Take a break from standard rice krispie treats and whip up these whimsical Lucky Charms treats instead. You need just 4 ingredients for this fun and easy treat that’s perfect for St. Patrick’s Day. A dip in white chocolate makes these gooey cereal bars extra magically delicious!
I originally published this recipe in 2013.
Think of these treats as rice krispie treats with a colorful makeover. I also used the MAX amount of marshmallow that I could, because isn’t that the best part of these cereal bars? Extra marshmallow on top of the actual Lucky Charms marshmallows. Double the marshmallow fun!
Q: Which marshmallow shape is your favorite? Hearts, stars, and horseshoes. Clovers and blue moons. Unicorns and rainbows, and tasty red balloons!
Why You’ll Love These Lucky Charms Treats
- Only 4 ingredients
- Quick and easy no-bake recipe
- A gluten-free recipe
- Fun treat for St. Patrick’s Day
- Childhood breakfast nostalgia!
I can’t promise these treats will bring you luck, but it certainly couldn’t hurt to make them and cross your fingers.
You Need Just 4 Ingredients
- Butter: Like many tasty desserts, these treats start with melted butter.
- Marshmallows: These treats are extra gooey and marshmallow-y. For the best results, make sure your marshmallows are fresh.
- Lucky Charms: Obviously! You need 6 cups of cereal, which will leave you with some leftover in a standard 14-ounce box.
- White Chocolate: Dipping the bottoms of these bars in melted white chocolate takes these treats to another level—over the rainbow, you might say! 😉
A pinch of salt is optional, but it does balance out some of the sweet.
St. Patrick’s Day Treats
I have several St. Patrick’s Day treat recipes, and if you’re looking for some new favorites, try these St. Patrick’s Day shamrock cookies, this Guinness chocolate cake, and my easy Irish soda bread.
How to Make Lucky Charms Treats + a Few Success Tips
When I’m making any kind of cereal treat bars, I always use more butter (and less cereal) than your typical recipe. The marshmallows are what harden and turn your treats to rocks the next day, so you want to butter them up as much as you can. Melt the two together on the stove over low heat and constantly stir. You want the mixture to be very buttery. It will make your bars so gooey and full of those glorious stretchy marshmallow strings.
Once the marshmallows are melted with the butter, remove from heat, pour the Lucky Charms in and stir it all together, making sure to do so gently—you don’t want to break the cereal.
After the cereal is completely coated, transfer the sticky mixture to a lined 9-inch square pan.
To prevent sticking, line your pan with greased parchment paper. I line the pan first, then lightly spray the parchment paper with a little nonstick spray.
Don’t press the treats into the pan with force. That’s what creates a hard cereal treat! Instead, you want to mold them into the pan’s shape by very, very gently pressing down with a spatula. I spray the backside of my spatula with nonstick spray for ease.
Allow the treats to set for about 2 hours at room temperature before cutting. (Refrigerating them would make them rock hard.) Once they’ve set, lift the bars out of the pan using the edges of the parchment paper. Cut into bars, then dip into a pot of gold—er, I mean, melted white chocolate.
The cereal bars aren’t as soft as my rice krispie treats, because Lucky Charms is a much crunchier cereal.
The Best White Chocolate for Melting
The best white chocolate for melting are the bars of “baking chocolate” found in the baking aisle near the chocolate chips. I like Baker’s and Ghirardelli brands, which come in 4-ounce bars. You need 8 ounces of white chocolate for this recipe, so you’ll use 2 bars. You could also use almond bark, which isn’t chocolate, but an easy-to-melt sweet candy coating.
Do not use white chocolate morsels or candy melts here—get the real-deal bars of white chocolate.
Melting white chocolate is simple: Start by chopping up the white chocolate and placing it in a microwave-safe bowl. (I usually use a glass liquid measuring cup.) Microwave it in 20-second increments, stopping and stirring after each increment. You could also use a double boiler if you have one.
After cutting the bars into squares, dip the bottoms in white chocolate and place the Lucky Charms treats upside down on a lined baking sheet (so you don’t mess up the wet chocolate). Let them set at room temperature or in the refrigerator, then you’re done!
These are so easy to make, and they’re a completely no-bake dessert recipe. Perfect for any last-minute get-togethers or parties you may have for St. Patrick’s Day, or any day of the year. And aren’t they pretty? And, may I add… magically delicious, too!!!
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White Chocolate Lucky Charms Treats
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 3 hours
- Yield: 16 squares
- Category: Bars
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Take a break from traditional rice krispie treats and make these magical Lucky Charms treats instead. And, for a little added pizzazz, dip them in white chocolate!
Ingredients
- 6 cups (210g) Lucky Charms cereal
- 1/4 cup (4 Tbsp; 56g) unsalted butter
- 10-ounce (283g) bag of marshmallows (mini size or regular)
- optional: pinch of salt
- two 4-ounce bars (226g total) quality white chocolate, coarsely chopped* (or use almond bark)
Instructions
- Line a 9-inch square baking pan with parchment paper, leaving enough parchment overhang to lift the bars out of the pan. Lightly grease the parchment. I always use a very light mist of nonstick spray. Set aside.
- Melt the butter over medium heat in a very large pot. Once melted, add the marshmallows and salt (if using). Stir the mixture until the marshmallows are completely melted. Remove from heat, and then fold in the cereal. Make sure each piece of cereal is coated with the marshmallow mixture.
- Transfer mixture to prepared pan. Lightly grease the back of a flat spatula and very gently press the mixture down into the pan. Do not pack it down with force, just lightly press down until it is secure and even in the pan.
- Allow treats to set for at least 2 hours at room temperature, and up to 1 day. Cover tightly if leaving out for more than a few hours.
- Lift the cereal treats out of the pan using the edges of the parchment paper. Cut into squares. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Set aside.
- Dip in white chocolate: Melt the white chocolate in a double boiler on the stove, or simply use the microwave: Place chopped white chocolate in a large microwave-safe bowl, and microwave in 20-second increments, stirring after every 20 seconds until completely smooth. Hold the treat and dip the bottom into white chocolate, making sure to coat it generously. Place treats, white chocolate side up, on prepared baking sheet. Allow chocolate to set at room temperature for about 1 hour, or in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.
- Cover and store leftover treats at room temperature for up to 3 days. To store, place in an airtight container, with sheets of parchment or wax paper between layers.
Notes
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 9-inch Square Pan | Large Saucepan (like a Dutch oven) | Silicone Spatula | Baking Sheet | Silicone Baking Mat or Parchment Paper | Double Boiler or Liquid Measuring Cup (for melting chocolate)
- Best White Chocolate to Use: The best white chocolate for melting are the bars of “baking chocolate” found in the baking aisle near the chocolate chips. I like Baker’s and Ghirardelli brands, which come in 4-ounce bars. You need 8 ounces of white chocolate for this recipe, so you’ll use 2 bars. You could also use almond bark, which isn’t chocolate, but an easy-to-melt sweet candy coating. Do not use white chocolate morsels or candy melts here—get the real-deal bars of white chocolate.
- Skip the white chocolate dip: If you don’t want to dip them into white chocolate, you could add 1 cup of white chocolate chips to the cereal before coating with the melted butter/marshmallow.
So fun and festive. I didn’t have time to dip them in the white chocolate maybe next time. The group loved them.
These are AMAZING!! I don’t even like lucky charms as a stand alone cereal, but wanted to make these as an easy activity with my 2 & 3 year olds and now I can’t stop eating them! We only did half with the white chocolate and I prefer them without, but so good either way.
5 stars for taste and texture on day one. Still 5 stars for taste the next day but they lost all crispness overnight, even in an airtight container. I can see where they would not last long enough for the drop off in texture in large households and at social functions, but even with our robust sweet tooths (sweet teeth?), in our family of 2 there was no way to get through a batch. Don’t get me wrong, we are still eating them (TASTY!), but they got distinctly…wilted…by day two.
How is this gluten free?
Hi Ida, Lucky Charms are gluten-free, as are the butter, white chocolate, and marshmallows.
I cannot wait to try this recipe for our St. Patrick’s Day party. I was wondering.. instead of letting the treats cool at room temp for 2 hours, would it be okay to put the pan in the refrigerator to speed up the cooling process?
Hi Hannah, the treats will get quite hard if cooled in the fridge – room temperature is best!
I tried something like this, with the Fruity Pebbles cereal with marshmallows. Only problem is that the cereal marshmallows melted! The treats wound up VERY marshmallowy. It worked at the time, but how do you blend the cereal marshmallows in WITHOUT them melting? Thanks!!!
Hi Michelle, I haven’t had a problem with the cereal marshmallows melting with Lucky Charms. One trick to make them extra pretty is to save some of the marshmallows and after you press the mixture in the pan, gently press some of the reserved marshmallows on top. Enjoy!
Going to try these and dye the white choc green for St Pattys! One question- do you recommend the regular marshamallow size? I’ve only ever made rice krispie treats with mini marshmallows, so just wanted to make sure. Thanks!!
Hi Rachel! You can use either. 10 ounces + a heaping cup is plenty. Mini marshmallows work wonderfully because they melt down quicker.
Hi Sally – is there any way to substitute MARSHMALLOW FLUFF instead of actual marshmallows please? Thanks!
Hi Renee! Unfortunately it’s too gooey and thin when mixed with melted butter. I recommend sticking with marshmallows here.
I would NEVER have thought of using Lucky Charms for rice krispy treats, but OMG! These are so amazing and I don’t like marshmallow treats or Lucky Charms. I have made these a few times and they are always a big hit, regardless of whether you use the white chocolate dip or not. They are now in the regular rotation of fun treats.
I made these yesterday. Sooo good! The secret is definitely the extra cup of marshmallows. Thank you, Sally, for this recipe! 🙂
I made these for St. Patty’s day but dyed the white chocolate green and got the seasonal lucky charms with all green marshmallows and they were a hit!! I seriously could not stop eating them… addicting! 🙂
As soon as I came across this recipe, I made them to take with me to the food pantry that I manage, for the volunteers. They are totally addicted to them! Your blog is my favorite one to follow. The commentary that goes along with each recipe, explaining why ingredients are used, makes this blog my favorite to follow. I trust your recipes, knowing that they will turn out great when I bake them, too, just like recipes in Cook’s Illustrated. Those recipes are also tried and tested over and over again until they get the perfect result they are looking for. Thank you, Sally, for such a great blog. I tell everyone where I get my recipes from!
Hi Sally!
I just want to start out by saying that I love your blog and am so excited for your cookbook!! These bars look amazing! I was wondering if I could use a microwave to heat up the butter/marshmallows rather than on the stove top? Thanks so much!
Kate
Hi Kate! Yes, you sure could use the microwave to melt the marshmallow and butter together. Just stir it frequently. Enjoy!