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These Hot Chocolate Rice Krispies Treats are the ultimate no-bake winter dessert! Made with hot cocoa mix, gooey marshmallows, and melty chocolate chips, they taste just like a cozy cup of hot chocolate in chewy bar form. Perfect for holiday parties, bake sales, or a quick sweet treat the whole family will love.
Hot Cocoa Season is Here!
If I can turn a rice krispies treat into a festive winter dessert, then you can bet it’s gonna happen.
First, I shared our Christmas Rice Krispies Treats (festive, fun, filled with sprinkles and candy), and now I’m back with Hot Chocolate Rice Krispies Treats.
These are quite possibly the perfect little winter treat, especially because this time of year is honestly just pure chaos.
RKTs are easy, anyone can do it, and they take about 10 minutes of hands on time. Perfect during the busy season!
I’m stirring a packet of hot chocolate mix right in with the marshmallows and butter so these aren’t just chocolate treats, they truly have that hot cocoa flavor!
Serve with a cup of my white hot chocolate!
♥ 3 Reasons You’ll Love This Recipe:
🍫 Ready in 15 minutes – No oven required, just one pot and a pan. Mix, press, done.
☕ Tastes like actual hot chocolate – The hot cocoa powder creates real hot chocolate flavor, not just chocolate. It’s the difference between good and “wait, can I have another?”
🎄 Perfect for holiday chaos – Make these when your oven is occupied with dinner and you still need dessert. They work for parties, bake sales, or random Tuesday cravings.
Ingredients, Swaps, & Tips:
- Rice Krispies Cereal: Classic and crunchy! Either the name brand or generic kind both work. For an extra chocolatey version use Cocoa Krispies instead, but we think the hot chocolate flavor shines better with regular.
- Hot Cocoa Mix: You can use any brand of hot cocoa mix that you like so grab your favorite! Swiss Miss or Ghiradelli are both good choices. Regular cocoa powder isn’t going to work, you’ll want to use a hot cocoa mix. Try a flavored mix like peppermint or dark chocolate for an easy twist.
- Mini Marshmallows: This is the sweet sticky glue that holds the dessert bars together. You’ll melt most of it to mix with the cereal but we also stir a handful in for more gooey texture!
- Freeze-Dried Marshmallows: These are like the tiny marshmallows you find in hot cocoa packets. They add a little crunch and make for an appealing topping! Find them at Walmart!
- Mini Chocolate Chips: These get sprinkled right on top to add a little extra chocolate to the bars.
Serving Suggestions:
These dessert bars are best served as treats for a holiday party or other gathering, but you can definitely just make them any time if you need a snack!
You’ll want to keep the hot cocoa theme going here and try these alongside my crockpot Nutella hot chocolate! That’s a lot of extra chocolate goodness.
These would treats would look great on a dessert board alongside other holiday treats too like our peppermint hot chocolate cookies or this Christmas mint Oreo fudge!
Storage:
Room temperature: Store in an airtight container or wrap tightly in plastic wrap for up to 3 days. The dehydrated marshmallows may soften after day one.
Freezer: Wrap individual bars in plastic wrap, then store in a freezer bag for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature for 20 minutes before serving.
Hot Chocolate Rice Krispie Treats
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons salted butter
- 1/2 cup hot cocoa powder
- 8 cups mini marshmallows about 14 ounces
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 6 cups Rice Krispies Cereal
- 1/2 cup freeze dried/dehydrated mini marshmallows
- 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
Instructions
- Spray a 9×13 baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.
- In a large pot melt the butter. Once melted stir in the hot cocoa powder and all but about 1 ½ cups of the marshmallows. Stir constantly until the marshmallows are just melted. Do not overcook.
- Remove the marshmallow mixture from the heat and stir in the vanilla, cereal, and remaining 1 ½ cups of marshmallows. Stir well to combine.
- Press the mixture into the prepared baking dish and top with freeze dried mini marshmallows and mini chocolate chips. Press them into the top lightly so they stick.
- Let the treats set for at least an hour to firm up and then slice into 12 bars.
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