No-bake Avalanche Cookies are a quick and easy holiday cookie you can make in a pinch. With just five ingredients, these Christmas cookies will be ready in a snap!
DISCLAIMER
*This post may contain affiliate links, meaning Feast + West may receive commissions for purchases made through those links — at no cost to you. All opinions are our own. Please read our full disclosure for more information.
Avalanche Cookies Recipe
Christmas cookies are ubiquitous, but the holidays always sneak up on me somehow. I’m always so busy, and you never do know when you’re going to be asked to bring dessert to a party.
It’s always a good idea to have some great cookie recipes in your back pocket, especially no bake desserts. Recipes that only need a few pantry staples and take just a few minutes to pull together are even better.
These no bake avalanche cookies are a melt-in-your-mouth Christmas cookie recipe that you can whip up in absolutely no time at all. You’ll need white chocolate chips, peanut butter, crispy rice cereal, baby marshmallows and a pinch of salt. I’m willing to bet you have at least two, maybe even three, of those things in your pantry right now!
Seriously, that’s all you need to make these gooey yet crunchy treats. The holidays are all about spreading the love and sharing some baked goods. So make some easy no bake cookies and kick back with a cup of hot chocolate!
More no bake-recipes: Peanut Butter Butterscotch Birds Nest Cookies • Spiced Rum Balls • Salted Brown Butter Bourbon Rice Krispie Treats
Why you’ll love this recipe
Who doesn’t love a good no-bake recipe with tons of tasty chocolate:
- This recipe is actually gluten-free! It’s a great cookie option for those who have certain dietary restrictions with gluten. No need to have a bunch of different gluten free flours for the recipe.
- Avalanche cookies only require five ingredients and don’t need even one second of baking. Such a win!
- This would be a great cookie recipe to make with kids, since the only heat source used is the microwave. Enlist your little ones to help you stir and spoon the cookies out onto the parchment paper *.
Tools & equipment
To make avalanche cookies, there are a few essential tools that you will need. Make sure you have a microwave safe bowl that you can melt the chocolate in. You’ll also need a large mixing bowl * and silicone spatula.
Measuring cups and spoons will help you ensure that you have the correct amount of each ingredient. And lastly, you’ll need a baking sheet *, parchment paper * and a spoon or cookie scoop *.
Ingredients
These minimal ingredients are all you need to create a delicious crunchy cookie. Here’s the list of everything that is needed:
- crispy rice cereal
- mini marshmallows
- salt
- white chocolate chips
- creamy peanut butter
- sprinkles
- optional: unsalted peanuts
Substitutions & variations
Make these cookie peanut free by using another nut butter. Almond butter, sunflower butter and cashew butter would all work great! Or, turn these unto a chocolate version of the cookie and use nutella.
The unsalted peanuts are optional, but there are other nuts you could swap them out with. Chopped pecans and chopped walnuts would both be super tasty!
If you cannot find rice krispies cereal, you can use rice chex in its place. Just keep in mind that the texture of the finished cookies will be different.
Feel free to add anything you want to these cookies. M&M’s, chocolate chips, peanut butter chips and even fun colored sprinkles on the top of each cookie! I’ve even made cookies and cream avalanche cookies for a twist on this recipe.
Almond bark or white candy melts can work as a substitution for white chocolate chips.
How to make No-Bake Avalanche Cookies
Follow these step-by-step instructions to make these crunchy and sweet avalanche cookies:
Line a baking sheet * with parchment paper and set it to the side. Then mix together the rice krispie cereal, marshmallows, peanuts and salt then set it aside.
Melt the white chocolate chips in the microwave in a microwave-safe bowl. Set the microwave on 50% and heat for 20 seconds. Stir the mixture and heat again until the chocolate is fully melted and smooth.
Once melted and smooth, stir in the peanut butter until well combined. Then pour the mixture over the cereal and marshmallows.
Stir the ingredients together until the cereal is fully coated. Grab a cookie scoop * or large spoon and scoop the mixture into heaping tablespoons and place them on the lined baking sheet. Top with sprinkles.
Place in the refrigerator to set, or allow to set at room temperature for half an hour.
Serve and enjoy!
Tips & tricks
Follow these simple tips so that your cookies turn out absolutely perfect:
- I like to reserve some of the marshmallows and stick them on the still melty cookies before they harden. This gives them a chewy texture and makes them look more like snowballs to me. If I don’t do this, the marshmallows will melt more, and just aren’t as obvious.
- You could also use red & white sprinkles for Xmas or rainbow sprinkles for any time of year. Snowflake sprinkles would also be super cute!
- Use a silicone spatula * when mixing the chocolate peanut butter mixture into the cereal. This will help keep from smushing the cereal and causing a lot of breakage.
- If there seems to be too much of the chocolate mixture, add some more cereal and marshmallow ¼ cup at a time until it reaches the right consistency.
How to store Avalanche Cookies
Place cookies into an airtight container and store at room temperature for 4-5 days. You can also store them in the fridge for about a week.
Avalanche cookies freeze well too! Allow them to freeze on a baking sheet, then transfer to a freezer bag or airtight container and store in the freezer for up to 3 months. Let the cookies thaw completely before consuming.
More no-bake Christmas cookies
Do you love simple no-bake cookies and want to add some more to your Christmas cookie arsenal? You’re in luck. You might give these Nutella oatmeal cookies or these s’mores cookies a try. They’re so, so good. And you can make them gluten-free, too!
My friends are also big fans of a good no-bake Christmas cookie. Check out these chocolatey no-bake cookies, filled with oats and peanut butter. I also like no-bake peppermint bark cookies and rice krispie cookies. And for a recipe that literally couldn’t be easier, check out these chocolate-covered Oreos!
But if you’re up for some baking, these avalanche cookies would be so good alongside some marshmallowy hot chocolate cookies or some cranberry white chocolate cookie bars.
FAQ
Yes! These easy cookies are made with rice cereal, which makes this recipe gluten free. If you are extremely sensitive to gluten, ensure that your products are verified gluten free. But none of the ingredients in this recipe should contain gluten.
If you end up with flat cookies, they likely spread after you drop tablespoon balls of the mixture on the baking sheet. It is important to make sure that there is not too much chocolate peanut butter mixture to the ratio of cereal. The mixture should stick together for the most part, otherwise the cookies will slide into a flat blob before they set.
More cookie recipes
- Shortbread Matcha Cookies
- White Chocolate Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies
- Snowflake Sugar Cookies
- Chai Molasses Cookies
Share your thoughts! Leave a ★★★★★ review or comment below. We love hearing from you!
No-Bake Avalanche Cookies
ingredients
- 2 cups crispy rice cereal
- 1 cup mini marshmallows
- ½ cup unsalted peanuts optional
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 10 ounces white chocolate chips
- ½ cup creamy peanut butter
- sprinkles
instructions
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, stir together cereal, marshmallows, peanuts (if using) and salt. Set aside.
- In a glass, heat-safe bowl, melt the white chocolate chips in the microwave for 20 seconds on 50% heat. Stir. Repeat until white chocolate is completely melted and smooth. Be careful not to overheat. Stir in the peanut butter until well-combined.
- Pour white chocolate mixture over the cereal and marshmallows. Stir until the white chocolate completely coats the cereal mixture. If it’s runny, add more cereal and marshmallows, 1/4 cup at a time.
- Spoon heaping tablespoons of the mixture onto the baking sheet and add sprinkles on top of each one.
- Allow to cool and harden, about an hour. For faster set-up time, place baking sheet in the fridge for half an hour.
recommended products
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Amy | Club Narwhal says
These cookies = so much yes! I adore no bake cookies and love this white chocolate version. Takes me back to my childhood where we would make no bake haystacks on the weekend 🙂
LEE @ Modern Granola says
Yum! These look great!
Erin @ The Speckled Palate says
So simple and oh-so-perfect for this season, especially since so many of us are running on little time! These are brilliant… and I kind of want to eat an entire batch right now. (That’s totally acceptable, right?)
Thanks so much for sharing this for Christmas Cookie Week! It’s so fun to see so many bloggers coming together to share favorite recipes and new recipes for the holidays and hopefully connecting with one another to make some new friends!
Cate @ Chez CateyLou says
What a perfect recipe for this busy time of year! I love baking Christmas cookies, but sometimes it is so hard to find the time. These are the perfect solution. They look delicious!
Linda | Brunch with Joy says
This is exactly what i need – no bake cookies! Definitely perfect for holiday party.
Sandie says
I know that I will love, love, love this cookie recipe. This is my 1st year giving Christmas tins of goodies to family and friends so I’m a little nervous2 about what cookies I can make ahead and how to make sure they’re all fresh. Can these be stored for any length of time? Any words of advice you can pass down to a beginner? I’d appreciate it more than you’ll know. Hope you and yours have a very Mery Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Susannah says
Hey Sandie! So glad and honored to hear you are trying these for your first Christmas gift tins! They will definitely keep, but about a week or so in an airtight container. You can freeze them also if you want to get really ahead! Just put them in an airtight container that’s freezer-safe and they should keep up to 3 months for best quality. I hope this helps, and happy holidays to you too!
— Susannah
Sandie says
I know that I will love, love, love this cookie recipe. This is my 1st year giving Christmas tins of goodies to family and friends so I’m a little nervous2 about what cookies I can make ahead and how to make sure they’re all fresh. Can these be stored for any length of time? Any words of advice you can pass down to a beginner? I’d appreciate it more than you’ll know. Hope you and yours have a very Mery Christmas and a Happy New Year!