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Valentine Rice Krispie Treats turn the classic marshmallow treat into heart shaped pops dipped in white, pink, and dark chocolate, and when we made them on a snow day in February, Maddie and Lizzie set up a full dipping assembly line and argued over sprinkle rights. If you love the classic square, our brown butter rice crispy treats are the grown-up version.
The dough is the same five ingredient treat you already know, the hearts and the chocolate dip just dress it up for February.
Valentine Rice Krispie Treats Quick Look
- 🕒 Prep Time: 10 minutes
- 🌡️ Cook Time: 10 minutes
- ⏳ Total Time: 20 minutes
- 🍽️ Serving: 12 servings
- ⚡ Calories: 370kcal
- 🌶️ Flavor Profile: Buttery marshmallow crunch under sweet white, pink, and dark chocolate
- ✋ Difficulty: Easy, a no-bake project on par with our puppy chow
Quick Answer
Melt butter and mini marshmallows in a large saucepan, stir in vanilla, then fold in the Rice Krispies. Press the mixture 1 inch thick into a parchment lined 9×13 pan, cut out hearts with a greased cookie cutter, and add sticks. Dip each heart in melted white chocolate, pink candy melts, or dark chocolate, add sprinkles, and let them set.
Jump to:
- Valentine Rice Krispie Treats Quick Look
- Quick Answer
- Why This Recipe Works
- Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Key Ingredients
- Variations and Substitutions
- How to Make Valentine Rice Krispie Treats
- Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Serving Ideas and Suggestions
- Valentine Rice Krispie Treats FAQs
- Other Recommended No Bake Treat Recipes
- Valentine Rice Krispie Treats
Why This Recipe Works
Click to see the technique science
- Continuous stirring, low heat. Marshmallows scorch fast. Melting them slowly with the butter and stirring the whole time keeps the mixture white, smooth, and stretchy instead of brown and grainy.
- One inch thick, no thicker. Pressing the slab to an even 1 inch is what lets a cookie cutter punch clean hearts all the way through, and it is the right thickness for a balanced chocolate-to-treat bite.
- Greasing the cookie cutter. A quick spray of non-stick cooking spray on the cutter means every heart releases with sharp, clean edges instead of tearing and sticking.
- Re-pressing the scraps. The marshmallow mixture stays workable while warm, so the scraps between hearts press back into a slab and cut again, one batch yields a full dozen hearts with almost nothing wasted.
- Sticks before dipping. Twenty minutes of setting time locks the sticks in place, so the hearts do not slide off when you plunge them into a bowl of melted chocolate.
- Coconut oil in the chocolate. A teaspoon thins the melted chocolate so it sheets off in an even coat, and it sets with a smooth, professional-looking finish instead of thick drips.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- They are a no-bake project, the oven never turns on, which makes them perfect for cooking with kids on a February afternoon.
- The white, pink, and dark chocolate trio makes the tray look like a candy shop window, the same wow factor as our Valentine cupcakes with hidden hearts.
- They are done in about 20 minutes of active time, plus setting, faster than a batch of cookies and twice as cute on a party table.
- It is the kind of no fuss win that pairs beautifully with our m&m rice krispie treats with peanut butter frosting on a busy week.
- It is the kind of no fuss win that pairs beautifully with our chocolate covered oreos on a busy week.
- It earns a spot in the rotation right next to our wild rice salad with orange and cranberries.
Key Ingredients
It is the classic rice krispie treat lineup plus a dipping station, and the three chocolates are what make the hearts look like a candy shop window.
- Rice Krispies: Six cups of crisp rice cereal is the backbone. Fresh cereal matters, stale cereal makes soft, chewy-in-the-wrong-way treats.
- Mini Marshmallows: Minis melt faster and more evenly than large marshmallows, which keeps the mixture smooth and prevents scorching.
- Butter: Six tablespoons melted first so the marshmallows glide into a silky coating, it also keeps the treats from turning rock hard as they cool.
- White Chocolate, Pink Candy Melts, and Dark Chocolate: The three dipping bowls. The color mix is what makes the finished tray look intentional and gift-worthy.
- Coconut Oil: Optional, but a teaspoon stirred into the white and dark chocolate thins them to a smooth dipping consistency that sets with a soft sheen.
See recipe card for exact quantities.
Variations and Substitutions
The heart pop formula bends to whatever holiday or pantry you are working with.
- All white and pink: Skip the dark chocolate and do a strictly pastel batch, then add a drizzle of the pink candy melts over the white dipped hearts.
- Brown butter upgrade: Brown the butter before adding the marshmallows for a toasty, caramel note that adults go crazy for.
- Smores style: Dip in milk chocolate and dust with crushed graham crackers, the same flavor idea as our marshmallow smores cereal treats.
- Peanut butter drizzle: Melt peanut butter chips with a little coconut oil and drizzle over the dark chocolate hearts, a nod to our no bake Reese’s Chex bars.
- No sticks: Skip the pops and serve the dipped hearts flat on a platter, they pack better in lunchboxes and treat bags that way.
- For another spin on this idea, try our rice krispies treats next time.
- For another spin on this idea, try our one pot mexican rice casserole next time.
- In the mood for something different? Our chex marshmallow treats scratches a similar itch.
How to Make Valentine Rice Krispie Treats
- Melt the butter in a large saucepan over low heat. Add the mini marshmallows and stir continuously until they are completely melted and the mixture is smooth, then stir in the vanilla and remove from the heat.
- Add the Rice Krispies and stir until the cereal is completely coated in the marshmallow mixture.
- Line a 9×13 inch baking pan with parchment paper and add the mixture, pressing it evenly with a spatula or your hands until it is about 1 inch thick.
- Grease a heart cookie cutter with non-stick cooking spray and cut out hearts, placing them on a baking sheet. Re-press the scraps into a 1 inch slab and repeat until all the mixture is used.
- Push a stick into the bottom of each heart and let them harden for about 20 minutes. Melt the white chocolate, candy melts, and dark chocolate in separate bowls in 20 second microwave intervals, adding coconut oil to the white and dark chocolate.
- Dip the top or side of each heart into the melted chocolate, spreading with a spoon if needed, then place on parchment paper and add sprinkles immediately. Let the hearts set completely before serving.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Use fresh marshmallows and fresh cereal. Stale versions of either make dense, hard treats that no amount of chocolate can rescue.
- Keep the heat low and keep stirring. Browned marshmallow tastes burnt in a white treat, low and slow keeps everything sweet and smooth.
- Butter your hands or use parchment to press the slab, the mixture sticks to everything else and you want an even, compact 1 inch layer.
- Grease the cutter between every few cuts, the cleaner the release, the sharper your hearts look after dipping.
- Work one chocolate at a time. Melted chocolate thickens as it cools, so dip a batch, add sprinkles, then melt the next bowl.
- Add sprinkles immediately after dipping, the chocolate skins over in about a minute and the sprinkles bounce right off after that.
- Double up for gatherings. Serve it alongside our caramel rice krispie treats and watch both disappear.
- Double up for gatherings. Serve it alongside our creamy chocolate rice pudding and watch both disappear.
- Make it a full spread. Our red velvet brownies rounds out the table.
Serving Ideas and Suggestions
Stand the pops in a glass filled with mini marshmallows for the table display, it doubles as decoration and keeps the hearts upright while they finish setting.
Still filling out the menu? Readers love pairing this one with our rice pudding recipe and our red velvet sandwich cookies.
Wrap individual pops in cellophane bags tied with ribbon for class parties, they hold up at room temperature all day.
Store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, with parchment between layers if you stack them, the chocolate coating keeps the treats soft inside.
Valentine Rice Krispie Treats FAQs
Valentine Rice Krispie Treats keep for up to 3 days in an airtight container at room temperature, so making them a day or two before the party is perfect. The chocolate coating actually helps seal in moisture. Avoid the refrigerator, which dries the cereal layer out and makes the treats hard.
Hard treats almost always come from overheated marshmallows or pressing too firmly. Melt the marshmallows over low heat just until smooth, and press the mixture into the pan gently but evenly. Stale marshmallows are the other culprit, a fresh bag makes a noticeably softer treat.
Grease the heart cookie cutter with non-stick spray and cut while the slab is set but not fully hardened, about 10 minutes after pressing. Push straight down without twisting, and re-grease the cutter every few cuts. A 1 inch thick slab releases the cleanest shapes.
A mix of white chocolate chips, pink candy melts, and dark chocolate chips gives the prettiest variety. Candy melts are formulated to melt smoothly on their own, while the white and dark chocolate benefit from a teaspoon of coconut oil to thin them to dipping consistency.
Absolutely. The sticks turn them into pops for parties, but the dipped hearts are just as cute served flat on a platter, and they pack better into lunchboxes and treat bags. If you skip the sticks, dip the tops only and let the hearts set on parchment paper.
Yes, freeze them in a single layer, then transfer to an airtight container with parchment between layers for up to 6 weeks. Thaw at room temperature still sealed so condensation forms on the container, not the chocolate. The sprinkle colors stay brightest if you freeze before dipping and decorate fresh.
Feeding a chocolate and peanut butter crowd? Our puppy chow is the 15 minute no-bake that disappears first at every party.
Valentine Rice Krispie Treats
Ingredients
- 6 cups Rice Krispies
- 6 Tablespoons butter
- 6 cups 13.5 ounces mini marshmallows
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Topping:
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a large saucepan. Once melted add the marshmallows and continuously stir until completely marshmallows are melted and mixture is smooth.
- Next, add the vanilla and stir in until fully combined, remove from heat.
- Add the Rice Krispies and stir until they are completely (or as well as you can) covered in the marshmallow mixture.
- Place parchment paper in a 9×13-inch baking pan, then add in the rice krispie mixture. Evenly spread with a spatula or your hands until it is about 1-inch thick.
- With non-stick cooking spray, grease your heart cookie cutters and cut out the first round of hearts placing them on a baking sheet after cutting. Using the remaining scraps, reshape into a square or rectangle, again about 1-inch thick, and repeat until you have cut out all the hearts.
- Place the sticks into the bottom of the hearts and let them harden for about 20 minutes.
- To prepare the chocolate, add the white chocolate into a small heat-safe bowl, the dark chocolate to another, and the candy melts to another bowl. Add 1 teaspoon of coconut oil (if using) to the white and dark chocolate. Melt one bowl at a time in the microwave in 20-second intervals, stirring in between until fully melted.
- Dip the side or the top of each heart into the melted chocolate. You can use a spoon to spread the chocolate over the top as well. To decorate if desired you can use a ziptop bag as a piping bag and cut a small hole in the corner and create thin lines.
- Place the hearts on parchment paper and add the sprinkles immediately.
- Let the hearts set completely before serving.
Notes
- You can easily double this recipe.
- These can be frozen, see above on how to do that.
- Substitute other chocolate if desired, see above on options.
- You can use this as a base recipe for other holiday colors.
- If you do not want to use a heart cookie cutter, you can cut these into squares, you will end up with less.
- The coconut oil helps the chocolate melt, it is optional but I suggest using it.
- Make sure that you use a higher quality chocolate.
- Use gel food coloring when possible, it doesn’t seize the chocolate.
Nutrition
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