Rice Krispie Cookies (Costco)

These Rice Krispie Cookies are filled with crunchy Rice Krispies. They are ultra crispy and buttery with a slightly chewy center.

They come together quickly in just over 20 minutes with all simple cookie ingredients but with a special technique for extra crispy ripple edges.

UPDATE: Although this recipe was developed before the release of the Costco Marshmallow Crispy Cookie, I have updated the recipe to include a Costco Cookie variation after many rounds of testing and comparing to the actual Costco cookies (see the notes further below).

These Rice Krispie Cookies have all of the flavor and texture you would expect of Rice Krispie Cookies. They are crispy, chewy, buttery, with that unique Rice Krispies crunch throughout.

These Chocolate Chip Rice Krispie Cookies on the other hand are crunchy and chewy, but more similar to a chocolate chip cookie with an extra crunch. But these Rice Krispie Cookies are similar in style to these Crispy Chocolate Chip Cookies but with Rice Krispies instead of Chocolate Chips.

💡 Recipe Development

I made several variations of these cookies to determine what texture and flavor cookie was just right for Rice Krispie Cookies. I started with a sugar cookie with Rice Krispies mixed throughout and extra Rice Krispies on top. A cookie with some heft, buttery, with the potential for a slight crisp. They were great cookies, but just not the perfect match for a cookie made with Rice Krispies.

I tried a gooey chocolate chip style cookie, but replaced the chocolate chips with Rice Krispies. It was too doughy, soft, chewy. Still not the right fit.

I shifted gears and realized that the perfect cookie texture pairing for Rice Krispies is actually a cookie that is crispy throughout, with a slightly chewy center. One that has crispy edges, accentuated by crispy Rice Krispies throughout the dough. This was the winner!

🍪 Pan-Banging Technique

These cookies use the ultra-simple, and satisfying pan-banging technique. All this involves is opening the oven midway through baking, picking up the cookie sheet, and banging it back down on the rack. This creates a crispy ripple on the outer edge of the cookie. The cookies continue to bake and the centers puff up again. Bang the cookies a second time, creating another ripple. They puff up again and bang the cookies one final time before removing them from the oven.

The pan-banging technique was made popular by Sarah Kieffer of the Vanilla Bean Blog.

🛒 Ingredients

Below are the ingredients needed to make Rice Krispie Cookies.

• Butter: Half of the butter is melted to get crispier cookies, but the other half is kept softened to prevent the cookies from being too melty.
• Granulated Sugar: This recipe uses more granulated sugar than brown sugar in order to get a crispier cookie.
• Light Brown Sugar: I use light brown sugar to keep the color of the cookies lighter, but dark brown sugar would work just fine.
• Egg: Use 1 large egg, pasture-raised if possible.
• Vanilla: Use real vanilla extract. You can get a large bottle at Costco for sometimes less than the small bottles at the grocery store.
• Baking Soda: Just ¼ teaspoon to prevent the cookies from puffing up too much.
• Salt: To balance and bring out flavor.
• Flour: Use all-purpose, unbleached flour.
• Rice Krispies: I use name-brand Rice Krispies Cereal. If you have leftover Rice Krispies you can use them to make these Chocolate Dipped Rice Krispie Treats or these Chocolate Chip Rice Krispie Cookies.

To learn more about these cookie ingredients, see my Guide to Cookie Ingredients.

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

📝 How to Make Rice Krispie Cookies

Below are the step-by-step photos and instructions for how to make Rice Krispie Cookies including a close look at the pan-banging technique that helps to make crispy cookies.

Prep: Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Step 1. Melt half of the butter: Place ¼ cup of butter in a small microwaveable bowl and microwave until melted, about 30 seconds. Place it in the fridge to cool down for 5 minutes. Then transfer it to the freezer for 5 more minutes.

Step 2. Combine Softened Butter, Sugar, Egg, and Vanilla Extract: In a large mixing bowl combine the remaining ¼ cup softened butter, granulated sugar, and light brown sugar.

Add the large egg and vanilla extract and combine.

Step 3. Add the Melted Butter: Add the melted butter from the freezer to the cookie dough. The butter should be cool, but still liquid and not frozen.

Step 4. Add Baking Soda, Salt, and Flour: Add the baking soda, salt, and flour and combine. The dough will be quite soft, but not melty.

Step 5. Add the Rice Krispies: Add 1½ cups Rice Krispies cereal to the cookie dough and stir with a spoon to combine. You'll start to hear the "Snap, Crackle, Pop!".

Step 7. Second and Third Pan Banging:

• Bake for 2 minutes (for 10 minutes thus far) open the oven, and bang the cookie sheet down again, creating another ripple.
• Bake for 2 more minutes (12 minutes total), bang the cookies down one last time, and remove them from the oven.

UPDATE: Costco Cookie Variation

After the release of the new Costco Marshmallow Crispy Cookie, I've gone back and retested this recipe in order to include a variation of my original Rice Krispie Cookie that matches the flavor and texture of the Costco cookie.

To make the Costco Cookie Variation of my recipe, the cookie dough itself does not change, but there are a few key changes to this recipe.

1. Freeze several mini marshmallows. Once the cookie dough is arranged on the baking sheet, press the frozen marshmallows onto the tops of the cookies, anywhere between 3-5 per cookie, and immediately add to the oven(aiming for the center of the cookie, rather than the sides). Freezing the marshmallows helps prevent them from totally melting in the oven. It's also important to press the marshmallows into the tops of the cookies rather than mixing them into the dough because the marshmallows will melt and burn if they are directly exposed to the hot baking sheet.
2. Reduce the baking time by 2 minutes. My original recipe is designed to create extra crispy cookies. However, the Costco cookies are more chewy. So to achieve the chewy texture, reduce the baking time to 2 minutes. This means bake the cookies for 8 minutes, do the pan banging technique, then bake for 2 more minutes for 10 minutes total.

Below is an image of the Costco Variation of my Rice Krispie Cookies before and after I baked them in the oven, as well as a comparison of my cookies versus the Costco Cookie. They have the same chewy, buttery, Rice Krispie crunch and marshmallow flavor.