My peanut butter rice krispie treat recipe is a nutty twist on the much-loved classic! Same sticky, crispy, crunchy snack with a dash of peanut butter and some M&Ms for good measure - perfect for the peanut butter lovers!
Ingredients
Rice Krispie treats have a fantastically minimal ingredient list:
- Rice Krispie cereal: Any sort of puffed rice cereal will work fine in a rice krispie treat. I like to use the classic, but the main thing is to ensure whatever cereal you are using is fresh. To make for the crispy (or should I say krispie?) treat, it is important that your cereal is not stale.
- Marshmallows: My recipe below uses mini marshmallows, but you can use any size or brand. As with the cereal, you'll want to ensure these are fresh for best results.
- Butter
To make these peanut butter rice krispie treats with chocolate peanut M&Ms, you will also need:
- Peanut Butter: I like to use smooth peanut butter and have found Pip & Nut a great variety to work with for flavour and silky texture. You can use chunky peanut butter instead in this recipe - the nuts will add an extra texture.
- Peanut Butter M&Ms
Process
If you've never made rice krispie treats, the process is super simple! The key thing to do is a little bit of prep in advance. Line your tin with parchment paper or cling film and grease this lightly with a little flavourless oil or non-stick spray. Trust me, this little bit of prep will save you any sticky annoyances later and will make removing from the pan a breeze!
I use an 8" square tin for most of my bar desserts, including rice krispies. This recipe will make for thick bars in a 8" pan, but you could use a slightly larger container if you want thinner bars.
In a saucepan over medium heat, melt your butter and marshmallows together, stirring occasionally until smooth. This takes about 10 minutes, but may vary depending on the size of your marshmallows. Once melted, add your peanut butter, stir to incorporate. Then add your cereal and M&Ms, stirring through.
Pour this into your prepared heat-proof dish and spread out with a greased spatula or your hands (careful in case there are still patches of hot marshmallow). Press down lightly - you don't want to pack the mixture too firmly as this can cause hard treat bars and smashed cereal.
Let your krispies cool completely before removing from the pan and slicing. I usually let sit for an hour or two.
Some Alternatives to the Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Treat
The beauty of rice krispie treats is the infinite possibilities for alternatives! Some ideas that I'm currently developing:
- Chocolate rice krispie treats - adding cocoa and chocolate chips to your mix.
- Biscoff rice krispie treats - replacing the peanut butter for biscoff and adding some crushed biscuits.
- Seasonal rice krispie treats - additions of sprinkles and/or seasonal candies.
Tips and Tricks
- Line your pan!! This will make the end product so much easier to handle.
- Use flavourless oil for greasing your lining, your spatula and your knife when slicing. The oil will help to avoid things sticking. This will make forming the bars easier and slicing them smoother. It's important that the oil is flavourless as you will be able to taste it on the treats. Olive oil can be particularly strong and (unless you know you like the combination) you may not find it a good combination with the marshmallow and peanut butter.
- Press your bars lightly when spreading out - don't pack these into the tin. Packing the mixture too tightly can make for dense, hard treats.
- Use fresh cereal and marshmallows. Rice Krispie treats may seem like a good way to use up old cereal or marshmallows, but if your products are already stale or past their best, the treats won't be as sticky and crisp.
- Add your peanut butter to the marshmallow before adding the cereal. It may be tempting to add it all together, but you won't be able to thoroughly mix the peanut butter in once the cereal is added.
FAQs for Peanut Butter Rice Krispies
Yes - absolutely! This is an easy recipe for marshmallow rice krispie treats made with peanut butter and also chocolate peanut M&Ms.
Yes! This recipe is easily scale-able - you can double, triple or halve it for whatever your needs.
Rice krispie treats are best eaten as fresh as possible for the sake of the crispy crunch! They will keep for a couple of days, best stored in an air tight container at room temperature.
No - it is best not to refrigerate (or freeze) the rice krispie treats. Refrigeration will make them harder and stale faster. They may also become soggy due to condensation.
I would recommend using a smooth peanut butter to mix into the marshmallow well, but chunky can be used too.
Looking for some easy snacks? Try these out:
- No Bake Nanaimo Bars
- Chocolate Rice Krispie Treats
- No Bake Peanut Butter Potato Chip Cookies
- Cookie Bottomed Brownies
Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Treats
Equipment
- 8" square baking tray or other similar sized heatproof dish
- large mixing bowl
- saucepan
- spatula
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon butter
- 2½ cup mini marshmallows
- 2 tablespoon peanut butter
- 4 cup Rice Krispies or other puffed rice cereal
- ½ cup peanut M&Ms
Instructions
- Start by preparing a square dish or deep sided baking tin for shaping and setting the mixture. Either grease the tin directly with oil or cooking spray, or line with cling film and grease this (the cling film makes it easier to remove from the tin later). Set aside.
- In a large saucepan, melt together the butter and marshmallow until smooth - this will take about 10 minutes over medium heat.
- Once smooth, remove from heat and add the peanut butter - mixing to incorporate.
- Add the cereal and M&Ms, stir to coat and tip into your prepared pan. Spread out using a greased spatula or your hands (be careful in case the mixture is still hot).
- Once spread in the tin, allow to cool completely and set for at least an hour before slicing.
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