Avalanche Cookies
These easy no-bake Avalanche Cookies are sweet, crunchy, and completely addictive—the perfect quick treat when you want something fun, fast, and delicious.
These Avalanche Cookies are the ultimate no-bake treat. They are sweet, crunchy, chewy, and completely irresistible.
If you’re a fan of Peanut Butter Cornflake Cookies, Chocolate Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Treats, or even Fruity Pebbles Rice Krispy Treats this recipe is going to be right up your alley! Made with creamy peanut butter, melted white chocolate, crispy rice cereal, and gooey mini marshmallows, this easy avalanche cookies recipe comes together in minutes with zero oven time required.
Matt and I made these a few weekends ago, and we chowed through SO many of them over the course of the weekend. They have a great texture, and, as weird as it sounds, I really enjoyed taking a bite and letting the chocolate melt in my mouth! This batch is HEFTY, so we ended up giving some cookies to my neighbor, who loved them, too!
In fact, this is a great neighbor treat, either around the holidays or any other time of the year. The fact that you can make them quickly without worrying about baking time really takes so much pressure off.
Perfect for holidays, bake sales, or quick desserts, these cookies are as fun to make as they are to eat. Plus, with a sprinkle of mini chocolate chips and flaky sea salt on top, every bite is packed with texture and flavor.
Why Make This Recipe
- No-Bake and Super Easy: No oven = no stress. Just melt, mix, scoop, and let them set. These are perfect when you need a quick dessert.
- Sweet, Crunchy, and Chewy: The combination of crispy cereal, soft marshmallows, and smooth chocolate creates the perfect texture in every bite.
- Perfect for Any Occasion: Whether it’s a holiday tray, party, or after-school treat, these no-bake avalanche cookies are always a hit.
Key Ingredients for Avalanche Cookies
Here is a visual overview of the ingredients in the recipe. Scroll down to the recipe at the bottom for quantities.
- White chocolate chips: Melted to create the sweet, creamy base that holds everything together. You can use any chocolate chips but some do melt better than others. I like Ghirardelli or Guittard.
- Peanut butter: Sorry, I love natural peanut butter as much as the next girl, but for texture purposes, I recommend the processed stuff (like Jif) for this recipe. But use natural peanut butter if it calls to you, it will still be delicious!
- Rice Krispies cereal: You can use off-brand to save some money if you want…. It’s all the same.
- Mini marshmallows: Add a soft, chewy texture throughout.
- Mini chocolate chips: Optional to be sprinkled on top for a chocolatey finish!
- Flaky sea salt (optional): The flaky sea salt isn’t super common on avalanche cookies, but I really think it makes all the difference. It elevates the flavor and gives your taste buds something to “figure out”!
Recipe Variations
- Avoid Allergens: If you need to avoid peanut butter you can substitute sun butter or cookie butter.
- Give it a Twist: Try making some with butterscotch or chocolate chips instead of the white chocolate. Yum!
- Add some Flare: You can replace the mini chocolate chips on top with any chocolate you want. Add some shaved chocolate to make them look fancy or crush up some butterfinger bars!
How to Make Avalanche Cookies
Step 1: Microwave the chocolate and peanut butter in 30-second intervals until melted.
Step 2: Add the Rice Krispies cereal and mini marshmallows to the melted mixture and stir until everything is evenly coated.
Step 3: Scoop the cookies onto prepared baking sheets.
Step 4: Sprinkle mini chocolate chips and flaky sea salt over each cookie while they are still soft.
Step 5: Allow the cookies to cool at room temperature or place them in the refrigerator until fully set. Serve and enjoy!
Expert Tips
- Microwave in intervals. Heating the white chocolate too quickly can cause it to seize or harden instead of melt smoothly.
- Do not mix in the mini chocolate chips. You want them just to stick to the top, not melt into the mixture. I wanted to get creative and mixed the chocolate chips into the batter on my first recipe test… that didn’t work out well. They all melted, and my batter turned a dark brown color instead of its signature light brown!
- Work quickly. Once the mixture is combined, scoop the cookies before it starts to firm up.
- Don’t worry about perfect shapes. These cookies are meant to look rustic and fun!
- Use parchment or wax paper to prevent sticking and make cleanup easy.
- Add some colored sprinkles or even colored M&Ms into these cookies to decorate for different holidays! Christmas sprinkles would be adorable on top for Christmas cookie boxes.
Recipe FAQs
Avalanche cookies can set at room temperature, but refrigerating them will help them firm up faster.
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or in the refrigerator for up to a week.
It is possible to freeze avalanche cookies but the texture is probably best when eaten fresh. To freeze, store them in a freezer-safe container for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature before serving.
You can substitute peanut butter with almond butter, sunflower seed butter, or even cookie butter. The flavor will change slightly but they will still be delicious!
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Avalanche Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 lb white chocolate chips, about 2 ⅓ cups
- ⅔ cup peanut butter
- 2½ cups rice krispies cereal
- 1½ cups mini marshmallows
- ½ cup mini chocolate chips
- flaky sea salt, optional
Instructions
- In a large bowl, add ⅔ cup peanut butter and 1 lb white chocolate chips together. Microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring each time until the mixture is totally melted and smooth (this took 4 rounds of microwaving for me).
- Pour 2½ cups rice krispies cereal and 1½ cups mini marshmallows into the bowl and mix to fully coat them in the peanut butter/chocolate mixture.
- Line some cookie sheets with parchment paper or wax paper. Use a cookie scoop to scoop out individual mounds of the mixture. Sprinkle each cookie with ½ cup mini chocolate chips & flaky sea salt.
- Leave at room temperature or put them in the fridge to cool completely. Serve and enjoy!
Video
Notes
- White chocolate chips: You can use any chocolate chips but some do melt better than others. I like Ghirardelli or Guittard.
- Peanut butter: Sorry, I love natural peanut butter as much as the next girl, but for texture purposes, I recommend the processed stuff (like Jif) for this recipe. But use natural peanut butter if it calls to you, it will still be delicious!
- Rice Krispies cereal: You can use off-brand to save some money if you want…. It’s all the same.
- Mini chocolate chips: Optional to be sprinkled on top for a chocolatey finish!
- Flaky sea salt (optional): The flaky sea salt isn’t super common on avalanche cookies, but I really think it makes all the difference. It elevates the flavor and gives your taste buds something to “figure out”!
- Microwave in intervals. Heating the white chocolate too quickly can cause it to seize or harden instead of melt smoothly.
- Do not mix in the mini chocolate chips. You want them just to stick to the top, not melt into the mixture. I wanted to get creative and mixed the chocolate chips into the batter on my first recipe test… that didn’t work out well. They all melted, and my batter turned a dark brown color instead of its signature light brown!
- Work quickly. Once the mixture is combined, scoop the cookies before it starts to firm up.
- Don’t worry about perfect shapes. These cookies are meant to look rustic and fun!
- Use parchment or wax paper to prevent sticking and make cleanup easy.
- Add some colored sprinkles or even colored M&Ms into these cookies to decorate for different holidays! Christmas sprinkles would be adorable on top for Christmas cookie boxes.
