While my kids have been home for winter break, we’ve been doing lots of cooking together, and it has been really fun! We’ve made waffles and pancakes for breakfast, soup for dinner, and several batches of cookies so far. My seven year old is especially loving it, and keeps wanting to be more independent with her cooking. The other day she woke me up at 6:00 a.m. to ask me if it was okay if she used the KitchenAid mixer to make her breakfast. (Um, nope!) Since she wants to do it all by herself, I’ve been brainstorming a list of easy recipes that she can make all by herself, or with just a little help from mom. Rice krispie treats were a totally obvious choice, because they’re quick and easy to make, and everyone loves them! I’ve made a few batches of regular rice krispie treats with her in the past, but I thought it would be fun to experiment with some new flavors this time. We came up with these hot cocoa rice krispie treats when I asked her to think of some of her favorite winter treats. (I think that if she had her way, she would drink only hot chocolate all winter long!) We pulled out the hot chocolate mix, along with some mini chocolate chips and marshmallow bits, and they turned out so good! They were easy enough to make that my seven year old did nearly all the work (I just helped with scooping it into the baking dish), and they taste fantastic!
Hot Cocoa Rice Krispie Treats
The full recipe is at the bottom of this post, but here’s what you’ll need:
butter marshmallows powdered hot chocolate mix rice krispies cereal marshmallow bits mini chocolate chips
Just in case you live under a rock and you haven’t made homemade rice krispie treats before, they are definitely one of the simplest and easiest treats to make. I love that these treats only have six ingredients! First you’ll melt the butter in a large pot, then stir in the marshmallows and let them melt completely. These rice krispie treats get their delicious flavor from powdered hot chocolate mix, which is stirred into the marshmallow mixture. Once the marshmallow mixture is mixed well, stir in the rice krispies cereal and press it into a 9 x 9 baking pan.
To make these hot cocoa rice krispie treats extra fun, I sprinkled them with mini chocolate chips and marshmallow bits. They make them look so cute and festive! I found the marshmallow bits at the grocery store on the same aisle as the marshmallows. If you can’t find the marshmallow bits, you could use mini marshmallows instead, or just leave them off. They will still be totally delicious either way!
Allow the treats to cool completely, then cut them into squares. If you are patient enough to wait to cut them until they have cooled, they will be much easier to slice neatly. They will keep for up to a week if stored in an airtight container, if they happen to last that long!
These hot cocoa rice krispie treats have the perfect chewy and crispy texture, and such a great flavor! My very favorite way to enjoy them is with a warm cup of cocoa on the side, but they are also pretty great just by themselves. They are perfect for all of those times when you need a delicious treat, but don’t have the time or energy to whip up something complicated or difficult. They are so good!
These irresistible and delicious hot cocoa rice krispie treats have all the flavors you love in hot chocolate, in a sweet and crunchy rice krispie treat!
