This chocolate rice crispy dessert is made with crispy rice cereal, melted mini marshmallows, butter, cocoa powder, and chocolate chips, pressed into a pan and topped with a sprinkle of shredded coconut. Every square is chewy and crunchy with a real chocolate flavor that goes way beyond the classic treat.

It’s a no-bake dessert for bake sales, school parties, and potlucks, and kids love helping cut out fun shapes. I make a pan for movie nights and set it next to treats from these movie night snack ideas.

If you love easy no-bake treats, these are worth bookmarking too:

Ingredients You’ll Need

Fresh marshmallows melt smoother and keep the bars soft for days, so skip the half-opened bag in the back of the pantry. Cocoa powder plus chocolate chips gives you a deeper chocolate flavor than chips alone.

Ingredients

6 cups crispy rice cereal (like Rice Krispies)
1 bag (10 oz) mini marshmallows, divided
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup sweetened shredded coconut, for topping
Nonstick spray or butter, for the pan

Directions

Grease a 9×13-inch pan or line it with parchment, leaving some overhang on two sides.
Grease a large spatula too.
The parchment handles make it easy to lift the whole slab out for clean cutting.
Measure the cereal into a large bowl and set aside 1 cup of the mini marshmallows.
Those reserved marshmallows get stirred in at the end, which gives you little pockets of soft marshmallow throughout.
Use a really big bowl or plan to mix right in the pot, since 6 cups of cereal takes up a lot of room.
It’s a small step that makes a big difference.
Melt the butter in a large pot over low heat.
Whisk in the cocoa powder and salt until smooth, about 30 seconds.
Keep the heat low the whole time, because high heat makes the marshmallows hard and the bars tough once they cool.
Add the rest of the marshmallows to the pot and stir constantly until they’re almost fully melted, about 3 to 4 minutes.
Add the chocolate chips and keep stirring until everything is smooth and glossy.
Take the pot off the heat and stir in the vanilla.
The mixture should look like thick, glossy chocolate sauce with no lumps of unmelted marshmallow.
Pour the cereal into the pot and fold gently with the greased spatula until every piece is coated in chocolate.
Add the reserved marshmallows and fold a few more times.
Work fairly fast, since the mixture firms up as it cools.
Scrape the bottom of the pot as you fold so none of the chocolate gets left behind.
Tip the mixture into the pan and press it in gently with greased hands or a piece of parchment.
Don’t pack it down hard.
Pressing too firmly gives you dense, hard bars instead of light, chewy ones (it’s the most common mistake).
Sprinkle the shredded coconut over the top right away and press lightly so it sticks.
Let the dessert set at room temperature for 30 to 60 minutes.
It’s tempting to cut it early, but warm bars squish and tear instead of slicing cleanly.
Lift it out using the parchment and cut into 24 squares, or use cookie cutters for hearts and circles.
Stack on a plate, serve, and enjoy!

Important Recipe Notes

Keep the heat low. Marshmallows that get too hot turn stringy and set rock hard. Low and slow is the key to soft, chewy squares.
Don’t press too hard. A gentle press keeps air in the bars. Packing them tightly makes them dense and hard to bite.
Use fresh marshmallows. Stale marshmallows don’t melt as smoothly and make drier bars. Use a newly opened bag.
Add a pinch of salt. It sounds minor, but it keeps the chocolate rice crispy dessert from tasting flat and overly sweet.
Cut cleanly. Use a buttered sharp knife or cookie cutter, and wipe it between cuts. Cutting after they’ve fully set gives the neatest edges.
Skip the fridge. Chilling makes these hard and chewy. Room temperature keeps them soft.
Brown the butter for extra flavor. Cook the butter a few minutes longer until it smells nutty and turns golden before adding the cocoa. It adds a toasty, caramel note that works really well with chocolate.
Make it in the microwave. Microwave the butter, cocoa, and marshmallows in a large bowl in 30-second bursts, stirring between each, until melted. Stir in the chips and vanilla, then fold in the cereal as usual.
Use a smaller pan for thicker bars. An 8×8 or 9×9-inch pan gives you tall, bakery-style squares. You’ll get about 16 pieces instead of 24, and they need a little longer to set.
Storage. Keep the squares in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, with parchment between layers.
Freezing. Wrap individual squares in plastic and freeze for up to 6 weeks. Thaw at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving.

How to Serve, Store & Customize This Recipe

Serving Serve the chocolate rice crispy squares at room temperature, stacked on a platter or tucked into cupcake liners for parties. They’re great for lunchboxes and bake sales. A drizzle of melted white chocolate on top looks great and takes 2 minutes.

Storing Store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. After that they start to firm up and lose some chew. Keep them away from heat and sunlight so the chocolate doesn’t get sticky.

Customizing Swap the coconut for sprinkles, crushed Oreos, or flaky sea salt. Stir 1/4 cup peanut butter into the melted marshmallows for a chocolate peanut butter version. Use chocolate cereal instead of plain for an even more chocolatey treat.