This copycat recipe for homemade Little Debbie star crunch is made with crispy rice cereal, chocolate and peanut butter! No baking required, you only need 5 ingredients and 5 minutes to make- Vegan, Gluten Free, Dairy Free.
We love our no bake cookie recipes around here. Our favorites include no bake oatmeal cookies, chocolate peanut butter no bake cookies and these no bake crunch cookies.
Little Debbie Star Crunch were my gas station pick- Whenever the hunger pangs hit and I wanted a sweet treat, I’d ALWAYS reach for a Star Crunch.
Similar to a chocolate rice krispie treat, I wanted to make my own homemade and healthier version.
Instead of using butter, sugar and hydrogenated palm oil, I used healthy swaps, that just happen to be refined sugar free, vegan and gluten free!
Taste wise, they are sweet and loaded with chocolate flavor, with hints of a light caramel.
Texture wise, they are crispy, crunchy, and creamy- hitting ALL the textures at once.
How to make star crunch cookies
Making homemade star crunch is super simple. You start by combining all your ingredients, except for your rice cereal, into a large, microwave safe bowl. Then, you’ll microwave everything until the chocolate chips and peanut butter have melted. Whisk the mixture together, until glossy and shiny. Next, you’ll add your crispy rice cereal and mix very well, until all the cereal is evenly coated in the chocolate mixture.
Finally, you’ll line a large baking tray or plate with parchment paper. Using a spoon, drop spoonfuls of the star crunch mixture onto the parchment paper. Repeat until all the mixture is used up, and refrigerate it until firm.
Star Crunch Cookies Ingredients (and substitution ideas!)
- Crispy Rice Cereal
- Peanut Butter
- Maple Syrup
- Coconut Oil
- Chocolate Chips
Crispy Cereal
The cereal part is key, as using the wrong type with yield soggy cookies or soften once the chocolate and peanut butter are added. I used crispy brown rice cereal, which is a gluten-free, vegan, and generally flavor-free cereal, perfect for this recipe.
You would be best to stick to other ‘like’ cereals, like rice pops, rice bubbles or another crispy rice cereal. While they may be a little more processed than other cereals on the market, they won’t go limp once firmed up.
Peanut Butter
To amp up the ‘crunch’ factor, I love using crunchy peanut butter. To be completely honest, I would use crunchy peanut butter regardless, as I prefer it over the smooth kind. If you only have smooth nut butter on hand, that works just as fine. Alternatively, you can keep this peanut free by using almond butter or keep it nut-free, by using sunflower seed butter.
Chocolate Chips
The final key ingredient is, of course, the chocolate. I typically use these chocolate chips, which happen to be naturally vegan, dairy free, gluten free and nut free. Even if I don’t have allergies, I’d still use this chocolate, as the taste is fantastic and it melts beautifully- something I have had trouble with in the past.
If you want to keep this completely sugar free, I give a thumbs up to these stevia-sweetened chocolate chips. Otherwise, ensure that the chocolate you do end up using is of the ‘baking’ sort. If you use a generic candy bar, it simply won’t melt and end up being chalky.
Maple Syrup
I really do believe these added two ingredients really make a difference in both taste and texture but as mentioned, they aren’t necessary. I opted to use pure maple syrup, but friends who follow a sugar-free lifestyle, this is my go-to.
Coconut Oil
The coconut oil helps keep the cookies from being a little TOO crumbly, but also adds to the creaminess.
If you want to skip out on the coconut oil, you can sub it for butter or grass-fed butter.
Storage Tips
- To store: Leftover star crunch cookies can keep at room temperature, in a sealable container, for up to 1 week. They will keep much longer when stored in the refrigerator, for at least 1 month.
- To freeze: Star Crunch can be stored in the freezer, in a ziplock bag or freezer friendly container. They will freeze well for up to 6 months.
More EASY No Bake Desserts
- Caramel Cookie Dough Bars
- Peanut Butter Balls
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Balls
- Cheesecake
- Chocolate Cheesecake
Homemade Star Crunch Cookies (5 Ingredients!)
Ingredients
- 5 cups Crispy Rice Cereal
- 1 1/2 cups Chocolate Chips
- 1 cup Peanut Butter can use any nut or seed butter
- 1/4 cup coconut oil
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
Instructions
- Line a large baking tray with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, add your crispy rice cereal and set aside.
- In a microwave safe bowl or stove top, combine your chocolate chips, peanut butter, maple syrup and coconut oil. Melt until fully combined- If you use a microwave, melt on medium power in 30-second spurts to avoid over-heating.
- Pour liquid mixture over the crispy rice cereal and mix until fully incorporated. Using a large spoon or cookie scoop, drop crunch cookie batter on the lined baking sheet, about 2-3 inches apart. Press each cookie and refrigerate until firm.
Notes
Nutrition
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These sound perfectly crunchy! Choc pb can’t be beat
My grandson is allergic to coconut.
Is there an alternative to coconut oil ?
Thank you
Pam
Butter works!
what Crispy Rice Cereal is Gluten Free? Rice Chex? Is that the only one?
Nope! This uses erewhorn brand, which is gluten-free.
Malt-O-Meal brand crisped rice cereal is also gluten free.
Cheers, Amy- Appreciate it!
I wish I could reach your crunchy crispy cookies through my computer screen! Sublime!
These are sooo good ! Just made a batch and they turned out great ! Nice light crunch with smooth chocolate flavor. Definitely will be making them again. Thank you for posting.
I am also a total crunchy texture fan! Crispy cereals are no exception. Oh these cookies look delicious! You cannot go wrong with chocolate peanut butter treats!
I love the added crunch! Gots to make these!
It says these are sugar free.. but isn’t there sugar in the chocolate? I buy those chocolate chips too but I’m pretty sure there is sugar. Can you recommend a good sugar free chocolate that is still dairy/soy/gluten free?
Hi there, Lily’s chocolate chips are stevia sweetened 🙂
Can you provide nutrition facts? I’m trying to see how these are healthy.
Feel free to calculate it using an online calculator 🙂
What’s the carb count on these cookies.
Feel free to calculate specific macros using an online calculator 🙂
Update: Actually I plugged in Armans ingredients and the calories were a bit higher but carbs were 1 gram less (29 g) and sugar was 3 grams less (16 guys). My BF loved these so I have to make more and soon.
Thank you!! I had no idea how to calculate this anywhere and was wondering about carbs!
What can I use in place of coconut oil
You can use butter.
any vegan replacements for coconut oil?
You could try vegan butter 🙂
What would you substitute for the coconut oil? My boyfriend is allergic to coconut and I don’t want to use coconut oil.
Hi Melissa! Butter is the only tested option I’ve tried. Some have used avocado oil, but I cannot personally vouch for it : )
Can canola or veg oil be used in place of coconut? How about honey in place of syrup?
Hi there! Is avocado oil or butter accessible for you? Those are the only two I’ve tried successfully. Yes, honey works great!
What kind of peanut butter did you use? Would all- natural give you the same texture? Thanks!
Hi! It should, as long as it is well mixed 🙂
Can you use honey instead of pure maple syrup?
Absolutely! 🙂
Hi! I’m not a fan of coconut, is there a strong taste of it in this cookie from the coconut oil?
Hi there, promise you won’t taste it- you can use butter if you like!