Add a gourmet twist to a classic with the addition of coconut and a drizzle of dark chocolate. These coconut rice cereal treats are easy and sure to delight!
There’s really nothing quite like a good cereal treat. They’re easy to make, require minimal ingredients, and you don’t even need an oven! When I needed a dessert to share, I would whip up a quick batch of marshmallow cereal treats in my college dorm room using a microwave and my popcorn bowl. How things have changed (a little) since then! One way, I’ve upped my game a bit and add a lot of fun flavor variations to my rice crispy treats. Rice cereal treats? Whatever you want to call them. They’re delicious.
The recipe for these is really straightforward. I do like to take a few minutes to toast the coconut, most of the time. Sometimes I don’t, and it’s fine. I’ve also used both sweetened and unsweetened coconut flakes – whatever I have on hand. The difference is not that great in sweetness because you’re already getting quite a bit from the marshmallows. If you have time to toast the coconut, great! It looks prettier when sprinkling extra on top for decoration.
But if you don’t have time, or forget, or just don’t feel like it, let me give you a quick tip. Don’t use the untoasted coconut shreds for garnish. Either chop them up really small, or skip them and use some sprinkles or something instead. Without the crunch from toasting, the texture feels a little funny in my opinion.
Also, I recommend using candy coating or chocolate almond bark for the drizzle. My reasoning behind that is just simply so you don’t have to temper chocolate. Of course, it is just a drizzle, so you can melt some chocolate chips just as well. You won’t get any “snap” from the chocolate and there may be a little bloom after a day or so, but it doesn’t affect the quality or flavor.
And one final note, because you might be asking… are these gluten free? The answer… it depends. In theory, yes, because they are made with rice cereal. But many commercially available rice cereals, like Rice Krispies, are made with barley malt and so are not gluten free. If you need to make these gluten free, make sure you use a gluten-free rice cereal. It will say right on the box. Easy!
I hope you enjoy this recipe for coconut rice cereal treats!
Coconut Rice Cereal Treats
Add a gourmet twist to a classic with the addition of coconut and a drizzle of dark chocolate. These coconut rice cereal treats are easy and sure to delight!
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup shredded coconut plus extra for sprinkling
- 4 cups crisp rice cereal
- 4 cups marshmallows
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup dark chocolate candy melts (or chocolate chips)
Instructions
- Line an 8x8-inch pan with wax paper or parchment, set aside.
- Place a large pot over medium heat. Add the coconut and dry toast until it's a light golden brown. Remove from the heat, transfer to a different container to cool, and set aside.
- Using the same pot, melt the butter and marshmallows together, stirring constantly to prevent burning.
- Add the rice cereal and 3/4 cup of coconut. Mix well to combine.
- Press the mixture evenly into your prepared pan and let cool for at least 10 minutes before cutting into squares. If you'd like, place the squares on a sheet of wax or parchment paper before drizzling on the chocolate.
- Melt the chocolate in a microwave-safe container. Start by heating for one minute at 50% power. Stir and see if the mixture is smooth. If not, add additional 20-second intervals as needed, stirring after each.
- Drizzle the chocolate over the treats using either a piping bag or plastic sandwich bag with the corner snipped off. Alternatively, you could just dip a fork into the chocolate and drizzle that way. Sprinkle with the additional toasted coconut.
- Once the chocolate has set, your treats are ready to serve! Package extras in an airtight container, separating each layer with a piece of wax or parchment paper. The treats are best within 3 days. Enjoy!
Notes
- I've made this recipe with both sweetened and unsweetened coconut. Both work well, use what you have.
- If you would like gluten-free rice cereal treats, make sure your rice cereal is marked as being gluten-free.
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