Fluffernutter Crispy Rice Treats for a Late-Summer Afternoon

August 20, 2026

Some recipes belong in late summer because they do not require an oven, come together quickly, and are easy to carry wherever the day is going. These fluffernutter crispy rice treats check every box. They take the familiar cereal bar and make it softer, richer, and a little more fun with creamy peanut butter and marshmallow creme.

I made these for the house, but they would be just as useful for a lake afternoon, a casual gathering, or an after-dinner treat on the screen porch. They need only a few ingredients and a short amount of hands-on time. The hardest part is giving them a few minutes to settle before cutting into them.

The secret is not to press the mixture too firmly into the pan. A gentle hand keeps the bars light and chewy, while fresh marshmallows folded in at the end leave little pockets of softness throughout.

What Is a Fluffernutter?

If you did not grow up in New England, the name may need a little explaining. A fluffernutter is a sandwich made with peanut butter and marshmallow creme on soft white bread. In Massachusetts it is practically a staple, and it is where I first learned about it when I lived there. Marshmallow creme is the spreadable, cloud-soft cousin of a marshmallow, and when you pair it with peanut butter, something wonderful happens: salty and sweet, smooth and sticky, simple and completely satisfying.

The story begins in Massachusetts, too. In 1917, a man named Archibald Query in Somerville invented marshmallow creme, whipping sugar, corn syrup, and egg whites into a spread that never quite sets. Not long after, recipes pairing it with peanut butter started appearing, and during World War I a version was published to make rationed ingredients feel like a celebration. The sandwich became a New England tradition, but it went without a proper name for decades. In 1960, the company that made Marshmallow Fluff asked an advertising agency to give it a name people would remember. Fluffernutter, from the fluff and the peanut butter, is what they came up with, and it stuck so well that Merriam-Webster added the word to the dictionary in 2021.

Massachusetts has never quite let it go. There was a serious campaign to make the fluffernutter the official state sandwich, and the city of Somerville holds a whole festival in honor of Fluff. For a lot of New Englanders, the fluffernutter is childhood: camp lunches, after-school snacks, the first thing you learn to make for yourself. It is regional pride with a sticky spoon.

So, the name of these rice crispy treats borrows a beloved New England idea for a Texas late-summer afternoon. Peanut butter and marshmallow creme do the same thing for a cereal bar that they do for bread: they make something familiar feel softer, richer, and a little more playful.

Fluffernutter Crispy Rice Treats

This is our made-at-home version of a fluffernutter-style cereal treat: crisped rice, peanut butter, marshmallow creme, and extra marshmallows in a soft, no-bake bar.

Makes

12 large bars

Time

About 10 minutes of active time, plus at least 15 minutes to set

Ingredients

• 6 cups crisped rice cereal
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus a little more for the pan and parchment
• 6 cups fresh mini marshmallows, divided
• 1 cup creamy peanut butter
• Pinch of fine sea salt, especially if the peanut butter is unsalted
• 1 container marshmallow creme, about 7 1/2 ounces

Instructions

1. Line a 9-by-13-inch pan with parchment paper, leaving enough overhang to lift the bars out later. Lightly butter the parchment so the mixture releases easily.
2. Measure the crisped rice cereal into a large mixing bowl and set it near the stove.
3. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over low heat. Add 4 cups of the mini marshmallows and stir frequently until they are melted and mostly combined with the butter.
4. Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the peanut butter and a pinch of salt until the mixture is smooth and evenly blended.
5. Immediately pour the warm peanut-butter mixture over the cereal. Add the marshmallow creme and the remaining 2 cups of mini marshmallows, then fold everything together until the cereal is evenly coated.
6. Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan. With lightly buttered hands or a second sheet of parchment, gently ease it into an even layer. Do not pack it down firmly; a light touch keeps the finished bars soft and chewy.
7. Let the bars stand for at least 15 minutes. Lift them from the pan using the parchment, then cut into 12 large pieces.

Serving Notes

Use fresh marshmallows and fresh cereal for the best texture. Store any leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature, with parchment between the layers, for up to two days. For longer storage, freeze them in a well-sealed container for up to one month and let them soften at room temperature before serving.

If you are taking these outside in August, keep them shaded and sealed until it is time to eat. They are soft by design, which is part of what makes them so good.

Not every summer recipe needs to be impressive. Sometimes the right thing is something familiar made a little better: quick to prepare, easy to share, and good enough that people wander back for another piece.

With love and intention,

Jennifer