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Need a treat and don’t have time to bake? These no bake avalanche cookies take 5 ingredients and set right on the counter. My trick is freezing the mini chocolate chips first so they don’t melt into the mix. When I gave them to the neighborhood moms, 3 of them asked for the recipe!

Scoops of edible cookie dough studded with chocolate chips and mini marshmallows.

How I Tested this Recipe

I started by looking at how the top avalanche cookie recipes are made. They all use the same base: crispy rice cereal, peanut butter, melted white chocolate or almond bark, marshmallows, and mini chocolate chips. Where they split was the details, so that’s what I tested.

The coating. I went with vanilla almond bark over white chocolate chips. It’s more reliable to melt, you don’t need a double boiler, and it’s easy for any home baker.

The peanut butter. I tried ½ cup first, and it wasn’t enough. A full cup was my favorite.

The marshmallows and chocolate chips. It took 3 batches to get the proportions right and make sure the marshmallows and chips didn’t melt into the mix. That’s why the chips go in frozen. Nearly all of them get folded in with 2 cups of marshmallows, and I save a few for the tops.

A stack of peanut butter cookie dough bites topped with chocolate chips and mixed with marshmallows, with a bowl of marshmallows in the background.

What are Avalanche Cookies?

Avalanche cookies are a no bake cookie made from crispy rice cereal coated in melted almond bark and peanut butter, with marshmallows and mini chocolate chips mixed in. They’re based on the avalanche bark sold at Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory. If you like my haystack cookies or church windows, these belong on the same cookie tray.

Five bowls containing ingredients for a recipe, labeled as peanut butter, rice krispie cereal, mini chocolate chips, mini marshmallows, and vanilla almond bark.

Key Ingredients for Avalanche Cookies

Five ingredients, and no oven. Get the full recipe with measurements in the recipe card below.

Mini chocolate chips: Freeze them first so they don’t melt into the warm mixture. Most get folded in, and I save about 3 tablespoons for the tops.
Rice Krispies cereal: This is the crunch.
Vanilla almond bark: It melts smooth in the microwave, so you don’t need a double boiler. That’s why I use it instead of white chocolate chips.
Creamy peanut butter: A full cup. Half a cup wasn’t enough, so I doubled it.
Mini marshmallows: I use 2 cups.

Rows of scooped cookie dough topped with chocolate chips on a parchment-lined baking sheet.

How to Make Avalanche Cookies

Prep. Line 2 baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper. Put the mini chocolate chips in the freezer. Add the rice krispie cereal to a large mixing bowl.

A glass bowl filled with cubes of butter.

A white rubber spatula inside a glass bowl filled with smooth white batter.

Melt. Add the broken or chopped almond bark to a microwave safe bowl. Microwave in two minute intervals on 50% power, stirring after each, until melted and smooth.

A hand uses a white spatula to swirl peanut butter into a white cream inside a glass mixing bowl.

A glass mixing bowl containing smooth, tan batter with a white silicone spatula resting inside.

Add peanut butter. Stir in the peanut butter until fully combined.

Puffed rice cereal being stirred into a mixture in a glass bowl with a wooden spatula.

A glass mixing bowl containing a mixture of crispy rice cereal and peanut butter, with a silicone spatula resting in the center.

Mix. Pour the melted chocolate mixture over the rice krispies, stirring until the cereal is fully coated. Then mix in the marshmallows and nearly all of the frozen chocolate chips. Save about 3 tablespoons of mini chocolate chips for topping the cookies if desired.

A glass bowl containing a mixture of cereal, marshmallows, and chocolate chips with a silicone spatula.

A glass bowl filled with a mixture of melted peanut butter, marshmallows, and chocolate chips.

Scoop. Use a 1 or 2 tablespoon cookie scoop or measuring spoon to drop mounds onto the baking sheets. Work quickly, because the mixture sets fast. Top each cookie with a sprinkle of the remaining mini chocolate chips.
Set. Let them set at room temperature for about 1 hour, until firm. To set faster, chill them in the fridge for 45 minutes.

A parchment-lined baking sheet filled with rows of raw cookie dough balls containing chocolate chips and marshmallows, with a cookie scoop and a small bowl of chocolate chips nearby.

My Pro Tips for Avalanche Cookies

Freeze the chips before you start melting. They need to be ready when the mix is.
Save about 3 tablespoons of chips for the tops before you mix the rest in.
Scoop fast. Once it starts to set, it’s hard to shape.
No room in the fridge? Set them in the garage. Midwest winters mean an extra fridge!

Gluten Free Avalanche Cookies

There’s no flour here, so the cereal is the only thing to watch. Not every crispy rice cereal is gluten free, so check the label. That way one batch works for the whole table.

A bowl filled with no-bake peanut butter cookie dough bites topped with chocolate chips.

How to Store, Make Ahead, and Freeze Avalanche Cookies

To store: Keep them in an airtight container on the counter for 3 to 4 days.

To make ahead: Since they keep for a few days on the counter, you can make them ahead for parties and cookie trays.

To freeze: Freeze them for 2 to 3 months. Thaw them on the counter.

Rows of raw cookie dough balls topped with chocolate chips on a parchment-lined baking sheet.

More No Bake Treats

A white scalloped bowl filled with scoops of peanut butter cookie dough studded with chocolate chips and mini marshmallows.

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