These Cocoa Rice Krispie Treats are ultra-soft, irresistibly gooey, and packed with rich chocolate flavor. Made with nutty brown butter, deep cocoa powder, marshmallow cream, and mini marshmallows in every bite. Best of all, they come together in just 20 minutes, making them the ultimate no-bake treat.
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Why This Recipe Works
These cocoa rice krispie treats are a delicious chocolate twist on classic rice krispie treats. The texture is soft and gooey-really loaded with marshmallow (if you like a harder, chewier rice krispie treat-this is not the recipe for you).
The flavor on these is phenomenal, they start with brown butter, which adds a subtle nutty and toffee notes that pair perfectly with the marshmallow and chocolate. Chocolate comes into this recipe in three different ways for maximum chocolate flavor-cocoa powder, cocoa krispies cereal, and chocolate chips on top.
You'll love how fast these come together, done in just 20 minutes and that no oven is required! If you are a rice kripsie treat lover, make sure you check out our other treat recipes too-marshmallow fluff rice krispie treats, M&M rice krispie treats, and s'mores rice krispie treats.
Ingredient Notes
- Butter. You can use salted or unsalted butter. The butter should be measured before browning. Browning the butter adds an extra layer of flavor and richness that elevates the flavors of these cocoa rice Krispie treats.
- Marshmallows. Marshmallows are melted in with the butter and then stirred in with the cocoa krispies cereal at the end. The marshmallows that are melted in with the butter can be mini or full size marshmallows. The marshmallows mixed in at the end should be mini.
- Cocoa Powder. Cocoa powder enhances the chocolatey flavor in these no bake treats. Use whatever cocoa powder if your favorite, but the kind of cocoa powder will change the flavor profile in these rice krispie treats. My personal favorite is either a Dutch-processed cocoa or black cocoa, or even a combination of the two. If you prefer natural cocoa, feel free to use it.
- Salt. A little salt enhances the flavor.
- Vanilla. Vanilla adds that classic bakery taste to these.
- Marshmallow Cream. Marshmallow cream (also called marshmallow fluff) is marshmallow without gelatin in it. This is the secret to extra gooey, soft cocoa rice krispie treats.
- Cocoa Krispies Cereal. Cocoa Krispies cereal is a chocolate version of Rice Krsipies cereal. Feel free to use another brand like Cocoa Pebbles or any generic version of a chocolate crispy rice cereal.
- Mini Chocolate Chips. Mini chocolate chips are sprinkled over top of the finished bars for an extra pop of chocolate.
How to Make this Recipe
- Brown the Butter. Add the butter to a large pot over medium heat. Melt, stirring constantly, until the butter turns golden brown and smells nutty. Once browned, immediately remove from heat. We have a whole post on How to Brown Butter if you need further guidance.
- Whisk in Cocoa Powder. Whisk in the cocoa powder and salt so there are no lumps.
- Melt the Marshmallows. Set aside the mini marshmallows you'll add later. Stir the remaining marshmallows and vanilla into the pot, mixing until mostly melted and smooth (a few small lumps are okay). If needed, return the pot to low heat to help the marshmallows finish melting.
- Add Marshmallow Cream. Stir in the marshmallow cream until the mixture is mostly uniform and creamy.
- Fold in Cereal and Marshmallows. Gently stir in the Cocoa Krispies cereal and the reserved mini marshmallows until everything is evenly coated.
- Press into Pan. Transfer the mixture to a greased 9×9-inch pan. Lightly grease your hands and gently press the mixture into an even layer-do not pack it down. Sprinkle with additional mini marshmallows and mini chocolate chips if desired. Let the chocolate rice krispie treats cool completely before slicing.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Yes, you can swap cocoa krispies in any rice krispie treat recipe 1:1.
Cocoa powder should be whisked in with the melted butter before adding the marshmallows to the mix.
The secret ingredient to soft and gooey rice krispie treats is marshmallow cream! Marshmallow cream has no gelatin to set it, keeping the rice krispie treats extra soft.
Yes! People are always surprised to find out that chocolate rice krispie treats and regular rice krispie treats can be frozen. Make sure the chocolate rice krispie treats are completely cool and set. Slice them up and wrap them individually in plastic wrap or aluminum foil. Then store in an airtight container or freezer bag.
Thaw completely at room temperature before eating. They're best eaten within 3 months.
Brown butter just elevates the flavors on these cocoa krispie treats a little more. However, if you prefer to skip the browning you can. You'll want to reduce the butter used from 12 tablespoons to 10 tablespoons.
Expert Tips
Don't overcook the marshmallows.
When melting down the butter and marshmallows together you want to make sure that you are not overcooking the marshmallows. You want to marshmallows and butter to combine, but not completely liquify-a few marshmallow lumps are okay! When marshmallows melt down too much they begin to breakdown and you lose that classic, bouncy marshmallow texture.
Choose your cocoa carefully.
The chocolate flavor in these cocoa kripsie bars is enhanced by adding cocoa powder to the mix. There are all kinds of cocoa powder and they can really change the flavor of your rice krispie treats.
The main cocoa powders you see are natural, dutch-processed, and black cocoa. Natural cocoa powder (this is like your classic Hershey's cocoa powder) can have a sharper, slightly bitter chocolate flavor. Dutch-processed has a mellower, deep chocolate taste. Black cocoa is earthy, rich, and tastes like an Oreo cookie. There are no bad choices, but it will impact the flavor, so make your choice accordingly!
Use fresh marshmallows.
If your marshmallows are old and dry, throw them out, your cocoa krispie treats will be hard and chewy too.
Don't compact the cocoa rice krispie treats.
It's tempting to really push the gooey cereal mixture into the pan-don't do it. Pressing the rice krispie mixture down too much results in denser and harder rice krispie treats. Instead, grease your hands, and gently press the mixture down into an even layer.
Make it a double or half batch.
If you're serving a crowd, double the recipe and make it in a 9x13-inch pan. Or if you'd like to make a small batch, halve the recipe and put it in a 9x5-inch loaf pan.
Cool and set for clean slices.
These chocolate rice krispie treats are extra soft and marshmallowy, which can make it a bit tricky to get clean slices if the bars haven't cooled or had time to set up. They need several hours after making to really set up, even if they are cool. You can speed this process up by popping them in the fridge for an hour or so.
Variations of this Recipe
These chocolate rice krispie treats are easy to customize and make into your own special treat!
Here are a few things you can mix in, sprinkle on top, or drizzle over top to make an extra taste treat.
- Candy-Chopped up Reeses, Snickers, Andes Mints, M&Ms, toffee bits
- Flavored Chips-white chocolate chips, chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, caramel chips (or caramel bits)
- Drizzle-melted peanut butter over top (or swirl it in with the cereal), melted chocolate, Nutella, or cookie butter
- Nuts-try candied nuts too!
How to Store this Recipe
These cocoa rice krispie treats needs several hours to cool and set. Once cooled, store them covered at room temperature. They will stay soft and fresh for several days. They're best eaten within the first 3 days.
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Cocoa Rice Krispie Treats
Ingredients
- ½ cup butter salted or unsalted
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 7 ½ cups mini marshmallows divided (5 cups for melting with butter, 2 cups for adding in whole with cereal, and ½ cup for topping). I usually buy a 16 ounce bag of mini marshmallows but don't use the whole thing.
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 7 ounces marshmallow cream
- 5 ½ cups Cocoa Krispies cereal
- 2 tablespoons mini chocolate chips
Instructions
- Add the butter to a large pot set over medium heat. Melt, stirring frequently, until the butter turns golden brown and smells nutty. Remove from heat.
- Whisk in the cocoa powder and salt until fully combined and smooth.
- Set aside the mini marshmallows you'll use later (2 cups for adding in whole with cereal and ½ cup for topping). Stir the remaining (5 cups) marshmallows and vanilla into the pot, mixing until mostly melted (a few small lumps are fine). If needed, place the pot back over low heat to help the marshmallows finish melting.
- Add the marshmallow cream and stir until the mixture is mostly smooth and creamy.
- Gently stir in the Cocoa Krispies cereal and the reserved mini marshmallows (2 cups) until evenly coated in the chocolate marshmallow mixture.
- Transfer the mixture to a greased 9×9-inch pan. Lightly grease your hands and gently press the mixture into an even layer-do not pack it down. Sprinkle with extra mini marshmallows (½ cup) and mini chocolate chips, if desired. Let cool completely before slicing.
Annie says
The chocolate flavor was so good on these! I loved the extra marshmallows in it too!