Star Crunch Cookies

These homemade star crunch cookies are the ultimate Little Debbie dupe. Made with crispy rice cereal, melted chocolate, and peanut butter, they’ll transport you back to childhood!

Looking for more no bake cookie recipes? Try my no bake fudge cookies, no bake chocolate chip cookies, no bake oatmeal cookies, and no bake chocolate peanut butter cookies next.

Whenever my family would go on road trips, the moment we’d pull into a gas station, I’d run in to get Little Debbie Star Crunch cookies. If you know, you know. 

Of course, I was clueless about all the hidden ingredients in those sugar terrors. My recipe has a shortlist of good-for-you ingredients and that same addictive crispy, creamy, and chewy texture.

Table of Contents

1. Why I love this recipe
2. Ingredients needed
3. How to make star crunch cookies
4. Arman’s recipe tips
5. Storage instructions
6. More easy no baked desserts to try
7. Star Crunch Cookies (Recipe Card)

Why I love this recipe

• The perfect copycat recipe. I skipped the bad stuff and kept all the flavor. 
• Fun to customize. Each of the 5 ingredients (yes, only 5!) can be customized to suit your dietary needs or make do with whatever’s in your pantry. 
• Quick to make. Once you melt the chocolate, everything comes together in one bowl. The most time-consuming task is waiting for them to firm up in the fridge.
• Even better than the original. I hate to say this, but I bought a Star Crunch cookie not too long ago, and the quality is not what I remembered. My homemade cookies taste infinitely better and are WAY bigger, too!

Ingredients needed

• Crispy rice cereal. I used regular old Rice Krispie cereal, but brown rice cereal or any crispy cereal works just as well. If you need these to be gluten-free, use gluten-free Rice Krispies.
• Peanut butter. To add richness to the chocolate mixture. Feel free to use almond butter or seed butter to keep it nut-free. 
• Maple syrup. My preferred sticky sweetener for this recipe. 
• Coconut oil. Helps keep the cookies from being too crumbly and adds to the creaminess. 
• Chocolate chips. Our starring ingredient. Use chocolate chips or a chopped-up chocolate bar. 

How to make star crunch cookies

I’ve included step-by-step photos below to make this recipe easy to follow at home. For the full printable recipe instructions and ingredient quantities, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

Step 1- Prep. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Add the crispy rice cereal to a large bowl. 

Step 2- Melt chocolate. In a microwave-safe bowl or saucepan over low heat, combine chocolate chips, peanut butter, maple syrup, and coconut oil. Stir until smooth.

Step 3- Assemble. Pour the chocolate mixture over the cereal and whisk to combine. Using a large cookie scoop, drop cookie batter onto the baking sheet 2-3 inches apart. Press on each cookie and refrigerate until firm.

Arman’s recipe tips

• Grease the cookie scoop with nonstick cooking spray to cut down on the stickiness. 
• Add caramel. The OG star crunch cookie has some gooey caramel in it. If you’d like that, swirl some store bought thick caramel over the top.
• Cut the carbs. Use keto maple syrup and sugar-free chocolate chips. 
• Swap the chocolate chips. Use dark chocolate, white chocolate, or a mixture of semi-sweet chocolate chips and caramel chips. 
• Swap the peanut butter for melted mini marshmallows for a more ‘traditional’ star crunch cookie flavor.
• For even more chocolate flavor, add one tablespoon of cocoa powder to the cereal. 

Storage instructions

To store: Store leftover cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week. If you want to keep them fresher longer, refrigerate them for up to one month. 

To freeze: Transfer cookies to a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 6 months.

More easy no baked desserts to try

• No bake brownies
• No bake oatmeal bars
• No bake brownie bites
• Or any of my no bake recipes