Homemade Star Crunch Recipe

By
Stella Parks
Stella Parks
Stella Parks
Editor Emeritus
Stella Parks is a CIA-trained baking nerd and pastry wizard, dubbed one of America's Best New Pastry Chefs by Food & Wine. She was the pastry editor at Serious Eats from 2016 to 2019.
Learn about Serious Eats' Editorial Process
Updated Apr. 15, 2020
20160424-star-crunch-no-bake-cookies-vicky-wasik-12.jpg
Vicky Wasik

Why It Works

  • Due to its shallow depth, this caramel is easier to judge by color than by temperature, so aim for a light amber hue.
  • Chilled cream shocks the caramel to halt cooking.
  • A final cooking temperature of 245°F gives the caramel a thick and chewy texture.
  • The dairy in milk chocolate gives the cookies a fudge-like texture.

With gooey homemade caramel, creamy milk chocolate, and crunchy rice, these no-bake cookies are as satisfying as a candy bar, but way easier to make. Just boil up a pot of sugar water until it turns thick and golden like clover honey, then add some chilled cream and simmer a few minutes more. Once it's cool, stir in a handful of chopped milk chocolate and some Rice Krispies, and you're done! The hardest part is simply waiting for the molten "batter" to set.

Featured Video

Recipe Facts

3.3

(13)

Active: 30 mins
Total: 2 hrs
Makes: 15 cookies

Rate & Comment

Ingredients

  • 4 ounces water (1/2 cup; 115g)
  • 7 ounces sugar (1 cup; 200g)
  • 1/2 teaspoon (2g) Diamond Crystal kosher salt; other salts may contain additives that induce crystallization
  • 10 ounces heavy cream (1 1/4 cup; 280g), straight from the fridge
  • 3 ounces milk chocolate, minimum 26% cocoa butter (2/3 cup; 85g), very finely chopped (see note)
  • 1 1/2 ounces Rice Krispies (1 1/2 cups; 45g)

Directions

  1. Combine water, sugar, and salt in a 3-quart stainless steel saucier over medium-high heat. Stir occasionally with a fork until sugar dissolves and syrup is bubbling hard, about 2 minutes. Stop stirring and simmer until syrup turns pale gold, like clover honey, roughly 8 minutes. Meanwhile, measure out cream so it will be ready to add at a moment's notice.

  2. When syrup turns pale gold, add cream and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook, stirring constantly with a heat-resistant spatula, until the foam subsides and the boiling caramel seems more molten than foamy, about 6 minutes. Clip-on a digital thermometer and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until caramel registers 245°F, about 5 minutes more.

  3. Immediately transfer caramel to a heat-resistant bowl and allow to cool until it registers 140°F on a digital thermometer, about 40 minutes. Stir in milk chocolate until fully melted, then fold in rice. Divide into about 15 one-ounce (2-tablespoon) portions and arrange on a parchment-lined half sheet pan or cutting board, then flatten into disks with the palm of your hand. Let stand at room temperature until fully set, about 1 hour, and transfer to an airtight container with a sheet of parchment between each layer. Star Crunch will keep up to a week at room temperature, or a month if refrigerated.

Special equipment

3-quart stainless steel saucier, heat-resistant spatula, clip-on digital thermometer

Notes

This recipe requires good-quality milk chocolate, free from artificial ingredients and added fats such as palm oil. Look for brands with no less than 26% cocoa butter, or see our favorite supermarket milk chocolates for baking.

This Recipe Appears In

More Serious Eats Recipes