Marshmallow Brownies
These super fudgy Marshmallow Brownies are topped with a layer of marshmallows as well as a chocolate, peanut butter, and Rice Krispies mixture. They’re ultra-rich, chocolatey, and decadent - the perfect way to satisfy your sweet tooth whenever it strikes!
You’ve Never Had Brownies Like This!
If you love fudgy brownies and can’t resist crazy brownie concoctions, you are absolutely, positively going to love these brownie bars. They’re part brownie, part s’more, and part Rice Krispy treat. It’s everything you know and love, baked up into one amazing dessert!
These were my go-to party dessert for ages, until I eventually made a peanut butter cup version).
I’m fairly certain that I don’t need to convince anyone here that these brownies are the ultimate in fabulous ideas. A couple of notes for you since I first made these brownie beauts …
- I am keeping the brownie recipe the same below in case anyone wants to keep using the original recipe. However, I totally recommend using my better-than-box-mix brownies as the base recipe. It has become my go-to brownie recipe, and I think it’s the best first layer when making delicious brownie concoctions.
- I have successfully made the top layer using both Sunbutter (Natural Sunbutter with the yellow lid) and almond butter (Barney Butter smooth). I do not recommend using any peanut butter or other nut butter with a lot of oil separation or the top layer will not set properly. Both of the previously mentioned products mimic the same consistency of regular peanut butter.
Key Ingredients
These Marshmallow Brownie Bars are threefold - the brownie base, the layer of marshmallow cream, and the crispy chocolate peanut butter layer on top.
For the brownies, you’ll need: unsweetened chocolate (I recommend a high-quality chocolate bar like Guittard), unsalted butter, semisweet chocolate chips. all-purpose flour, baking powder, salt, eggs (at room temperature), granulated sugar, and pure vanilla extract.
For the marshmallow layer, all you need is a bag of mini marshmallows.
And for the crispy chocolate peanut butter layer, you’ll need: milk chocolate chips, creamy peanut butter, unsalted butter, and Rice Krispies cereal. That’s it!
How To Make These Brownies
- First, do the prep work. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F, and grease a 9×13-inch pan.
- Next, make the brownies. Make the batter as directed, then bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the corner of of the pan comes out with moist crumbs.
- Make the marshmallow layer. Remove the brownies from the oven and immediately sprinkle the marshmallows over them. Return the pan to the oven for 3 more minutes.
- Then, make the crispy chocolate peanut butter layer. Place the milk chocolate chips, peanut butter, and tablespoon of butter in a medium saucepan. Melt over low heat, stirring constantly, until completely melted. Remove from heat, add the Rice Krispies and mix well. Allow to cool for 3 minutes. Spread the mixture evenly over the marshmallow layer. Allow the assembled brownies to cool to room temperature, and then refrigerate for 30 minutes to make it easier to slice. Serve with a glass of cold milk, and enjoy!
Storage and Freezing Instructions
- Storage: The brownies can be stored at room temperature or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week in an airtight container.
- Freezing: Wrap individual brownies in plastic wrap and place in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature.
Tips and Variations
- Drizzle these prepared Marshmallow Crunch Brownie Bars with some salted caramel, melted chocolate, or melted peanut butter!
- If you like nuts in your brownies, feel free to add some chopped pecans or walnuts to the brownie batter!
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Marshmallow Brownies
Ingredients
For the Brownie Base
- 4 ounces (113.4 g) unsweetened chocolate
- ⅔ cup (151.33 g) unsalted butter
- 1¼ cups (225 g) semisweet chocolate chips, divided
- 1⅓ cups (166.67 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) salt
- 4 eggs, at room temperature
- 2 cups (400 g) granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
For the Marshmallow Layer
- 10.5 ounce (297.67 g) bag miniature marshmallows
For the Crispy Chocolate Peanut Butter Layer
- 1½ cups (366 ml) milk chocolate chips
- 1 cup (258 g) smooth peanut butter
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1½ cups (42 g) Rice Krispies cereal
Instructions
- Make the Brownies: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9×13-inch pan.
- In a medium saucepan, melt the unsweetened chocolate, butter and ¾ cup of the semisweet chocolate chips over medium heat. Stir occasionally while melting. Set aside and cool for 5 minutes.
- In a large bowl, whisk the eggs thoroughly. Add the sugar and vanilla, and whisk until well blended. Stir the melted ingredients into the egg mixture, mixing well. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into the mixture and stir well. Fold in the remaining ½ cup semisweet chocolate chips.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing it into an even layer. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the corner of of the pan comes out with moist crumbs.
- Remove the brownies from the oven and immediately sprinkle the marshmallows over them. Return the pan to the oven for 3 more minutes.
- Make the Crispy Chocolate Peanut Butter Layer: Meanwhile, place the milk chocolate chips, peanut butter, and tablespoon of butter in a medium saucepan. Melt over low heat, stirring constantly, until completely melted. Remove from heat, add the Rice Krispies and mix well. Allow to cool for 3 minutes.
- Spread the mixture evenly over the marshmallow layer. Allow to cool to room temperature, then refrigerate for 30 minutes to make it easier to slice. The brownies can be stored at room temperature or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Equipment: 9×13-inch baking pan
- Brownies: Use your favorite brownie recipe (or a box mix!) that will yield a 9×13-inch pan of brownies. I’m partial to my better-than-box-mix brownies recipe.
- Peanut Butter Note: Do not use natural peanut butter, as it is too oily.
- Peanut Butter Substitutes: I have successfully made the top layer using both Sunbutter (Natural Sunbutter with the yellow lid) and almond butter (Barney Butter smooth).
- Storage: The brownies can be stored at room temperature or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week in an airtight container.
- Freezing: Wrap individual brownies in plastic wrap and place in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature.
- Recipe adapted from How Sweet Eats.
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!
Photography by Dee Frances.
These are amazing little treats! What a great idea to half the brownie layer! They always did seem a little too thick on the bottom. Thanks!
These look absolutely amazing!! Do you have any ideas for a good substitute instead of peanut butter if you have major peanut allergies???
Hi Kara, What about almond or cashew butter?
I have made other recipes from this blog with success. However, I made these thinking they would be awesome they really didn’t work for me or the family party I took them to. The brownie was not as moist as I thought they should be. the chocolate layer wasn’t as think as I thought it should be. I even came home and double checked the recipe to see if I had missed something but nope, I didn’t everything just right. Disappointed.
I made these yesterday for a memorial service for a friend who loved chocolate. You would think I would know better than to try something I’d never baked before… but why stop now?? I really believe that (after the step when you melt the marshmallows) this should be cooled and put in the refrigerator to set. THEN pour the peanut butter/chocolate crispy topping on top and return to the fridge. Thank goodness I evenly distributed the crispy topping on top of the molten marshmallow as best as I could, because the crispy topping just sunk, and was impossible to spread evenly on top. It turned into a gooey mess, and didn’t ‘layer’! They are still delicious, but some areas didn’t get much crispy goodness, and they didn’t look layered.
Hi I plan on making these for my boyfriend for valentines day. Will it be too sweet if I use semi-sweet chocolate chips for the brownie base instead of unsweetened? My second question is, will brownie mix from a box be just as good? If you can help that would be great!
Hi Taylor, Definitely don’t use semisweet in place of the unsweetened chocolate; it will be too much. You could also use a brownie mix if you’d like (make sure it’s the right size box for a 9×13-inch pan – a lot of them are for smaller, square pans).
Thank you very much!!
Well I made a caramel version of these and got the most rave reviews ever! Firstly, I did use large marshmallows to accommodate the brownies. Next, I melted butterscotch chips and fleur de sel caramel with the butter. Then I mixed in rice flakes instead of krispies (just because hubby bought the wrong thing but they made a great difference)! It was runny at first but got it all on and when it cooled it was perfectly solid and ridiculously good!
These look so good! Really want to try these!! <3
These look soooo goooood! I’ve always wondered, wouldn’t having more eggs make the brownies more cake like, and less fudgey and chewy? Or is that not a factor in how chewy the brownies are? :)
If I was in a hurry, could I use a box of brownies instead of making the brownies from scratch?
I made these as an Easter treat to go with brunch. They were a huge hit! My 15 year old said these were the best things I had EVER made!
They look amazing. I am happy to have self made marshmallows left at home and can’t wait to use them finally. They waited for this recipe….:-) Thank you!!!
Daniela
I just made these with a couple of modifications. 1/ I added two tablespoons of Pernagotti Cocoa ( In addition to the 10 oz of melted chocolate AND I adapted a technique from a Robert Steinberg recipe ( very excellent). I skipped the bowls and used big 3 and four quart pots. The process change I made was to add the eggs directly to the cooled melted chocolate, one at a time, and then added the sugar and vigorously stirred it for one minute to get the sugar to melt and assimilate into the chocolate with no graininess. I know this sounds insignificant but really it makes the brownies the perfect density with a layer of a very crispy top, a cake like mid layer with a thicker more fudge like middle layer with a somewhat cake,like bottom. I baked at the same temp/time and I also used a parchment lining instead of the butter or grease. I did not make the peanut butter OR marshmallow topping because I wanted to do the brownies alone first. I want to try a caramel variation of the topping with peanuts.
This is really a sensational essential recipe and the results were ridiculously delicious.So far, judging by the rapidity with which they disappear, I would say my family agrees.
Thanks, Michelle
Yummy, but I would nudge these towards the candy side rather than the brownie side, mostly because I tweaked them too far in the toppings direction. I used the Ghiradelli fudge brownie mix in the 9″x13″ pan (baked at 325 for 20mins), then the marshmallows (3mins), and then the peanut butter topping which I increased by half. The marshmallows might as well cool completely before spreading the peanut butter topping, because as these chilled, the marshmallows bubbled up from underneath the molten topping. And I didn’t get anything from the marshmallow layer — if you have ever had See’s Scotchmallows, that’s my ideal balance. Next time I will likely make the brownie layer in the regular 8×8 pan, either double or omit the marshmallows, and then do a regular amount of the topping. Honestly I could have just eaten the chocolate PB&rice krispies topping with a spoon and been happy. :)
Goes down a treat but if your not using the peanut butter i i think you need more rice krispies and chocolate, I added a bit of salt as i left out the peanut butter because it was a gift and sweet and salty goes really well. Simple yet delicious.
These were so great, but I didn’t have rice cereal so I used fiber one 80calorie squares and they were equally delicious!
These are the best brownies I have ever made. Made them for a family gathering over the holidays and everyone loved them! Making them again tomorrow for a New Years celebration at our house.
Great blog.
These brownies are amazing!! My friends love it when I make these for them! They are perfect- thanks for sharing the recipe :D
My mother has been making these for me for years!!! In high school she brought them to every sports game, in University I’d get a box of them in the mail every other month, and to this day I can count on a huge pan of these for every holiday. We always just called them Ooey Gooeies. So delicious :-)
Okay, these are cooling and I am excited about tasting these. They’re fun to make and it smells fantastic. Lots of texture and flavor – Got milk?
Instead of halving the brownie recipe, what about using a larger pan???
That wouldn’t really work since it’s already a 9×13-inch pan, and a larger pan wouldn’t accommodate the marshmallow and chocolate/crisp topping. You would need to start altering everything.
These are SERIOUSLY the best things EVER!! I was making them for my friends kids and sadly had to go without the peanut butter because of a food allergy, so I through in some butterscotch chips… YUMMO, but the chewy and crunch… OMG!! So I can just imagine the YUM with peanut butter because EVERYTHING is better with peanut butter LOL Thanks so much for posting!
Wow. These looked too good to wait even a day to try…so I did! I would only use milk chocolate if I didn’t like the recipient, so I made these with bittersweet choc for the brownie base and semi-sweet for the krispie topping. Also, I used the Skippy no stir natural peanut butter. They came out lovely and the top layer was still liquid when I poured it onto the marshmellows so no problem there…but dang were they SWEET. I could hardly take a third bite. (And I’m a serious chocoholic.) I would absolutely use bittersweet or dark choc for both the brownie and krispy layer next time. Thanks for the great idea!
Making these for company this weekend!
Can’t wait!
These look luscious!
Thanks for so many great recipes!
Hugs from Bainbridge!
xo
just made these tonight and everyone thinks they are a hit! Def. going into my recipe box
just made these!! they are so yummy and chocolatey and the brownie is so gorgeous and dense – my favourite kind. i made it on the weekend and 4 people have asked for the recipe so far im definatly gonna pass it (and your website) onto them! thanks!!
Michelle, I’ve made a very similar recipe (the brownie recipe is slightly different.) These are awesome!! Wanted to tell you about a variation I have made, which might appeal to others. My son loves chocolate, but isn’t a marshmallow fan. I have replaced the marshmallow with a bag of caramels, melted with 1/4 cup half-and-half. I may even like that better. But hey, I wouldn’t turn down either!
As for spreading the chocolate/peanut butter topping, as someone mentioned having difficulty with, I find it easiest to wait about 5 minutes, then put small dabs of it (maybe about 1 tsp to 1 TB – not necessary to be precise) over the entire surface, not being too particular – just dropping it all over quickly) and, using the offset spatula like you mentioned, then spread the stuff. When you only have to spread a tiny area to meet up with the next, it’s much easier to do.
i added some shortening to it to help thin it out a bit… def. works i do that in case im melting chocolate and it gets stiff and unmanageable, works like a charm
I just made these for my boyfriend and 4 of my guy friends – they LOVED it. It is so rich and satisfying… they all eat a LOT and could only handle one piece each haha. Thanks for the recipe! PS I love your site and check for new recipes from you almost daily!
Oh my gosh! I just stumbled across your site and saw this while I was browsing around. When I was in college I made brownies from a box and noticed a similar recipe on the side of it (only using the boxed brownies of course) and decided to try it. Definitely one of the best flavor combos I’ve had! Everyone always loves them. I always had to add extra marshmallows to their recipe because it was never enough, but yours looks just right! Definitely trying these next time I’m in a brownie mode. I’m off to try the Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Peanut butter cookies tonight. ;)
I just made these for a holiday treat party, but I used the baked brownie recipe that you posted a few weeks ago instead of this recipe. So excited to try them!
These look amazing! I’m planning on making them for my company’s holiday party!! I think I’m going to cut the brownie recipe in half like you suggest – would you also cut down on the baking time then?
Hi Alyssa, Yes, I would start checking at 10 minutes since you’ll have a thinner brownie base and don’t want to overbake. Enjoy!