Crispy Rice Chocolate Peanut Butter No Bake Cookies are an amazing treat for those who love peanut butter, chocolate, crispy rice cereal, rice crispy treats, and/or those looking for a dessert that requires zero baking!
So much to say about these crispy rice cookies!
Not only are they jam packed with sweet peanut butter flavor with the most amazing crunch, but they come together in less than 15 minutes.
Plus, chocolate is involved, only 5 ingredients are needed, no baking is required, AND these tasty lumps can be changed up to include all sorts of goodies.
They are basically the only cookie recipe you’ll need during the toasty spring and summer months. 😉
And you guys, I’m going to give it to you straight – these cookies are sweet.
…Which makes them ideal for folks with a big sweet tooth and a perfect project for kids (provided you don’t mind their hands getting messy!), as they are super easy to make!
I will forewarn you: if you don’t like messy cooking projects, this one may not be for you, as the cookie “dough” is very goopy when you drop it on the baking sheet to form the cookies.
Speaking of kidlets…my nieces and nephews go wild over these cookies!
So long as you don’t mind a little mess, you’re good!
Let’s move on to the ingredients!
Ingredients for No-Bake Puffed Rice Cookies:
Peanut Butter: The magical glue that holds it all together! Creamy peanut butter not only makes these crunchy cookies blasted with peanutty flavor, but it serves as a sticky substance to help keep everything together. Use natural peanut butter that has been well-stirred or regular creamy peanut butter of choice. You can also use almond butter or cashew butter as long as it is well-stirred (not clumpy/dry).
Honey: Used for sweetening and for sticking! Honey is that sticky sweetener that helps keep no-bake treats together. You can try using pure maple syrup, but I haven’t tested it yet – my guess is honey works better!
Coconut Oil: Because coconut oil is solid at room temperature, it helps keep the cookies held together, as we freeze (or refrigerate) them in order to get them to set up. No other oil will work, unless it is solid at room temp! I haven’t tested the recipe using butter or ghee yet, but my guess is it will work (and be delicious!)
Raw Cacao Powder: The chocolate portion of the recipe! I use raw cacao powder because I find it has a creamier chocolate flavor than standard cocoa powder, but either one works! The cacao powder also helps hold everything together as it can act as a sort of flour in recipes.
Sea Salt: Used to enhance all of the flavors, a little bit of sea salt goes a long way. Don’t skip it!
Crispy Rice Cereal: The crunchy portion of these cookies! Crispy rice cereal is amazing in no-bake treats and rice crispy treats because it has that addicting crunch! I use an organic brand that contains no added sweetener. You can use whatever type you’d like! I use Barbara’s Bakery Organic Brown Rice Crisps (not sponsored, just obsessed). Just be sure that the cereal you use is crispy, as some puffed rice cereals are softer and won’t do as great of a job at generating the crunch.
Optional Add Ins:
Chocolate chips and chopped nuts. Want to make these treats even more scintillating? Add ½ to 1 cup of either or both chocolate chips and chopped walnuts or pecans.
How to Make Crispy Rice Chocolate Peanut Butter No Bake Cookies:
Add the peanut butter, honey, and coconut oil to a large pot (I use my Dutch oven) and heat over medium-low heat, stirring constantly until the mixture is well-combined and creamy. You don’t want the mixture to get too hot or boil – just warm it gently so that everything melts together.
Stir in the cacao powder and sea salt well until the lumps of cacao powder are out.
Gently fold in the crispy rice cereal. I use a rubber spatula for this to avoid any excess breakage.
Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper, and drop lumps of cookie batter onto the sheet, forming any size cookies you like (I make about 15 large cookies, but they can easily be much smaller).
Freeze the cookies for at least 1 hour, or until they are completely set up. After this point, you can transfer the cookies to the refrigerator or leave them in the freezer.
Enjoy!
Because there is plenty of fat in the cookies, there is no need to thaw them before eating…they stay crispy yet chewy in the freezer.
Note: When you drop the dough/batter onto the cooking sheet, you’ll think to yourself, “There’s no way in Hades this is going to work out.” But it does, my friend. It sure does. It is the freezing process that ensures everything holds up!
How to Store Crispy Rice Peanut Butter Chocolate No-Bake Cookies:
These cookies become very soft at room temperature, so it is best to store them in a sealed container in the refrigerator or freezer. I keep mine in a zip lock bag in the freezer.
More No-Bake Dessert Recipes:
- No Bake Vegan Banana Cream Pie
- Crunchy 4-Ingredient No-Bake Peanut Butter Cookies
- 6-Ingredient No-Bake Cookies
- Vegan No-Bake Strawberry Cheesecake
- No-Bake Paleo Lemon Bars
I hope you and your family love these lumps as much as mine does!
If you make these n0-bake cookies, feel free to share a photo on Instagram and tag me @The.Roasted.Root!
Ingredients
- 1 cup peanut butter
- ½ cup honey
- ⅓ cup coconut oil
- ⅓ cup raw cacao powder
- 4 cups crispy rice cereal
- Pinch sea salt
Instructions
- Add the peanut butter, honey, and coconut oil to a large pot and heat over medium-low heat, stirring constantly until the mixture is well-combined and creamy. You don’t want the mixture to get too hot or boil - just warm it gently so that everything melts together.
- Stir in the cacao powder and sea salt well until the lumps of cacao powder are out.
- Gently fold in the crispy rice cereal. I use a rubber spatula for this to avoid any excess breakage.
- Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper, and drop lumps of cookie batter onto the sheet, forming any size cookies you like (I make about 15 large cookies, but they can easily be much smaller).
- Freeze the cookies for at least 1 hour, or until they are completely set up. After this point, you can transfer the cookies to the refrigerator or leave them in the freezer.
Nutrition
Chava-Shoshannah
Sunday 24th of December 2023
Mr. 3 loved making these cookies! He was so proud of himself measuring the ingredients. I did the stove, of course, and he scooped onto the cookie sheets. Big win over here!
Julia
Tuesday 26th of December 2023
Awww, how cute! I'm thrilled to hear you guys enjoyed them! xo
Peggy
Tuesday 14th of November 2023
These have become a favorite at our house. My granddaughter loves to make these with me every chance we get. Due to allergies, we use of almond butter instead of peanut butter and they are SO good! Thanks for a wonderful recipe that has given us so many special memories.
Julia
Friday 17th of November 2023
Oh I love hearing this, Peggy! Thanks so much for your sweet note - I'm so thrilled to hear your family is enjoying the recipe! This is so heart-warming. Much love to you and your granddaughter! xo