Some people may put rice crispy treats in the kids dessert category, but the 40 year old me loves them every bit as much as I did way back when…
The only thing that has changed over the years is that now when I make a batch of rice crispy treats, I add more delicious elements into these sweet snacks and todays recipe is one of my all time favorite variations on a nostalgic classic.
Let’s make some chocolate chunk rice crispy treats…
One of the best things about rice crispy treats is that as long as you have a few basic ingredients, you can whip them up in just a few minutes and while I know we are supposed to let them cool to room temperature and set up a bit, they are so good warm, right out of the skillet…
Begin by melting down 6 tablespoons of salted butter in a large skillet over medium heat.
If you don’t have salted butter on hand, feel free to use unsalted butter and add a pinch of salt.
Once the butter has melted, add a teaspoon of pure vanilla extract and 12 ounces of marshmallows. You can use mini marshmallows or the regular old campfire sized ones, the only difference is that the mini ones melt down a little faster.
Keep stirring the marshmallows into the melted butter until they are completely melted down smooth like in the photo above. At this point, add 6 cups of rice crispy cereal and start stirring.
Once the rice crispies have been evenly distributed, add 3/4 cup of chopped chocolate or chocolate chips and mix them in quickly.
You want them well distributed, but the more you mix, the more they soften and melt down, so mix until you are happy with the chocolate to rice crispy treat situation and then transfer the mixture into a greased and parchment lined dish.
This recipe will give you nice thick rice crispy treats if gently pressed into a 9″x9″ or similar sized dish. You can make them a little thinner by using a large dish, but try not to compress them down too much or they will loose that tender, gooey feel.
Would you take a look at these? That gooey marshmallow and crispy cereal paired with some melted and some unmelted chocolate chunks is truly fabulous.
These chocolate chunk rice crispy treats are the perfect snack when you are craving something comforting and nostalgic, whether you are a child or a… bigger child…
Chocolate Chunk Rice Crispy Treats
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons of salted butter
- 12 ounces of marshmallows
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
- 6 cups of rice crispy cereal
- 3/4 cup of chocolate, chopped or chips
Instructions
- Grease a 9”x9” or similar sized deep dish, line with parchment paper and set aside for now
- Place a large pot over medium heat and add 6 tablespoons of salted butter
- As soon as the butter has melted, stir in a teaspoon of vanilla extract and 12 ounces of marshmallows
- Cook while stirring until the marshmallows are melted down
- Transfer the pot off of the heat and stir in 6 cups of rice crispy treats
- While the mixture is still warm, add 3/4 cup of chocolate (chips or chopped) and stir until evenly distributed
- Transfer the mixture into the prepared baking dish and let the rice crispy treats cool completely before slicing
- Store leftovers wrapped in foil at room temperature
