heavily compressed, it makes the treats too firm and not as enjoyable to eat.

Variation ideas

• If unable to find Reese’s “minis,” Reese’s Miniatures, chopped up (into quarters) will work great. (Here’s the difference between the two)
• Swap out the Reese’s minis for peanut butter chips or Nestle’s combo of peanut butter + chocolate chips.
• For the truly peanut butter obsessed, add a layer of peanut butter right on top of the bars before adding the chocolate. Simply spread a few tablespoons of peanut butter right on top of the bars.  

Peanut Butter Rice Krispies Treat storage

These bars are best (texture and taste-wise) within the first couple of days (we like them best on the first day). Keep the bars in an airtight container at room temperature while storing. 

Freezing: The same day the bars are made (once the chocolate topping has fully set), you can freeze these bars. Cut into even-sized bars and wrap each treat in a square of wax paper and then plastic wrap. Place the wrapped treats in a resealable freezer bag. Store in the freezer bag for up to six months.

Thawing: Thaw the Peanut Butter Rice Krispies Treats by removing an individual bar from the freezer and setting them out on the counter for 15-20 minutes or until it reaches room temperature.

More dessert recipes

• Oreo Ice Cream Cake  five ingredients
• Pizookie skillet cookie
• Funfetti Bars with a chocolate cookie base
• Muddy Buddies chocolate peanut butter snack mix
• Peanut Butter Cookie Dough made with food safety in mind

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Peanut Butter Rice Krispies Treats

5 from 2 votes

- Review this recipe

Super-gooey and delicious Peanut Butter Rice Krispie sTreats with extra marshmallows and miniature Reese's cups mixed throughout. These bars are topped with a simple chocolate and peanut butter topping.

SAVE TO RECIPE BOX

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Peanut Butter Rice Krispies Treats

5 from 2 votes

- Review this recipe

SAVE TO RECIPE BOX

Print Recipe

Super-gooey and delicious Peanut Butter Rice Krispie sTreats with extra marshmallows and miniature Reese's cups mixed throughout. These bars are topped with a simple chocolate and peanut butter topping.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword Peanut Butter Rice Krispies Treats

Prep Time 25 minutes minutes

Chilling Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 55 minutes minutes

Servings 12 bars

Chelsea Lords

Calories 611kcal

Author Chelsea Lords

Cost $5.42

Equipment

• 9 x 9-inch pan
• Parchment paper

Ingredients

• ▢ 5 cups Rice Krispies cereal or other crispy rice cereal
• ▢ ½ cup unsalted butter
• ▢ ¾ cup light brown sugar, packed
• ▢ ⅓ cup heavy cream
• ▢ ½ cup + 2 ½ tablespoons creamy peanut butter, separated
• ▢ 2 cups + ½cup mini marshmallows, separated
• ▢ pinch of fine sea salt
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ▢ ¾ cup mini Reese's cups (See Note 1)
• ▢ 1 ½ cups milk chocolate chips

US - Metric

USMetric

Instructions

• PREP: Prepare a 9x9-inch baking pan by lining it with parchment paper. Measure and add the cereal to a very large bowl and set aside.
• BUTTER AND BROWN SUGAR: In a medium-sized saucepan, add the butter and heat over medium high. Once the butter is completely melted, add brown sugar and stir until the sugar is completely dissolved, 1-2 minutes. 
• BOIL CREAM: Stir in the heavy cream, and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil for 1 minute, then turn the heat down to medium low.
• ADD PEANUT BUTTER AND MARSHMALLOWS: Stir in ½ cup peanut butter, 2 cups miniature marshmallows, and pinch of sea salt. Stir until the marshmallows are melted and then remove from the heat and add the vanilla extract.
• POUR OVER CEREAL: Pour mixture over the cereal and gently stir to combine. Add the remaining ½ cup marshmallows. Stir until coated. Then gently stir in the miniature Reese's cups (they'll get pretty melty!)
• PRESS INTO PAN: Pour the mixture into the prepared pan. Gently press the cereal mixture into the bottom of the pan. Don't push too hard, or it will compress the bars and make them too hard.
• TOPPING: In a small microwave-safe bowl, combine chocolate chips and remaining 2 and ½ tablespoons peanut butter. Microwave in bursts of 15 seconds, stirring in between each burst for 10 seconds until melted and smooth. Spread the chocolate peanut butter mixture over the cereal bars in an even layer. Chill for 30 minutes in the fridge to set the chocolate, and then remove the pan from the fridge and let stand until at room temperature. Cut into bars and serve.
• STORAGE: These bars are best eaten the same day they are made. Keep them in an airtight container at room temperature. Read post for how to freeze/thaw.

Video

Recipe Notes

Note 1: Peanut butter cups: For this recipe, you need unwrapped Reese's Minis (not the miniatures). There is a guide to identifying the types of Reese's candy. These are the ones you need!

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 12servings | Calories: 611kcal | Carbohydrates: 87g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 29g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 29mg | Sodium: 205mg | Potassium: 245mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 64g | Vitamin A: 1120IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 60mg | Iron: 4mg

We do our best to provide accurate nutritional analysis for our recipes. Our nutritional data is calculated using a third-party algorithm and may vary, based on individual cooking styles, measurements, and ingredient sizes. Please use this information for comparison purposes and consult a health professional for nutrition guidance as needed.

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