Chocolate Peanut Butter Ritz Cookies — 🎄❤️💚 If you need a ridiculously easy, no-bake cookie recipe for a party, holiday cookie exchange, or just have a spur of the moment craving for chocolate and peanut butter, these Ritz cookies are perfect!
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Chocolate-Dipped Ritz Cookies
If you need a ridiculously easy, no-bake dessert for a party, holiday cookie exchange, or just have a spur of the moment craving for chocolate and peanut butter — which happens quite often to me — this is a perfect recipe.
What I love about these little cookie — or cracker — stacks is that they’re salty and sweet, crunchy from the crackers yet creamy from the peanut butter, and gooey from marshmallow creme.
Every awesome dessert quality has been rolled up into one little bite-sized bundle.
They’re incredibly addictive. Just ask my daughter who couldn’t stop eating them and told me this is one of the ‘best things I’ve ever made’.
Ingredients for Ritz Cookies
To make these Ritz cracker Christmas cookies, you’ll need:
- Ritz crackers
- Creamy peanut butter
- Marshmallow creme
- Chocolate
- Sprinkles
Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.
How to Make Ritz Cracker Cookies
This is such an easy no-bake Christmas cookie to make! Here are the basic steps to making the Ritz cracker peanut butter cookies:
- Mix together the peanut butter and marshmallow creme, then spread over 24 Ritz crackers.
- Top with remaining Ritz crackers to make a sandwich.
- Dip each Ritz stack in melted chocolate, top with sprinkles, and let cool.
Tip for Filling the Cookies
Don’t add too much of the peanut butter-marshmallow filling or it will ooze out of the sides and it makes dipping a little tricker and they don’t look as neat when they’re finished.
Recipe FAQs
I use Trader Joe’s Pound Plus Bars for the chocolate coating because it melts beautifully and is well-priced. Specifically I melt half of the 72% and half of the ‘dark’. If you can’t find it in your area, look for chocolate candy melts or try buying chocolate in bulk bins that looks like small discs.
As a last resort, use semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips because chocolate chips have stabilizers in them cause the chocolate chips to both resist melting and to set up overly quickly during the dipping process.
The Ritz cookies will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 2 weeks, in the fridge for up to 1 month, or in the freezer for at least 4 months. I store them in the fridge because it’s warm in San Diego and they get a bit too soft at room temperature.
Of course! If you’re not making them for Christmas, you can easily omit the red and green sprinkles. Or use red and white for Valentine’s, pastel for Easter, and so forth.
Yes, you can easily scale the batch size up or down based on your needs.
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Chocolate Peanut Butter Stacks
Ingredients
- 48 Ritz crackers or buttery golden round crackers
- ½ cup creamy peanut butter
- ½ cup marshmallow creme
- 1 pound chocolate, coarsely chopped and melted for dipping (see notes in blog post for chocolate recommendations)
- holiday sprinkles, optional but recommended
Instructions
- Line a baking sheet with parchment or wax paper.
- Lay 24 crackers on a baking sheet; set aside.
- To a medium bowl, add the peanut butter, marshmallow creme, and stir to combine.
- Evenly spread a thin (not paper thin, but not too thick either) layer of the peanut butter-marshmallow mixture on the 24 crackers on the baking sheet.
- Top with the remaining 24 crackers, creating sandwiches; set aside.
- To a medium microwave-safe bowl, add the chopped chocolate and heat on high power in 15 to 30 second bursts, stirring after each burst, until chocolate can be stirred smooth.
- Dip each stack into the chocolate using one or two forks, allowing the excess to drip off. Place dipped stacks on baking sheet.
- Optionally add sprinkles, to taste.
- Place baking sheet in the fridge or freezer until chocolate has hardened before serving.
Notes
- Stacks will keep airtight at room temp for up to 2 weeks, in the fridge for up to 1 month, or in the freezer for at least 4 months. I store them in the fridge because it’s warm in San Diego and they get a bit too soft at room temp.
- Recipe adapted from Taste of Home.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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More No-Bake Christmas Desserts:
Christmas Reindeer Chow — 🎄🦌❤️ A holiday twist on classic Muddy Buddies that’s EASY, ready in 15 minutes, and perfect for hostess gifts or cookie exchanges!! Chex, chocolate, peanut butter, pretzels, M&M’s, and sprinkles make this dessert snack mix totally IRRESISTIBLE!!
White Chocolate-Dipped Oreo Cookie Balls — Easy, no-bake recipe for the classic truffles that everyone loves!
Holiday Special K Bars — Super chewy, gooey, FAST, easy, no-bake cereal bars loaded with peanut butter, chocolate, and sprinkles!! Like scotcheroos but with Special K!
White Chocolate Peppermint Fudge – A FOOLPROOF recipe for fudge with no boiling, no candy thermometers, and it turns out PERFECTLY every time!
White Chocolate Truffles — Made with real butter, heavy cream, and a double dose of white chocolate in both the filling and the coating, these EASY truffles are CREAMY, decadent, and perfect for the holidays!
Loaded Christmas Bark — 🎄💚❤️ This EASY, no-bake chocolate bark is LOADED with goodies!! Oreos, M&M’s, peanuts, pretzels, and sprinkles! Great for holiday parties and cookie exchanges! Salty, sweet, and addictively good!!
Originally posted November 25, 2016 and reposted December 2, 2020 with updated text.
great
I love using the Trader Joe’s chocolate for dipping, but do you temper the chocolate before you dip to avoid the gray streaks in the chocolate?
I do not. You could if you were so inclined but with TJ’s I don’t find it to be necessary. If there are a few streaks the beauty of this particular recipe is that there are plenty of sprinkles on top so I don’t worry much about it. I don’t really have too many issues with streaking though. Check this post, no sprinkles, same TJs chocolate https://www.averiecooks.com/homemade-thin-mints/
I tried making these using Nutella instead of peanut butter and they were delicious! I also made the peanut butter ones!
I tried making these using Nutella instead of peanut butter and they were delicious! I also made the peanut butter ones!
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad to hear that Nutella works great…I can imagine it was delicious!!
I use almond bark from Walmart with 1 tbl of crisco because it makes it easier to dip and very silky!!
I use almond bark from Walmart with 1 tbl of crisco because it makes it easier to dip and very silky!!
Agreed, a touch of Crisco really helps the texture stay very silky!
Yes you can . I make these all the time using almond bark with a little gulf wax and they turn out great!
Can I use almond bark for substitute with gulf wax?
I’ve never tried almond bark with gulf wax. I don’t know what that is. Almond bark, yes that would be fine.
Yes you can I make these all the time with almond bark with a little gulf wax in it and turns out great!
Great recipe. They turned out wonderful. So easy!
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you!
This recipe looks amazing and fun! I am going to try dipping in Chocolate Bark since that happens to be what I have on hand and I won’t have to wait and forget to make these! Who can go wrong? Ritz, PB, Marshmallow Fluff and Chocolate!! I mean, if something doesn’t look exactly right, it will still be inhaled before they are dry! Thanks!
I think chocolate bark will be perfect and yes, if they’re not quite perfect, hungry helpers will inhale before they’re dry :)
Hi Averie,
If I were to omit the marshmallow cream, how much more peanut butter would recommend? Thank You
Happy Holidays,
Patricia
Then just spread each stack with as thick of a layer of PB as you desire.
Made for the first time today. So happy with results. We have no Trader Joe’s but I used Arrow chocolate bars and melted, that worked fantastically well. Next year I will buy Bakers Choc and try.
Thanks for trying the recipe and glad it came out great for you!
How long can you store these cookies and could you freeze them
read Step 8.
YUM!!! I have to try it!
Baker’s chocolates work nicely for dipping as well. These are delicious!
Glad you like them!
Thanks for the super festive cookie recipes! I can’t wait to try them all. I wish we had a Trader Joe’s here, but I will try your other suggestions for the chocolate dipping sauces.