Easy Peanut Butter Balls with Rice Krispies

These Chocolate Peanut Butter Balls with Rice Krispies make the perfect EASY bite-sized treat. Chocolate coated and no-bake, these treats get a crispy upgrade that makes them the best with only 5 ingredients!

These Peanut Butter Balls with Rice Krispies are my husband’s absolute favorite holiday treat. His mother has made them for decades now. Although I altered his mother’s original recipe, I think my “best wife ever” status would be doubted if I couldn’t make these.

He begs for them from his mom and myself every chance he gets. The man isn’t your subtle hint type either. He also isn’t the begging type either which makes this all the more entertaining. If guilt tripping means that I bake cookies, go ahead and put a sign on my forehead.

The best thing about these balls is they are super easy to make! Chocolate Dipped Candies are a huge hit during the holidays and we especially love easy ones like Chocolate Covered Pretzels, Chocolate Covered Marshmallow Pops, and Chocolate Oreo Balls!

Ingredients and Supplies

Here is an overview of the ingredients you will need to this recipe:

Cocoa Rice Krispies: Using Cocoa Rice Krispies is the secret ingredient! It strikes the balance of the crispy, chocolately, and peanut butter-rrry flavors perfectly! You can use regular if you prefer though.

Butter: Either salted or unsalted butter works. I generally use unsalted for everything. The butter must be softened to room temperature. In a pinch, you can cut it into Tbsp sized pieces and pop in the microwave for a few seconds. Do not melt the butter.

Peanut Butter: I use creamy peanut butter, but you can also use crunchy if you prefer. The important thing about the peanut butter is that it is fresh. The oil that sometimes settles on top needs to be mixed in well before scooping. If you find your dough to be a crumbly, it’s probably because the peanut butter doesn’t have enough oil in it.

Confectioner’s Sugar: You use 1lb of confectioner’s sugar, also known as powdered sugar. This is about ½ of a standard bag or about 3 ¾ cups of powered sugar.

Melting Chocolate: I go into more detail below under Tips for dipping chocolate, but my recommendations are to use a good quality melting chocolate rather than chips or regular chocolate. Melting chocolate holds up better, isn’t lumpy, or overly thick. You can use milk, white, or dark chocolate.

Wax Paper: You can use wax paper, parchment paper, or a silicone mat (love these!) for laying the balls to cool.

HOW TO MAKE THE DOUGH

Add the butter and peanut butter into a stand mixer, using a paddle attachment. The butter should be soft, but not melted at all. Room temperature butter is perfect, but if it is a little colder, that shouldn’t cause an issue as long as the mixture is evenly blended. (Photo 1)

Add the powdered sugar in about a cup at a time, with the mixer on low speed. You may have to scrap the sides as the dough will be pretty dense. (Photo 2 is after all confectioner’s sugar is added and blended.)

Fold the Cocoa rice krispies into the dough. While a spoon is generally best to not crush the rice krispies, you can use a stand mixer with paddle attachment on low speed. (Photo 3)

Roll into 1 inch diameter. You can use a 2 Tablespoon cookie dough scoop as well. (Photo 4) The balls should form easily in your hands without sticking. If it sticks, add a bit of confectioner’s sugar. If the dough is crumbly or falls apart, the peanut butter probably didn’t have enough oil. Add a tablespoons at a time to see if it works better.

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Pro tip: When rolling, they shouldn’t stick to your hands. If they do, add a little more confectioner’s sugar (¼ cup at a time). If they are too crumbly, add a bit of vegetable oil.

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Tips for Coating Balls in Chocolate

Over the years, I have learned a lot about the best techniques for dipping bite sized desserts.

What chocolate is best for dipping?

1. In my humble opinion, this dulci frutta is the best supermarket variety of melting chocolate for dipping. You can get the chocolate shell pretty thin with this and it does have a solid chocolate taste.
2. My second choice would go to this chocolate melting bark, or Ghiradelli Wafers. Both work well and have good chocolate flavor.
3. Avoid anything called candy wafers or the stuff in the cake decorating aisle. Quite frankly, I want real chocolate even if I don’t get those perfectly smooth truffle balls that you see on many blogs.
4. Regular chocolate or chocolate chips will work. However, I find that the coating is much thicker and lumpy.

Technique for Dipping Items in Chocolate

First, I get everything setup and ready to go before heating the chocolate. The chocolate is perfectly fine to be melted in the microwave. Heat for 30 seconds, stir, repeat until smooth is the simplest method. Just make sure NO water comes in contact with the melting chocolate ever.

Drop the ball into the chocolate, spoon the chocolate around them (do not swirl the ball itself), and then pick up with a fork. Don’t stab the ball with the fork but scoop it up. Then shake them a bit to remove the excess chocolate. When satisfied, use a toothpick to push the ball out on a sheet of wax paper.

Voila, perfectly chocolate covered peanut butter balls!

Check Out The Video To See This Technique in Action

Serving and Storing Suggestions

Serving Ideas: I often make these during the holidays along with Carmelitas Cookie Bars and My Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe. They can stay out for eating, but I would keep them away from hot lights and other heat sources.

Store: Store in a cool, dry place in an airtight container. They can be stored in the refrigerator or freezer easily. They last 4-6 months in the freezer and about 2 weeks in the refrigerator. I do find that if I allow them to thaw, the chocolate will sweat as it warms up.

Freeze: Be sure to let the chocolate completely harden before sealing and storing it in the freezer. As long as the balls are no more than 1 inch in size, they are excellent straight out of the freezer.

Make Ahead: These can definitely be made a few days ahead of time and stored. You can also put the undipped balls in the refrigerator overnight.

Recipe FAQs

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PS. If you make this recipe, leave a COMMENT AND A STAR RATING in the comments section at the bottom and be sure to take a photo and tag it #cravingcreative on Instagram! I appreciate you for taking the time to read about me and my family recipes.