Amazing peanut butter rice krispie treats in 1 step

Remember those snacks from when we were kids? The ones that tasted like pure, sweet nostalgia? Well, I’ve taken that classic memory and made it even better. Today, we are diving headfirst into the ultimate comfort food upgrade: the best peanut butter rice krispie treats! Trust me when I say these aren’t your average dry squares. I tweaked Grandma’s original technique just enough to ensure these babies are ultra-gooey and, here’s the secret, absolutely guaranteed not to crumble when you bite into them. It’s simple, joyful home cooking at its finest.

Why This is the Best peanut butter rice krispie treats Recipe (E-E-A-T Focus)

If you’ve ever been disappointed by a batch of treats that turned out rock hard or fell apart the second you cut them, I hear you! That’s why the method behind these peanut butter rice krispie treats is so important to me. You get the speed of a 15-minute snack, but with texture that lasts. We nail the sweet spot every time, delivering those amazing Gooey Rice Krispie Squares you only dream about.

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• They are wonderfully Chewy Marshmallow Peanut Butter Dessert instead of being brittle.
• Zero baking required, making them a true Quick Peanut Butter Snack Recipe.
• The technique used ensures these are true No Crumble Rice Krispie Treats.
• That perfect balance of peanut butter and sweetness gives you that satisfying sweet and salty hit!

Achieving the Perfect Chewy Marshmallow Peanut Butter Dessert Texture

This is where most people go wrong, honestly. It’s all about respecting the marshmallow! You must remove the pan from the heat *before* you stir in those fluffy little guys. If you cook the marshmallows too long on the stove, they turn sugary and brittle. We never want that! By adding them off the heat and stirring just until they are smooth, we keep all that amazing elasticity inside. That sticky pull is the hallmark of a truly great treat.

Ingredients for Your peanut butter rice krispie treats

Okay, the ingredient list for these peanut butter rice krispie treats is so short, it feels almost cheating! That’s the beauty of a fantastic no-bake dessert. You need great basics, and you’re done. Make sure your peanut butter is the creamy kind, unless you are feeling adventurous!

Here is exactly what you need for the base of these delicious, chewy bars:

• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1 package (10 ounces) miniature marshmallows
• 6 cups crispy rice cereal

For the Optional Chocolate Peanut Butter Krispie Squares Topping

If you want that extra layer of richness, definitely add the chocolate topping! This turns them into something extra special for dessert time.

• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 teaspoon coconut oil (this helps make the chocolate drizzle smooth!)

Step-by-Step Instructions for Amazing peanut butter rice krispie treats

This is the part where the magic really happens, and trust me, you want to pay attention to the heat settings here if you are aiming for that 15 Minute Rice Krispie Recipe goal! Getting this done quickly means a gooey payoff later, but speed can’t come at the expense of quality, especially with marshmallows.

1. First things first, get your 9×13 inch pan ready. I highly recommend lining it with parchment paper and letting an overhang hang over the sides. It saves your sanity later when you go to lift the whole batch out!
2. In a big saucepan, you’ll melt your butter over medium-low heat. Don’t rush this; low and slow is the key to keeping things gentle.
3. Once that butter is happily melted, stir in your cup of creamy peanut butter until everything is singing a smooth, nutty duet. Then, take the whole thing OFF the heat. Don’t even hesitate!
4. Toss in the whole package of mini marshmallows and stir constantly until they vanish into that creamy peanut butter sauce.
5. Now, dump in your 6 cups of crispy rice cereal. Use a sturdy spatula and gently fold everything together. We aren’t beating cake batter here!
6. Transfer that wonderful mixture into your prepared pan. Here’s the big secret to avoiding hard squares: gently spread it out using the back of your spatula or a piece of wax paper. Do NOT press it down hard, or you’ll crush the air out, leading to crumbly mess later!
7. If you’re adding the chocolate, melt the chips and coconut oil together in the microwave, stirring every 30 seconds until it’s velvety smooth.
8. Drizzle or pour that shiny chocolate over the top.

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9. Let it sit on the counter for about an hour to cool completely before you grab a knife. Patience, my friend!

Melting the Butter and Peanut Butter Base

I learned the hard way once that if you let the butter brown even a little before adding the peanut butter, the whole batch tastes… burnt! So, keep it on medium-low for the butter, just until it melts. Then, as soon as the peanut butter blends in, you pull it away from the heat before adding marshmallows.

If you burn your marshmallows, you ruin the chewiness, plain and simple. I promise, keeping the temperature low during the melting stage is the best gift you can give yourself for a softer, more luxurious peanut butter rice krispie treats experience.

Folding in the Cereal for No Crumble Rice Krispie Treats

This is the moment of truth for achieving those No Crumble Rice Krispie Treats! When you fold in the cereal after the marshmallows are melted, you must be gentle. Think about gently turning over a cloud. If you stir aggressively, you break up the cereal and introduce air pockets that turn hard when they cool. We want everything lightly glued together, not crushed!

And when you press them into the pan (Step 6), remember: settle, don’t smash. Just a light pressure to make sure the surface is level is all you need. That tenderness is what makes these bars so satisfying.

Tips for Perfect peanut butter rice krispie treats Every Time

Making Easy No Bake Peanut Butter Treats is simple, but a few little secrets—which I pulled right from the back of my family’s recipe card—take them from good to unbelievably perfect. If you follow these little pointers, you’ll never have a dry, sad cereal square again!

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• The absolute biggest thing for that gooey factor? Resist the urge to squash the mixture down in the pan. You want it settled gently, not compressed. That slight looseness is what keeps them wonderfully chewy for days.
• Don’t toss out that crunchy peanut butter jar! You can absolutely swap creamy for crunchy. It just adds a fun little surprise texture in every bite.
• If you want an extra thick layer of chocolate on top of your peanut butter rice krispie treats, just double up on the chocolate chips and coconut oil for the topping layer. More chocolate is always the right answer, right?
• If you’re feeling bold, these bars are the perfect base to turn into a quick Scotcharoo variation. Just swap a few chocolate chips for some butterscotch chips—it’s amazing!

Variations on Classic peanut butter rice krispie treats

While these classic peanut butter rice krispie treats are pretty much perfect in my book, sometimes I love to mix things up! Since the base recipe is so incredibly reliable, it handles extra deliciousness like a champ. These are easy ways to make your snack unique, especially if you’re looking for a real Sweet and Salty Cereal Treats experience.

If you want to dip your toes into slightly more adventurous territory, here are a few simple additions you can make while everything is still warm and sticky:

• Chocolate Chip Remix: Add about half a cup of mini semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips right in with the cereal mixture (Step 5). They will get perfectly gooey and distribute nicely throughout the bar.
• Crunchy Swirl: If you want to lean into the Scotcharoo idea, save the chocolate topping, but mix in about half a cup of butterscotch chips along with your semi-sweet ones. That combination is just heavenly, and it makes them taste like an instant classic! You can find my notes on that little twist here.
• Cereal Swap: If you run out of plain rice cereal or just want a different bite, try swapping out one cup of the crispies for something like Corn Flakes or Chex. Just be careful; sometimes different shapes absorb the marshmallow coating differently, so mix gentle!

Honestly, any way you make these peanut butter rice krispie treats, you’re going to end up with a crowd-pleaser. They don’t last long enough here for me to try too many crazy variations, but those chocolate and butterscotch additions are my go-to!

Storage and Making Ahead peanut butter rice krispie treats

The great thing about these peanut butter rice krispie treats is that they actually get *better* the next day! Since they are no-bake, there’s no gentle reheating required, thank goodness. I usually just make them on a Sunday afternoon and they are perfect for school lunches all week long.

Keep them in a good quality airtight container at room temperature. If you try to cram them into the fridge, they tend to harden up, and we definitely don’t want that! They stay perfectly soft and chewy for about three or four days if you manage to keep them away from hungry hands that long. Keep that lid tight!

Frequently Asked Questions about peanut butter rice krispie treats

I get so many helpful messages asking me about substitutions or how to fix common issues when making these peanut butter rice krispie treats. It makes me so happy that you’re diving in and trying them! Here are a few things folks ask me about most often when they are whipping up their own batch of these delightful squares.

Can I use crunchy peanut butter in these peanut butter rice krispie bars?

Oh, absolutely you can! Feel free to swap out the creamy peanut butter for crunchy if you prefer that heartier chew every now and then. It’s a wonderful way to change up the texture of your peanut butter rice krispie bars. The only difference is that you’ll get little pockets of peanut where the nuts are, but it works perfectly fine structurally!

How do I prevent my homemade peanut butter crispy bars from getting too hard?

This is the most important question, hands down! If your finished peanut butter crispy bars turn into hockey pucks the next day, 99% of the time, it’s because you overheated the marshmallows. Remember when I said to take the pan completely off the heat before adding the marshmallows in? Stick to that rule like glue! Once they are melted and smooth, transfer that mixture to the cereal quickly but gently. Keeping the heat low keeps that gooey marshmallow working its magic, guaranteeing you a Chewy Marshmallow Peanut Butter Dessert instead of a brick!

Estimated Nutrition for Your Chewy Marshmallow Peanut Butter Dessert

Because these peanut butter rice krispie treats are so simple, you might think they don’t have a nutritional profile, but they certainly do! Keep in mind that once you add that optional chocolate topping, these numbers will shift a little bit. These estimates are based on one large square, using the base recipe only.

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• Serving Size: 1 square
• Calories: 220
• Sugar: 18g
• Fat: 11g
• Protein: 5g

Remember, these are just great ballpark figures, folks! If you use natural peanut butter or different chocolate chips, your final totals will change. The most important thing is that they are joyfully devoured!

Share Your Kid Friendly Peanut Butter Desserts Experience

Now that you’ve made your own batch of the most delightfully gooey peanut butter rice krispie treats, I truly want to hear all about it! My favorite part of running this kitchen blog is seeing your creations and hearing how these recipes fit into your busy lives. Were they a huge hit with the kids? Did they disappear faster than you expected?

Please take a moment to leave a rating and a comment right below this section. Tell me if you went for the full chocolate topping or kept them simple. Did you try adding a drizzle of honey or maybe a pinch of sea salt on top to really highlight that sweet and salty flavor profile?

If you snapped a picture of your perfect squares—especially if you managed to cut them cleanly before gobbling them up—I would absolutely love for you to share them! Tag me on social media or send them over through the contact page. Knowing that a simple, nostalgic snack like this brought a moment of delicious joy to your table is what makes all the stirring and testing worthwhile for me. Happy snacking, friends!

The Best Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Treats: Gooey and No Crumble

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Make the best peanut butter Rice Krispie treats with this easy, no-bake recipe. These squares are perfectly gooey, chewy, and use simple ingredients for a nostalgic snack.

• Author: Carla Davis
• Prep Time: 10 min
• Cook Time: 5 min
• Total Time: 15 min
• Yield: 12 large squares 1x
• Category: Dessert
• Method: No Bake
• Cuisine: American
• Diet: Vegetarian

Ingredients

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• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1 package (10 ounces) miniature marshmallows
• 6 cups crispy rice cereal
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (for optional topping)
• 1 teaspoon coconut oil (for optional topping)

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Instructions

1. Lightly grease a 9×13 inch baking pan or line it with parchment paper, leaving an overhang for easy removal. Set aside.
2. In a large saucepan over medium-low heat, melt the butter.
3. Once the butter is melted, stir in the peanut butter until it is smooth and fully combined with the butter. Remove the pan from the heat.
4. Add the miniature marshmallows to the saucepan. Stir constantly until the marshmallows are completely melted and the mixture is smooth. Do not overheat the marshmallows, as this can make the treats hard.
5. Pour the crispy rice cereal into the marshmallow mixture. Use a rubber spatula to gently fold the cereal into the marshmallow mixture until it is evenly coated.
6. Transfer the mixture into the prepared baking pan. Lightly press the mixture evenly into the pan using the back of the spatula or a piece of wax paper. Do not press too firmly, as this causes crumbling.
7. If adding the chocolate topping, combine the chocolate chips and coconut oil in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring between each, until smooth.
8. Pour or drizzle the melted chocolate over the top of the cereal mixture. Spread it evenly if desired.
9. Allow the treats to cool and set completely, about 1 hour, before cutting into squares.

Notes

• For the chewiest, no-crumble Rice Krispie bars, avoid pressing the mixture down too hard in the pan. You want it gently settled.
• If you prefer a thicker layer of chocolate, double the chocolate topping ingredients.
• You can use crunchy peanut butter instead of creamy for added texture.
• This recipe is a great base for a Scotcharoo recipe variation if you add butterscotch chips to the chocolate topping.

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 square
• Calories: 220
• Sugar: 18g
• Sodium: 150mg
• Fat: 11g
• Saturated Fat: 4g
• Unsaturated Fat: 7g
• Trans Fat: 0g
• Carbohydrates: 29g
• Fiber: 1g
• Protein: 5g
• Cholesterol: 5mg