This is the easiest copycat Star Crunch cookies recipe! These delicious no-bake cookies are soft, chewy, and taste like the real childhood treat from Little Debbie!
You might also like our Hostess cupcake COOKIES, our Samoas Rice Krispies treats, or our scotcheroos recipe.
Star crunch cookies are a classic treat that have been around for decades. I love finding ways to recreate our favorite treats and desserts at home (like our copycat Hostess cupcakes, It's It ice cream sandwiches, and Auntie Anne's pretzels) and these were a lot of fun to make for my family.
Why I Like This Recipe
- Simple ingredients. Perfectly coated in chocolate, caramel, and marshmallow sauce—perfection. This quick and easy stove-top version is one of my favorite copycat recipes!
- Chewy no-bake cookies. Star Crunch cookies are chewy and sturdy, and their flavor and chewy texture remain just as good on day 2.
- Refrigerated or chilled. You can enjoy them at room temperature or chilled. Equally delicious!
- Make a little or a lot. This recipe yields 20 large cookies, more than enough to share. You can easily make a half recipe without altering the process.
What Others Are Saying
Last year my (then) 6 year old made and entered these into our little village fair! She won the 1st place ribbon!!!! We just finished making them again for this years fair!---Kristi
Easy, tasty, a crowd pleaser!---Diana
Absolutely delicious and turned out perfect!! Novice baker and they are great!---Melanie on Pinterest
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Tips and Tricks
- Tips for caramel. You can use individually wrapped soft caramels, but I like using caramel bits because they are always in stock and located right next to the chocolate chips in the baking aisle. You'll need the entire 11-ounce bag.
- Let cookies set up before serving. The cookies will be gooey at first, but will set up as they cool, making them easier to pick up and store. The tops of the cookies will set as they cool. If the bottoms of the cookies are sticky, simply turn them over and expose the bottoms to the air for 15 minutes or so. Allowing the cookies to set up completely will make them easier to pick up and store. If you want to take them up a notch, add flaky sea salt to the tops (optional).
Ingredients
- Butter: you’ll need 1 stick of room-temperature salted or unsalted butter.
- Kraft caramel bits: you can also use individually wrapped soft caramels, but I like the bits because they are always in stock and located right next to the chocolate chips in the baking aisle. You'll need the entire 11-ounce bag.
- Chocolate chips: I like using milk chocolate chips, but you can use semi-sweet chocolate chips if you prefer. One regular-sized bag (11 ounces) is enough for this recipe.
- Milk
- Marshmallows: a 10-ounce bag of mini marshmallows or 10 ounces of jumbo marshmallows. Mini marshmallows melt faster so that's what I generally use for recipes.
- Rice Krispies cereal: you’ll need about 6 cups of crisp rice cereal.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How To Make Copycat Star Crunch Cookies
Step 1: Heat butter, caramel bits, chocolate chips, and milk in a large pot or saucepan on low-medium heat. The key is heating these ingredients low and slow. Stir continually with a wooden spoon as the mixture begins to melt. The caramel bits take the longest to melt. You can mash them as they begin to soften, with the back of the spoon, to speed it up a bit. It will take about 5 minutes to melt everything.
Step 2: Add marshmallows and continue to stir until melted and the mixture is smooth.
Step 3: Remove the pan from heat and stir in cereal. Stir until the cereal is evenly coated.
Line two baking sheets with parchment paper (or place parchment paper onto your work surface).
Step 4: Scoop ¼ cup of cookie mixture onto the parchment paper. You can do this with a measuring cup or medium cookie scoop (it will take 2 scoops if using a cookie scoop), or use a large cookie scoop.
Step 5: Gently press each cookie down with the back of a plastic cup to flatten it into a disc. Cool for 5 minutes, then use your fingers to smooth the edges and form the cookies into perfectly round shapes. (It won't be as sticky on your fingers after they've had a chance to sit for a few minutes.) If you want to take them up a notch, add flaky sea salt to the tops (optional).
Top Tip
The tops of the cookies will set as they cool. If the bottoms of the cookies are sticky, simply turn them over and expose the bottoms to the air for 15 minutes or so. Allowing the cookies to set up completely will make them easier to pick up and store.
Star Crunch Cookies FAQs
Star Crunch cookies are a nostalgic treat made by Little Debbie. They are a chewy cookie made from crispy rice cereal and caramel, coated in chocolate.
You can store the cookies at room temperature in a container or in the refrigerator.
You can use individually wrapped soft caramels, but I like using Kraft caramel bits because they are always in stock and located right next to the chocolate chips in the baking aisle. You'll need the entire 11-ounce bag.
More Copycat Recipes To Make
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Copycat Star Crunch Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
- ½ cup butter (1 stick)
- 2 cups Kraft caramel bits (11 ounce bag)
- 2 cups milk chocolate chips (11 ounce bag)
- ¼ cup milk
- 5 ½ cups mini marshmallows (10 ounce bag)
- 6 cups rice krispies cereal (crispy rice cereal)
Instructions
- Heat butter, caramel bits, chocolate chips, and milk on the stovetop in a large saucepan or stock pan on LOW heat.
- Mash caramel bits as they heat with the back of the wooden spoon to speed up the melting process. Continually stir until smooth and creamy. This will take about 5 minutes. Go low and slow to prevent burning.
- Add marshmallows to chocolate mixture and stir until melted and smooth. Remove mixture from heat.
- Stir in Krispy cereal. Stir until evenly coated.
- Cover a cookie sheet or work surface with parchment paper. Add ¼ cup scoops of cookie mixture onto parchment paper (can also use 2 scoops using a cookie scoop for each cookie).Press down with a plastic measuring cup or cup to flatten cookies (you can spray the back of the cup with nonstick spray to prevent the cookie mixture from sticking to it).Let cookies cool for 5 minutes, then use your hands to press edges smooth and round.
Kristi says
Last year my (then) 6 year old made and entered these into our little village fair! She won the 1st place ribbon!!!! We just finished making them again for this years fair!
Brandy says
Kristi, this made my day! Thank you so much for sharing, and congrats to your daughter, so fun!
Diana says
Easy, tasty, a crowd pleaser!
Brandy says
Yay! So glad to hear!
Carrie Fraser says
Just wanted to say thanks for the recipe they are delicious and freeze just fine 🙂
Brandy says
Glad to hear!!
Shelby Pardy says
There is no oatmeal cookie in a star crunch.
Brandy says
Mine aren’t made of oatmeal cookies.
Bonbie says
These cookies turned out perfectly. So delicious! Thanks for the recipe. I’m pretty sure I saved money making these myself.
Brandy says
Yay! Glad you loved them!
Jen H. says
We just made these last night and they are AMAZING. The key is the quality of the chocolate. I used Guittard milk chocolate chips and they turned out so rich and delicious, my family likes these better than regular rice crispy treats or the original Star Crunch. And they're perfect for me because I have celiac and I can make them with gluten free rice cereal. Thank you!
Brandy says
Jen, I’m so glad that they turned out perfect for you! Especially since you used the good chocolate—-Guittard is the best!!
April says
Looking for a replacement for store bought star crunch and this recipe was great. Very easy. They are delicious.
Brandy says
So glad to hear!
A.Wilson says
While these don't taste like Star Crunch at all to us, 4 of us in this household, 2 of which are Star Crunch addicts....The oatmeal cookie in the center of Star Crunch lends its own flavors of molasses, cinnamon and oats... These are really good... But not Star Crunch.... Guess I will continue my search, or give up and make my own copycat that uses the same components. Baking up oatmeal cookies is simple, not sure why all these recipes are designated to the no bake area....
Tanya says
A. Wilson...Star crunch doesnt have oatmeal... I think you might be confusing it with something else
Robin says
Totally amazing! And so easy. Thank you for the awesome recipe
Brandy says
So glad to hear!
Dee Schnautz says
Where video
Brandy says
Hi Dee! The video automatically plays under the first image in the post. If it isn't playing for you, make sure that you don't have any pop up blockers in your browser. 🙂
Julie says
Absolutely delicious and turned out perfect!! Novice baker and they are great!
Brandy says
So glad to hear!
Dona says
They turned out really tasty but they are really sticky, what did I do wrong?
Brandy says
Hi Dona! I'm not sure why they didn't set up like mine. I'm sorry!
Brittany says
I've been waiting all week to make these and just when I was getting my ingredients out....realized the kids must have ate the caramels. So I made some homemade....and now going to try and make them using homemade caramel. **I'm four weeks away from my due date and I've had a craving so strong for crunch cookies.
Mary H says
How long do you think these can be stored? I would like to make them for my granddaughter’s wedding cookie table. I’m freezing most cookies as I make them, but I don’t think these will freeze well.
Brandy says
Yeah, I haven’t tried freezing them and am not sure they’d thaw well afterwards. I think these could make a couple of days in advance.