Rich, buttery, salty-sweet, and perfectly chewy, my Chocolate Covered Rice Krispie Treats are sure to become a family favorite. Featuring my favorite caramel Rice Krispie treat base with a generous salty chocolate topping, these are a grown-up twist on the childhood favorite.
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I don’t know about you, but the idea of fancy Rice Krispie treats simply tickles me. Yes, the OG 3-ingredient cereal bars are good, but when you add a little gourmet zhuzhing, they’re fabulous. No bake treats crossed with chocolate bars - a dream any time of the year!
From my bright and fruity strawberry Rice Krispie treats to my coconut brown butter Rice Krispie treats, and my salted caramel Rice Krispie treats to my caramel-drizzled chocolate Rice Krispie treats, there are plenty of ways to transform the humble snack into something dinner party-worthy.
These sweet and salty chocolate-dipped Rice Krispie treats are just the newest addition to my cereal bar repertoire, and I couldn’t be more pleased. Between the requisite soft and chewy texture, the irresistible flavor of salted caramel, and the generous swipe of dark chocolate ganache topped with crunchy flakes of sea salt, there’s a whole lot to love.
⭐ Why You’ll Love This Chocolate-Dipped Rice Krispy Treats Recipe
If you love the original recipe, you’re going to fall head over heels for these Rice Krispie treats dipped in chocolate. Aside from adding a luscious layer of chocolatey goodness, this delightful recipe for dessert bars is:
- Made Entirely From Scratch - No Jet-Puffed mini marshmallows here! We’re making our own homemade marshmallow fluff, ensuring the perfect texture and flavor for our cereal bars. Best of all, you only need 10 ingredients to make them.
- Fun Twist On A Familiar Favorite - They’re like the treats you remember from your grade-school days, but with a little extra flavor pizzazz.
- Unstuffily Gourmet - While those two adjectives might seem oxymoronic together, I assure you these chocolate-covered Rice Krispy treats are both simple and approachable enough for a kiddo, while still being refined enough for a foodie’s palate.
🍴Ingredients
As promised, you only need a few easy-to-find ingredients to make the best chocolate covered Rice Krispie treats around:
- Rice Krispies Cereal - You can’t have Rice Krispies treats without the namesake puffed crispy rice cereal! Feel free to use the generic store brand as a great way to save a few bucks.
- Unflavored Gelatin Powder - Gelatin helps to stabilize our homemade marshmallow fluff base. You can also use 2 gelatin sheets, but note that it will set a bit more slowly than if you were to use powder.
- Water - You’ll need cool water to bloom the gelatin as well as to make the sugar syrup. If possible, use filtered water for the best taste.
- Vanilla Extract - For aromatic warmth. Feel free to swap in an equal amount of vanilla paste or vanilla powder instead.
- Light Corn Syrup - Corn syrup keeps the marshmallow fluff smooth and soft, the ultimate gooey treat. Dark corn syrup would also work, although it would add more of a molasses flavor to the bite-sized treat.
- Granulated Sugar - For sweetening and caramelizing into marshmallow fluff.
- Salt - A bit of seasoning helps cut through all the sweetness.
- Unsalted Butter - For adding richness. Feel free to use vegan butter if you’re dairy-free.
- Caramel - Because caramel and chocolate are a match made in heaven! You’re welcome to use store-bought or homemade.
- Heavy Cream - For making the chocolate ganache. Cream makes the chocolate set more softly, making it easier to sink your teeth in. Feel free to swap in coconut cream or vegan whipping cream if needed.
- Dark Chocolate - I like using chocolate with 70% or higher cocoa solids for a bittersweet contrast. Feel free to swap in milk or semisweet chocolate instead.
- Flaky Sea Salt - A few pyramids of Maldon or crunchy granules of sel gris add texture and flavor you won’t want to miss.
See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
⏲️ Substitutions & Variations
- Dairy-Free - Make sure to opt for plant-based butter and cream, and ensure your chocolate and caramel sauce is dairy-free.
- Vegan - Rather than making your own marshmallow fluff from scratch (which requires gelatin), swap in the vegan marshmallows or marshmallow fluff. Then, use vegan butter, cream, chocolate, and caramel to make them entirely plant-based.
- Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Treats - Add creamy peanut butter into a microwave-safe bowl, and substitute for the caramel addition in the marshmallow mixture. Then cover with a white chocolate or milk chocolate layer of ganache!
- Corn-Free - If you have a corn allergy, tapioca syrup or golden syrup are both good substitutes for corn syrup.
- Cereal Swap - While I love rice crispy treats with chocolate, this recipe will also work with other varieties of cereal. Try Cocoa Krispies for extra chocolate flavor, or swap in Cheerios, Golden Grahams, or the cereal of your choice!
This recipe has not been tested with other substitutions or variations. If you replace or add any ingredients, please let us know how it turned out in the comments below!
📖 How to Make Chocolate-Covered Rice Krispie Treats: Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Warm the cereal. Grease a large bowl with butter and pour in the rice krispies. Place the bowl in the oven on low to warm your cereal.
Step 2: Make the sugar syrup. Heat the sugar, water, corn syrup, and salt in a heavy-bottomed saucepan until it begins to bubble and prepare the gelatin.
Step 3: Whip the gooey marshmallow fluff with caramel and gently mix into the warm rice krispie cereal until combined with a rubber spatula.
Step 4: Transfer mixture to a baking pan with parchment or wax paper and press mixture into an even layer. Let the cereal treats set and firm up before taking the next step.
Step 5: Pour the melted chocolate ganache over the set and cooled cereal mixture and sprinkle with flakey salt.
Step 6: Cut. Using a sharp serrated knife, cut the chewy treats with a layer of chocolate into rectangles and enjoy.
👩🏻🍳 Expert Tips
- Invest in a candy thermometer. You’ll need to hit a precise temperature for the marshmallow fluff to firm up enough without turning too hard and caramelized.
- Use a serrated knife. It makes cutting through the treats much easier!
- Don’t press too hard. You want to pack the cereal treat mixture into the pan with about the same force as packing brown sugar. If you smoosh it in there too tightly, the resulting classic treats will be dense and a bit harder to bite through.
- Give them plenty of time to firm up. You want the ganache to harden enough that it doesn’t slide off the treats. To speed up the process, you can pop the tray into the fridge.
💭 Recipe FAQs
While butter does tend to make everything better, too much butter can be problematic. Make sure to use the ratios in the recipe card and don’t go overboard on the butter. If you do, it can cause the marshmallow fluff to break, meaning your treats will be greasy and they won’t hold together well.
Typically speaking, they’re best consumed within about 5 days.
These Rice Krispie treats with chocolate ganache will keep well in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. They can also be refrigerated for up to 2 weeks, or frozen for up to 3 months. If you’re chilling them, let them come to room temperature before serving to ensure they’re perfectly soft and chewy.
Heck yeah they are, especially if you make them gourmet Rice Krispie treats. These chocolate ganache-topped buddies definitely fit the bill.
Yep! In this recipe we’re making our own marshmallow fluff from scratch.
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Chocolate Covered Rice Krispie Treats
Equipment
- Fork
- 9x9 Pan or Frame
Ingredients
Caramel Rice Krispie Treats
- 180 g (5 cups) Rice Krispies Cereal
- 2 teaspoon Unflavored Gelatin Powder
- 2 tablespoon Cool Water, for blooming gelatin
- 2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 60 g (¼ cup) Water, for sugar syrup
- 170 g (½ cup) Light Corn Syrup
- 200 g (1 cup) Granulated Sugar
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 55 g (¼ cup ) Unsalted Butter, room temperature
- 87 g (¼ cup ) Caramel
Chocolate Ganache
- 100 g (⅓ Cup + 1.5 Tbsp) Heavy Cream
- 32 g (1.5 Tablespoons) Corn Syrup
- 175 g (1 Cup) Dark Chocolate, melted
- 25 g (2 Tablespoons) Unsalted Butter , room temperature
Garnish
- Flaky Sea Salt
Instructions
Chocolate Rice Krispie Treats
- Set oven to warm, or to 150°F. After greasing a large bowl with butter, pour in the rice krispy cereal and place in the oven. The cereal will begin to warm while you start on the marshmallow fluff making it easier to mix later in this process!180 g Rice Krispies Cereal
- In a small bowl, mix gelatin, 2 tablespoon water, and vanilla with a fork.2 teaspoon Unflavored Gelatin Powder, 2 tablespoon Cool Water, 2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- Combine the sugar, water, corn syrup, and salt in a pot. Turn on the stove to medium-high and heat until bubbling. Continue to cook without stirring until the mixture reaches 250°F.60 g Water, 170 g Light Corn Syrup, 200 g Granulated Sugar, ½ teaspoon Salt
- Pour the hot syrup into the bowl of your stand mixer and cool until your thermometer reads 212 degrees. Add the gelatin mixture into the sugar syrup and mix with the whisk attachment on low speed to combine. Once homogenous, increase the speed to medium-high and continue whisking until the syrup is thick and glossy. This should take 5-8 minutes.
- Grease your 8x8 pan while you wait for the marshmallow fluff to finish mixing.
- Add caramel and softened butter to the marshmallow fluff and whisk to combine.55 g Unsalted Butter, 87 g Caramel
- Grab the warmed cereal from the oven and pour your caramel marshmallow fluff into the bowl with the cereal. Using a spatula sprayed with oil, fold the cereal into the marshmallow fluff gently until combined.
- Transfer the mixture into your prepared pan, gently pressing to the top of the rice krispie treats. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rest and ingredients to cool/firm for 1-2 hours.
Chocolate Ganache
- Add cream & corn syrup to a saucepan and bring to a slight boil.100 g Heavy Cream, 32 g Corn Syrup
- Remove from heat and pour over the dark chocolate. Stir to combine as the warm cream starts to melt the chocolate.175 g Dark Chocolate
- Add the butter into your warm chocolate mixture, using an immersion blender or spatula, mixing ganache until the butter has fully incorporated and your mixture is smooth.25 g Unsalted Butter
- Allow the chocolate ganache to cool slightly before pouring it onto the top of your rice Krispie treats that have been setting in their pan. Place in the fridge to cool for about 15 minutes before continuing!
Garnish
- Cut into square bit sized bars using a serrated knife. Add a swipe of caramel and flaky sea salt before enjoying!Flaky Sea Salt
Notes
- Pay attention to the specific temperatures of your sugar syrup before moving onto the next task. Make sure to use a thermometer and babysit the syrup to ensure that you are hitting the right temperatures.
- Be extra gentle when you are mixing together the cereal and marshmallow fluff. The cereal is quite delicate and can easily be crushed!
- Make sure to grease your spatula! This ensures that your marshmallow fluff and rice krispie cereal does not get stuck, preventing you from incorporating everything well.
- To make sure that the caramel rice krispie treats hold their shape, wait to cut into them for at least an hour. I know... it's hard to wait! But you won't regret it.
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