Halloween is the perfect time to take your favorite sweet treats (or savory!) and add a little festive edge. These Halloween Dark Chocolate Crispies are the perfect way to make a delicious dark chocolate treat, then add some “mummy” icing and Halloween googley eyeballs! They’re a great way to celebrate at home, share with friends or neighbors, or enjoy while trick-or-treating!
As always, I do include a few affiliate links in this post for products I truly use and love. This just means that if you make a purchase after clicking one of those links, I’ll earn a little money (at no cost to you) to keep the kitchen up and running, which I promise to use to create more fun content like this! One of those affiliates is with Amazon, which requires a very clear disclosure: as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. If you have any questions about affiliates, please reach out!
What you need to get started
Very little is needed to make these come to life, and you likely have most (if not all) of this in your pantry! To get started you will need:
- Mini marshmallows: you can use the large kind as well, but I find the mini marshmallows melt more evenly.
- Unsweetened cocoa powder: by using cocoa powder, you can use less dark chocolate, and ultimately make these a bit lighter and with a little less fat.
- Dark chocolate: chips or chunks (from a bar) both work well! Use high quality chocolate — the better your chocolate, the better the final product will taste!
- Millet: I love adding millet here for an additional crunch! You can find millet at your grocery store, or I like to order this Bob’s Red Mill Millet on Amazon.
- Cereal: I like to use plain cheerios (they have a good shape and crunch), but you can make this with almost any kind of palin cereal: I’ve done it with plain Special K before, but it would work well with plain chex, rice crispies, or anything else you want to try! I do emphasize plain here. You don’t need to use a cereal that adds flavor / salt / sugar.
- Flaky sea salt: you know I love my sea salt! This will be just a sprinkle for finishing. I like to use Maldon Sea Salt or Jacobsen’s Salt Co.
- Meringue powder: this is for the “mummy” icing (and it’s in the Halloween Googley Eyeballs as well). This helps the icing keep it’s shape rater than flattening out. I like to use this Wilton Meringue Powder.
You’ll also need a few other kitchen staples like powdered sugar, butter and vanilla (p.s. did you know you can make your own vanilla extract? Check out my recipe for homemade vanilla extract here!)
How to make Halloween Dark Chocolate Crispies
This is really a series of three steps:
- Make your Halloween Googley Eyeballs (you can find that recipe here) the night before
- Put together your Dark Chocolate Crispies
- Create your “mummy” icing and put it all together!
Keep in mind, if you’re making Halloween Googley Eyes, they’ll need to set for 12-24 hours, so plan on making those the day before!
Halloween Dark Chocolate Crispies FAQ
Do I need to make the Halloween Googley Eyes?
Not necessarily! I think they add a lot and make these very festive, but if you wanted to skip these, you could!
Can I use any kind of cereal?
Yes, any kind of plain cereal will work well! I would not recommend using any kind of flavored cereal (i.e. Honey Nut Cheerios, or a cereal with dried berries, etc.) That could potentially add unnecessary sugar, salt and flavors that you don’t need!
Can I use jumbo marshmallows?
Yes, you can! I find the mini marshmallows melt quicker and more evenly, but the jumbo marshmallows would work, too.
How should I store Halloween Dark Chocolate Crispies?
If you can keep your hands off them, you can keep them stored in an airtight container for up to one week.
Below is my recipe to for these Halloween Dark Chocolate Crispies. I hope you enjoy! Happy Halloween!
Halloween Dark Chocolate Crispies
Ingredients
For Dark Chocolate Crispies
- 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 bag (10 oz) mini marshmallows
- ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 4 oz dark chocolate chopped
- 5 cups cereal such as plain Cheerios
- ¼ cup millet
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- flaky sea salt, for topping
For "Mummy" Icing
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 Tablespoon meringue powder
- 1 ½ Tablespoons water
Instructions
Make your Halloween Googley Eyeballs
Make your Dark Chocolate Crispies
- Grease an 8x8in. pan and line with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Melt the butter in a large pan over medium heat. Add mini marshmallows, cocoa powder, and chopped dark chocolate. Stir constantly until melted and smooth.
- Add 1 teaspoon vanilla, stir to combine.
- Add 5 cups cereal, millet, and stir to fully coat. This will be messy!
- Transfer to the prepared pan. Cover with wax paper and press hard to form the crispies (this is what holds them together!). You can also press with the base of a sturdy glass.
- While warm, sprinkle with flaky sea salt. Let sit for 2 hours to cool before slicing.
Make your "Mummy" Icing
- Combine 1 cup powdered sugar with 1 Tablespoon meringue powder in a small bowl. Add 1 Tablespoon water and stir to combine. If needed, add up to ½ Tablespoon more, stirring to combine. Keep in mind you want this icing to hold its shape and not be too runny, so be careful of adding too much water!
- Transfer to a piping bag and cut off a small tip. I like to place the piping bag in a tall glass, then pour in the icing to help it stay upright.
- Once the crispies are cooled, cut into 16 pieces (4 x 4). Use the piping bag to create "mummy" lines on each piece and add Halloween Googley Eyeballs. Enjoy!