These smores rice krispies treats are crisp and have a soft, gooey marshmallow pull. Loaded with charred marshmallows, graham crackers, and creamy milk chocolate! They have brown butter for extra, caramelized and toasty flavor. A dash of vanilla, cinnamon, and salt really elevate these to a whole new level. These rice krispies are the perfect summer treat and taste even better than traditional smores. Plus, they're so easy to whip up and keep on hand for a roadtrip or camping treat in the summer!
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🏕️ Why you'll LOVE this recipe
- Smores: Toasted marshmallows, graham crackers, and milk chocolate. All of the flavors of smores with extra vanilla, salt, and cinnamon to elevate the flavor even more!
- Rice krispies treats: Crisp, chewy, soft, buttery, and stretchy. So nostalgic and moreish. These treats have lots of marshmallows so that they're extra stretchy and delicious!
- Quick and easy: It comes together in one pot, quickly and easily, and is super super delicious.
- Perfect to make for summer: Make these ahead of time and bite into them on a beach or camping trip for extra nostalgia without the hassle of lighting a campfire. These are also great to make during a fire ban.
📝 Key ingredients
Read through for all the tips you will need for success!
Full steps and ingredients in recipe card below.
Large marshmallows: I recommend using large marshmallows to get large stretchy chunks of marshmallow in the rice krispies treats. If you use jumbo marshmallows like I did, I recommend cutting them into pieces with scissors to get more surface area for roasting and so that they melt easier. I don't recommend using mini marshmallows if you could avoid them.
Marshmallow tip:
Use a new bag of marshmallows to make sure that your marshmallows are plump and soft and to prevent hard, chewy marshmallow treats.
Graham crackers: I used regular graham crackers that you'd use for smores. You can use mini graham crackers or golden grahams cereal.
Milk chocolate: Sticking with the smores theme, I used the classic Hershey's milk chocolate bars. Any milk chocolate will work here. You can use milk chocolate chips if that's what you have, but keep in mind that it won't be as creamy.
Butter: Melted butter is a crucial ingredient in rice krispies treats. However, since we want maximum roasted toasty flavor, I browned the butter in this recipe. It's just an extra minute or two, and it elevates the flavor perfectly! I prefer unsalted butter for browning because salted browned butter tends to have a bitter, metallic flavor.
Cinnamon: A touch of cinnamon works beautifully with the graham crackers. Vanilla extract: Don't skip this! It really elevates your rice krispies treats.
Rice krispies cereal: A non-negotiable, I recommend using the name brand (Kellogs) because it makes the best, crispiest, rice krispies treats.
👩🍳 How to make smores rice krispies treats
Step 1: Brown butter in a heavy bottomed pot and remove it from the heat. Add half of the marshmallows, vanilla extract, salt, and cinnamon into the browned butter and stir until they melt.
Step 2: Add the cereal and graham cracker pieces into the melted marshmallows. Stir to combine and set aside to cool for a few minutes while you burn the marshmallows.
Step 3: Use a torch to burn the other half of the marshmallows. You only want to char the outside of them without melting the middle.
Step 4: Add the broiled marshmallows and half of the milk chocolate into the rice krispies, and mix. Place remaining chocolate pieces on top.
Gently press the mixture into a parchment lined 8" square pan. Let them set for about 30 minutes. Cut the smores rice krispies treats into 9 bars and enjoy!
✔️ Expert rice krispies treats tips
- Use fresh marshmallows: A freshly opened bag of marshmallows make the best rice krispies treats with a beautiful marshmallow pull! If you use stale marshmallows, you'll get stale rice krispies treats.
- When you toast the marshmallows, don't melt them all the way through: If you melt them all the way through, you won't get stretchy chunks of marshmallow in the smores rice krispies treats and they will turn out dense and chewy.
- Toast the marshmallows well: You want a layer of char - this will add a touch of smokiness, and won't be bitter at all. If you don't char them, then they won't taste much like smores.
- Let the mixture cool before adding the toasted marshmallows and chocolate: This ensures that you get separate chunks of chocolate and marshmallow inside each square, because if the mixture is too warm, the chocolate and marshmallows will melt and disappear into the mixture.
🥄 Make ahead and storage
Rice Krispies treats store great when they're sealed tightly in an airtight container or bag. You can also wrap them individually in plastic wrap.
Store them at room temperature for up to 4 days. I don't ever recommend refrigerating marshmallow treats because the refrigerator will make them hard and overly chewy. Just store them at room temperature.
How to make rice krispies treats with a gooey marshmallow pull
- Use a freshly opened bag of marshmallows. Stale marshmallows = stale rice krispies treats without much of a marshmallow pull.
- Use loads of melted and un-melted marshmallows. Lots of marshmallows give the rice krispies treats the best soft, chewy texture with an amazing stretchy pull! Plus adding extra whole marshmallows at the end make for an elite marshmallow pull.
- Don't pack the mixture in too tightly into the pan: I like letting the mixture cool down a bit before adding it into the pan. This helps ensure that you get light and fluffy, crisp rice krispies treats as opposed to dense, chewy treats.
📖 Recipe FAQs
Yes you can. Make sure that you use gluten free rice cereal and gluten free graham crackers.
You could, but I don't recommend it. When I broiled the marshmallows, they melted all the way through the centers and created a dense, chewy marshmallow square. If you broil them, only broil them very lightly so that they don't melt through the center. I recommend using a torch, that way you get a nice char without completely melted marshmallows.
No, I don't recommend refrigerating rice krispies treats. They become hard, chewy, and stale.
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📖 Recipe
Smores Rice Krispies Treats
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- 14 oz large marshmallows 400g, divided in half
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 5 cups rice krispies cereal
- 1 cup graham crackers broken into pieces
- ½ cup chopped milk chocolate I used two 43g (1.55oz) hersheys milk chocolate bars
Instructions
- Line an 8" or 9" square pan with parchment paper.
- Add the butter into a heavy bottomed saucepan. Melt on medium-low heat and stir occasionally. Once it starts to foam, keep stirring and the foam will subside. Once it starts foaming again, watch it carefully because it will start to turn brown. Remove it from the heat immediately.½ cup unsalted butter
- Add half of the marshmallows, vanilla extract, salt, and cinnamon into the browned butter and stir until they melt. It should melt off the heat. If it doesn't, place it back onto low heat just until everything melts.14 oz large marshmallows, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, ½ teaspoon sea salt, ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- Add the cereal and graham cracker pieces into the melted marshmallows. Stir to combine and set aside to cool for a few minutes while you burn the marshmallows.5 cups rice krispies cereal, 1 cup graham crackers
- Use a torch to burn the other half of the marshmallows. You only want to char the outside of them without melting the middle. Read the notes for broiling instructions.14 oz large marshmallows
- Add the broiled marshmallows and half of the milk chocolate into the rice krispies mix. Stir to combine. If it's difficult to stir then use your hands to mix as best as you can.½ cup chopped milk chocolate
- Place the mixture into the parchment lined pan and gently press it in. You don't want to be forceful. Add the remaining chocolate on top. Let the treats set for about 30 minutes to 1 hour to set.
- Cut the smores rice krispies treats into 9 bars and enjoy! Store them in an airtight bag or container, or wrap the squares individually in plastic wrap. Store them at room temperature as they will get hard in the fridge.
Notes
- Don't melt the marshmallows all the way through when toasting them.
- Give the marshmallows a good char for that campfire flavor.
- Let the rice krispies mixture cool slightly before adding the toasted marshmallow and pieces of chocolate.
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