These S'mores Rice Krispie Treats are the PERFECT flavor combination of graham cracker, marshmallows, and chocolate! To make them Halloween-themed, we're going to add "spider webs" on top using marshmallows. An easy, quick, & festive treat!
I have a tradition on Coined Cuisine of giving you guys a Halloween recipe each year... A dish that's really delicious, simple to make, and can easily be prepared with the kiddos for some holiday fun! This year, it's S'mores Rice Krispie Treats - and I think this is my favorite one YET.
I love ANYTHING s'mores, and I also never turn down a Rice Krispie Treat. (Side note: Do you spell it Rice Crispy? Rice Crispies? Crispy Rice Treats? Anyway, these cereal treats will disappear faster than you can type out Krispie/Krispy/Crispy!
Ingredients
I fully believe my technique for making Rice Krispie Treats is the BEST you can find, and you really only need 4 main ingredients (5 for the s'mores version):
- Cereal - Either name-brand Rice Krispies or the off-brand of puffed rice cereal will work. You just want to make sure it's fresh! For the graham cracker part of our "s'more", we're going to also use Golden Grahams cereal.
- Butter - Salted butter is a must for this recipe - trust me... it adds a depth of flavor and helps balance out all of the sweetness. If you don't have salted butter on hand, just add about ½ teaspoon of salt to your butter. And use the real stuff, no margarine!
- Marshmallows - I love an ooey gooey Rice Krispie treat, and I don't think you get that texture by using corn syrup. So marshmallows are the main squeeze in this recipe. I prefer to use the regular-sized ones because I think you get more "fluff" that way, but you can use the mini marshmallows if you want.
- Vanilla Extract - A tablespoon of pure vanilla extract gives these treats such a GREAT understated flavor that you'll miss if you skip the ingredient. I like to add this in right as the butter melts to ensure the taste is in every bite!
- Chocolate Morsels - I love to use dark chocolate morsels for this recipe; it's a little less sweet so it balances out the dish, plus dark chocolate looks a lot spookier for our Halloween decorations! You can use milk or semi-sweet if you prefer.
How to Make Gooey S'mores Rice Krispie Treats
Preparation
Rice Krispie Treats are pretty simple to make. So be sure that you follow my tips & tricks for the PERFECT taste and texture! We want gooey, chewy treats that taste like a s'more in EVERY bite.
Start out by preparing your baking dish to avoid the treats sticking to the bottom of the pan. I like to spray a 9-inch square dish with some cooking spray, then add a square of parchment paper to the bottom so it sticks and doesn't move.
Also, because we're making s'mores-flavored bars, we're going to use a combination of puffed rice cereal and graham cracker-flavored cereal. Golden Grahams are the most common brand at grocery stores. Crush the Golden Grahams until they are around the same size as the Rice Krispie cereal pieces.
Cooking & Mixing
Now, for the marshmallow part. I LOVE to have pockets of marshmallow when I bite into my cereal treats, so I set aside a cup of marshmallows to stir in at the end. If you use the regular-size ones like me, just tear/cut them into smaller pieces.
In a large pot, melt your salted butter over medium-heat. YES, salted butter is a must. Then, stir in some pure vanilla extract... this brings such a great depth of flavor.
Then, add in your marshmallows - all but the 1 cup we set aside earlier. Turn the heat down to low, and stir continuously until the mixture is silky smooth with no lumps.
Stir in both of your cereals and the reserved marshmallow pieces. Combine until everything is nice and even.
Making The Bars
Pour in the Rice Krispie mix into your prepared baking dish.
Make sure you DON'T press the mixture into the pan too hard - that makes the treats VERY hard when they set. To keep them nice and gooey, use a small amount of pressure to just barely move the mix to the edges. I like to add another layer of parchment paper on top before pressing down, so my fingers don't stick.
Chocolate Topping & Marshmallow "Spider Webs"
Melt your chocolate chips in the microwave in 30-second increments until it's smooth. Pour the melted chocolate on top of the Rice Krispie treats, then let the chocolate set fully.
Finally - take another ½ cup of marshmallows and melt them in the microwave. Stir until smooth, then use two forks to create "spider webs" all over your cereal treats. That's it! I like to serve these with fake spiders on/around the plate just to stay on theme.
Variations/Substitutions
- Can't find Golden Grahams cereal? There is a Cinnamon Toast Crunch "CinnaGraham" option that could work in a pinch! It may taste a little more like cinnamon, but it will still give that graham cracker flavor.
- Mini marshmallows instead of regular ones are fine. They will melt faster and you don't have to cut/tear them to stir in with the cereal at the end.
- If you like peanut butter s'mores, try stirring in some mini Reese's peanut butter cups for an added pop of flavor!
- If you're not a fan of dark chocolate, feel free to use milk or semi-sweet chocolate for the chocolate covered Rice Krispie treats.
FAQs
If you press the mixture into the baking dish too firmly, your treats could get hard when they set. Also, be sure to use FRESH ingredients - the cereal and the marshmallows should be a new bag and freshly opened!
Nope, I don't recommend refrigerating these since the cold marshmallow can make the treats really hard. The chocolate coating will be shelf-stable if you store them in an airtight container at room temperature, no longer than a few days.
You can use a few different strategies. I like to add another piece of parchment paper down on top and then lightly press that barrier. You can also spray your hands with non-stick spray, or dip your fingers in water, shake the excess off, then press.
Other Halloween Treats You'll Crave!
Halloween Oreo Truffles (4-Ingredients!)
Magic Wands (Chocolate-Covered Pretzel Rods)
S'mores Rice Krispie Treats
Ingredients
- 6 tbsp. salted butter
- 1 tbsp. vanilla extract
- 16 oz. marshmallows separate & reserve 1 cup
- 4 cups Rice Krispies cereal
- 2 cups Golden Grahams cereal
Spider-Web Topping
- 1 ½ cups dark chocolate morsels
- ½ cup marshmallows about 5 regular-sized marshmallows
Instructions
- Line a 9-inch square baking pan with parchment paper.
- In a large pot, melt the salted butter over medium heat.
- Stir in the vanilla extract.
- Turn the heat down to low, and pour in all but 1 cup of the marshmallows. Stir continuously until the marshmallows are completely melted and smooth.
- Remove the pan from heat. Stir in both cereals, and the remaining cup of marshmallows. If you have regular-sized marshmallows, cut or tear these into small pieces so they will distribute evenly.
- Pour the Rice Krispie treat mixture into the prepared baking pan. Press GENTLY with your fingers to spread it out to the edges.The harder you pack your mix into the pan, the harder the treats will be once they set. We want these to be nice and gooey!
- Melt the dark chocolate morsels in a bowl, for 30 seconds at a time. Stir until completely smooth.
- Pour the melted chocolate on top of the Rice Krispie treats and smooth it into an even layer.
- Let the Rice Krispie treats set for about an hour. If your chocolate hasn't set, you can pop these in the fridge for another 20 minutes.
- Melt the ½ cup of marshmallows in the microwave for 20-30 seconds. They will puff up in the bowl until you remove them from the microwave.
- Using two forks, stir the melted marshmallows until smooth and create "spider webs" on top of the set Rice Krispie treats.
- Let sit for another 5 minutes or so, then cut and serve. Enjoy!
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The Coined Breakdown
- Total Cost per serving: $1.03
- Total Cost (9 servings): $9.28
- Those Other Guys: $4.99 per bar
Did you make this recipe? Let me know what you think!