Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Treats
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Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Treats are the perfect salty and sweet treat. My recipe is carefully designed to have a balanced peanut butter flavor and chewy texture. Recipe includes a how-to video!
A Peanut Butter Twist on the Classic
These delicious, not-too-sweet, peanut butter rice krispie treats are a perfectly chewy, bordering on gooey (without being messy), and satisfying salty-sweet snack. They have a rich candied peanut butter flavor and just the right amount of saltiness. If you enjoyed my fluffernutter cookies, you’ll love this new peanut butter and marshmallow creation!
This recipe is simple, but it wasn’t so simple to create. I thought that adding peanut butter to my classic rice krispie treats recipe would work, but it wasn’t that easy. I ended up taking some notes from my scotcharoos and adding corn syrup to get the perfect (non-crumbly) texture and rich peanut butter flavor. Trust me, it works!
Why try my recipe:
- Has tiny pockets of chewy marshmallows–so fun!
- Packs perfectly in lunchboxes.
- Includes tips for preventing hard rice krispie treats.
- Quick and easy–just 15 minutes from start to finish!
What You Need
A few key ingredients make these perfectly peanut buttery rice krispie treats:
- Butter. European-style salted butter is my preference here. European butter has less water than regular butter, which results in a better flavor. If you can’t find it in your local grocery store (I can usually find Kerrygold brand in mine) you can use regular butter and still get great results.
- Light corn syrup. I had trouble getting the peanut butter flavor just right with these; too much peanut butter and the texture was off, and too little made for a faint peanut butter flavor. Corn syrup ended up being the perfect addition for the perfect texture and flavor! Remember, this is NOT the same thing as high fructose corn syrup.
- Peanut butter. You can use creamy or crunchy peanut butter–just make sure it’s not the “natural” kind that separates! I’ve had readers complain on a number of my peanut butter recipes (my peanut butter fudge, buckeyes and peanut butter frosting, to name a few!) that natural peanut butter makes an oily mess 🙁
- Sea salt. To bump things up a notch, sprinkle your treats with sea salt after spreading them into the pan–yum!
SAM’S TIP: Be gentle when pressing your prepared cereal mixture into the pan. Compacting the mixture can make the rice krispie treats hard, dry, and brittle–and no one likes that!
Remember, this is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!
How to Make Them
- Cook the butter, corn syrup, sugar, and salt in a pot over medium-low until the butter melts and the mixture is smooth.
- Add half of the marshmallows and cook until they’re about half melted, then reduce the heat to low.
- Add the peanut butter and vanilla and stir constantly until the peanut butter melts, then remove from heat right away!
- Add the remaining marshmallows and cereal and stir until combined, then press into a greased pan. Let cool completely before cutting.
SAM’S TIP: Don’t be tempted to crank up heat when melting the butter! Heating it too fast could cause it to burn or prevent the sugar from fully dissolving. Both can cause your treats to not turn out properly.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you gently packed them into the pan (compacting them can cause this!), then the most likely culprit is the heat that you are using to cook them. When marshmallows are exposed to too high of a heat, they become very hard once they cool. Next time, keep the heat below medium-low for chewy results!
No! Refrigerating will make your peanut butter rice krispie treats very hard and will ruin their texture. Store them at room temperature in an airtight container for 3-5 days.
You could stir in some chocolate chips when adding the second half of marshmallows, or you could drizzle melted chocolate over the tops of your bars as they cool. Sounds yummy!
Just look at those beautiful squares–don’t you just love the marshmallow pockets?!
Enjoy!
Let’s bake together! I’ll be walking you through all the steps in my written recipe and video below! If you try this recipe, be sure to tag me on Instagram, and you can also find me on YouTube and Facebook
Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Treats
Ingredients
- 6 Tablespoons (85 g) salted butter, plus additional for greasing pan
- ½ cup (118 ml) light corn syrup
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 10 oz (285 g) mini marshmallows, divided
- 1 cup (245 g) creamy peanut butter
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 6 cups (175 g) crisped rice cereal
- Flaky sea salt for sprinkling, optional
Instructions
- Lightly grease a 9×13 dish with butter. Set aside.
- In a large pot, combine butter, corn syrup, sugar, and salt. Place over medium-low heat and stir frequently until butter is melted and mixture is combined.6 Tablespoons (85 g) salted butter, ½ cup (118 ml) light corn syrup, ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar, ¼ teaspoon salt
- Add half (5oz/142g) of the mini marshmallows and stir constantly until marshmallows are about halfway melted.10 oz (285 g) mini marshmallows
- Reduce stovetop heat to the lowest setting and add peanut butter and vanilla extract. Stir constantly until peanut butter is melted and mixture is smooth.1 cup (245 g) creamy peanut butter, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Remove from heat and add remaining marshmallows and cereal and stir until completely combined. Immediately spread into prepared pan and allow to cool completely before cutting and serving.6 cups (175 g) crisped rice cereal, Flaky sea salt for sprinkling
Notes
Butter
If you only have unsalted butter on hand, increase the salt in this recipe to a scant ½ teaspoon instead.Peanut butter
Use classic creamy peanut butter and not the “natural” peanut butter that separates.Storing
After cooling completely, store in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-5 days. Do not refrigerate.Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this? Leave a comment below!
These are so delish! I have made them with mini chocolate chips to give them a different spin. I add a healthy handful at the very end so they don’t completely melt, but either way, they are really good!
I’m so glad you enjoyed them so much, Naomi! 🙂
im wondering why sugar is added when marshmallows are already sweet? plus there is corn syrup. is there really a need for more sugar? could the granulated sugar be eliminated?
Hi Jody! The sugar melts and helps to make it more candied and helps keep everything together so I’m not sure how it would work without the sugar.
As you say at the end of many of your videos, “So good!” These are like a very light peanut butter fudge with Rice Krispies in it. Just yummy.
Can I substitute corn syrup for honey?
Can’t wait to try this recipe.
Honestly I am not sure. The end result may not be quite as chewy. If you try it I would love to know how it goes. 🙂
Have you ever considered making these with coco crispies?
Hi Leanne! I have not tried it, but it certainly sounds delicious! 🙂
I have used Coco Krispies and they turned out great. I’ve used other cereals too, and sometimes omitting the peanut butter if necessary, like when I used Fruity Pebbles. Peanut butter and Fruity Pebbles doesn’t go together, lol! I’ve also used Cinnamon Cheerios (with peanut butter) and they were good too.