This Avalanche Cookies recipe is a no-bake dessert copycat version of Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory’s Avalanche Bark but in cookie form. Made with a mixture of melted white chocolate, peanut butter, mini marshmallows, Rice Krispie cereal, and caramel syrup and then sprinkled with mini chocolate chips and sea salt on top!
No-Bake Avalanche Cookies: Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory Avalanche Bark Copycat
Avalanche Cookies are an easy-to-make sweet, no-bake treat for times when you don’t want to turn on the oven to heat up your whole house – just mix the ingredients and let them harden on their own!
They’re like a marriage of my Grinch Rice Krispie Treats with my Hot Chocolate Muddy Buddies, simply made with Rice Krispie Cereal, white chocolate, peanut butter, a bit of caramel syrup, mini marshmallows, and chocolate chips to create a cookie with a salty-sweet crunch.
Just as addicting as Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory’s Avalanche Bark, with the same tastes and textures of the classic candy, these Avalanche Cookies are even better because they can be made in minutes at a fraction of the cost.
Why We Love This Avalanche Cookies Recipe
- Quick and easy to make, especially because it’s no-bake.
- Uses simple ingredients to create a Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory copycat as a cookie.
- A fun way to get kids to help out in the kitchen.
- Crispy, crunchy, chewy delicious dessert.
- Loaded with peanut butter, white chocolate, and marshmallows and studded with chocolate chips.
- Perfect sweet treat for any party or cookie tray, snack or dessert.
Ingredients
- 3 cups (1 ½ bags) white chocolate chips
- ¾ cup crunchy peanut butter: Feel free to use creamy peanut butter. I do not recommend using all-natural peanut butter in this recipe because the oil makes the cookies softer. And too much oil will also interfere with the setting process.
- 4 Tablespoons salted butter
- 2 ¼ cups Rice Krispie cereal: I used “brand name” cereal, but you can use a generic rice cereal too.
- 1 ¾ cups mini marshmallows: For some fun, feel free to use some colored mini marshmallows.
- 3 Tablespoons caramel syrup: Try this with chocolate syrup instead for a darker color and different taste.
- ¼ cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 ½ teaspoons flaky sea salt
Substitutions and Additions
- Nut Butter: To make these cookies allergy-friendly, you can swap the peanut butter for almond butter, Sunbutter, Cookie Butter, or Nutella.
- Change The Chocolate: You can make these cookies with butterscotch chips, almond bark, semi-sweet chocolate chips, milk chocolate chips, or dark chocolate chips, but they will have a very different taste and color. They will still be delicious!
- Cereal Swap: Feel free to use Cheerios or Special K instead of Rice Krispie cereal if you prefer.
- More Mix-Ins: You can add mini-candies, crushed nuts, or festive sprinkles to your Avalanche Cookies for extra color and texture.
Recommended Tools to Make this Recipe
- Large sheet pan (18×13 inches)
- Medium saucepan
- Cookie Scoop
- Measuring tools
- Mixing tools
How to Make Easy No-Bake Avalanche Cookies
- Melt the white chocolate chips, peanut butter, and butter together over low heat, stirring frequently to keep it from burning. Stir until smooth.
Pro Tip: Make sure the heat is on low or your chocolate may seize if heated too quickly.
- Remove peanut butter mixture from the heat and stir in the caramel syrup, Rice Krispies cereal and marshmallows.
- Drop large balls of the mixture onto a lined baking sheet.
Pro Tip: I like to use a ¼ cup measuring cup or scoop so my cookies are uniform in size. - Sprinkle cookies with mini chocolate chips and sea salt before they start to set.
Pro Tip: You will need about ¼ teaspoon of chips and a few granules of sea salt on each cookie. - Let cookies firm up at room temperature for at least 20-30 minutes before plating and serving.
Pro-Tip: To help the cookies set more quickly, you can put them in the fridge or freezer for a few minutes. - Enjoy!
Storage Tips
- To Store: You can store these cookies on the countertop in an airtight container, for about two days.
- To Freeze: To freeze your cookies, individually wrap them and store them in the freeze for up to 6 weeks. Thaw them at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving.
Frequently Asked Questions
These popular no-bake treats are named “Avalanche Cookies” because the final product looks like snow-covered mountains or boulders.
The addition of the white chocolate and marshmallows is meant to create “snow.” And the tan color of the Rice Krispies and peanut butter is meant to look like the dirt that an avalanche covers up and mixes with.
While the name of these cookies makes them perfect for the winter season, it’s always the delicious simplicity and ease of this sweet treat that makes them perfect for consuming any time!
Yes, you can make these cookies with butterscotch chips, semi-sweet chocolate chips, milk chocolate chips, or dark chocolate chips instead of white chocolate.
They will have a very different taste and color and will be less “avalanche” looking since they won’t be white like snow.
Not all Rice Krispies are gluten-free so be sure to read the label on the box. You can also use plain Rice Chex. For smaller pieces briefly chop the Chex in a food processor before mixing up the cookies.
Yes, you can easily use your favorite nut butter in this recipe instead of peanut butter. Sunbutter is a great substitute for those with tree nut allergies.
If tree nuts are ok, then almond butter or even Nutella would be delicious. Biscoff or Cookie Butter spread are also simple swaps.
Other Easy Cookie Recipes
- Brownie Cookies
- Blueberry Cookies
- Caramel Apple Pie Cookies
- Browned Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Rainbow Sprinkle Cookies
- Lemon Cool Whip Cookies
- Cream Cheese Cookies
- Peanut Butter Stuffed Cookies
Avalanche Cookies
Ingredients
- 3 cups (1 ½ bags) white chocolate chips
- ¾ cup crunchy peanut butter
- 4 tbsp salted butter
- 2¼ cups Rice Krispie cereal
- 1¾ cups mini marshmallows
- 3 tbsp caramel syrup
- ¼ cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1½ tsp flaky sea salt
Instructions
- Line a large 18×13 inch sheet pan with parchment paper and set aside.
- Over low heat in a medium sized saucepan, melt together the white chocolate chips, crunchy peanut butter, and butter. Stir frequently to keep from burning. Make sure the heat is on low or your chocolate may seize if heated too quickly.
- Once melted, take the pan off heat and stir in the Rice Krispies cereal, mini marshmallows, and caramel syrup until completely incorporated.
- Use a ¼ cup measuring cup or scoop to drop large balls of the mixture onto the prepared sheet pans.
- Sprinkle all cookies with mini chocolate chips and sea salt before they start to set. (About ¼ teaspoon of chips and a few granules of sea salt on each cookie.)
- Let cookies firm up at room temperature for at least 20-30 minutes before plating and serving.
Jenn’s Notes
- To Store: You can store these cookies on the countertop in an airtight container, for about two days.
- To Freeze: To freeze your cookies, individually wrap them and store them in the freeze for up to 6 weeks. Thaw them at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving.
- To help the cookies set more quickly, you can put them in the fridge or freezer for a few minutes.
- I do not recommend using all-natural peanut butter in this recipe because the oil makes the cookies softer. And too much oil will also interfere with the setting process.
White chocolate chips are difficult to find – and extremely expensive! This recipe sounds great but costs waaayyy too much!
Have you looked at Toll House white chocolate chips? They have they at the grocery store and Target for the same price as semi-sweet and milk chocolate chips.