No Bake Chocolate Marshmallow Squares

In all probability, this will be the best thing you will eat this holiday season. No Bake Chocolate Marshmallow Squares are prepared with only four ingredients and comes together in just minutes with the help of a microwave. These are decadent and rich, and you won’t be able to stop eating them!

I used to not make many confections with marshmallows until recently. I do love them, but after just one or two, I seem to go into sugar shock. Ha! When it comes to snacks and treats, I’m all about salty snacks. I can easily forego sugary snacks. That was until I tasted these No Bake Chocolate Marshmallow Squares! These are so delicious! I swear, I could have eaten a dozen of them!!

I’m one of those people who will eat one or two of something and then I don’t want to see it anymore. I bake a lot, so it’s quite common to try one or two of whatever it is, and package the rest up for a friend or a neighbour. In some cases, especially if I make something with chocolate, John.e refuses to let me get rid of it. He loves chocolate!

As you know, Dear Reader, John.e is a vegetarian and marshmallows have gelatin in them. Gelatin is made using collagen from animal parts, so obviously, he isn’t going to eat anything with marshmallows in it. Sounds gross, doesn’t it!? So, I was quite happy to find vegan marshmallows, and now I can make more marshmallow treats. You can 100% use regular mini marshmallows, but I used Dandies Vegan Marshmallows in this recipe. Needless to say, don’t tell him I told you, but he might have eaten about 20 of these!

INGREDIENTS NEEDED FOR THIS RECIPE:

• Chocolate Chips – I used semi-sweet chocolate chips, because I find that milk chocolate chips are sweeter. I didn’t want the squares to be too sweet. You can use milk, semi-sweet, or even dark chocolate in this recipe.
• Butterscotch Chips – I have tried this recipe with other types of baking chips, but none of them worked quite as well as butterscotch. You can find butterscotch baking chips in the baking section of most large chain grocers.
• Peanut Butter – I used creamy peanut butter, but you could use chunky if you want the addition of peanuts. Do not use natural peanut butter!
• Mini Marshmallows – Again, I used white vegan mini marshmallows. You can use regular or even multi coloured marshmallows.

DANDIES VEGAN MARSHMALLOWS

Now, if you just so happen to click on the link for Dandies in the last paragraph, you will note that the brand has both large and mini marshmallows. Depending on the time of year, they also have pumpkin flavoured and also, peppermint! Just recently, John.e found the pumpkin flavour in a local grocery store. He brought them home and they were delicious! Now, if I could only get my hands on the peppermint!!!

This post is not sponsored by Dandies, and I don’t want you to think that I’m preaching veganism at you, because I am far from vegan. However, whenever I find a product that I love, I always share it with you. You most certainly don’t have to be vegan to enjoy Dandies marshmallows. They also have no artificial colours or flavours, which is always a bonus.

If you have any friends or family with food allergies, you might want to consider using Dandies as well. Unlike real marshmallows, there’s no corn syrup, they are kosher, and have no GMOs. Dandies are manufactured in a gluten free environment and are free from many common allergens such as wheat, peanuts, tree nuts, dairy, eggs, shellfish, fish, mustard, corn, and sesame. Seriously, what do you have to lose!?

LET’S TALK PEANUT BUTTER!

Before you are tempted to send me an email or a comment knocking my choice for peanut butter that is not natural and organic, hear me out! This recipe will not work with natural peanut butter. I repeat, this recipe will not work with natural peanut butter. There, I said it. Now, if you go ahead and make this recipe using natural peanut butter and it comes out a big, wet mess, you cannot blame me.

John.e uses only natural peanut butter, but I do not. I do not like it at all. Yes, it’s healthier and better for me, but I’d rather not eat it at all if I have to choose the natural stuff. I grew up on Kraft or Jiffy peanut butter and it’s the only peanut butter I ever use.

For these No Bake Chocolate Marshmallow Squares, you have the choice of smooth peanut butter or crunchy. But, you do not have a choice between all natural and the sugar-laden, mass produced stuff. The squares will not set up firmly when chilled. Mostly, it certainly will not taste right. If you are completely against using non-natural peanut butter, as harsh as it may sound, this recipe is most certainly not for you.

HOW TO MAKE NO BAKE CHOCOLATE MARSHMALLOW SQUARES

This no-bake recipe comes together quickly and easily. The first thing you should do is to prepare a 9 x 13 inch baking pan by lining it well with parchment paper. Fold the parchment paper so that it fits snugly in the pan. I use two sheets – one folded to fit the length of the pan and another folded to fit across the pan. Allow the excess parchment paper to hang out over the side of the pan. Once the chocolate is firm, use the excess parchment to lift the whole block out of the pan to make it easy to cut into slices.

Next, add the chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, and peanut butter to a large microwave-safe bowl. Whenever you microwave chocolate, you should microwave on medium power for 30 seconds. Then, if it’s still not silky smooth, microwave in increments of 5 or 10 seconds, depending on your microwave, stirring with a rubber spatula after each increment.

Add in the mini marshmallows and use a rubber spatula to fold them in until each marshmallow is well coated. Next, pour the mixture into the prepared pan. Use the spatula to gently push the mixture into the corners and to flatten it so that the entire pan has a level layer of chocolate and marshmallow mixture.

It’s important to allow the chocolate to firm up at room temperature, which is slow, but it works. If you place the pan into the fridge to speed up the re-hardening of the chocolate, you run the risk of separating the milk solids. That will result in a chocolate with white streaks through it. It’s best to let it sit at room temperature for two or three hours. The chocolate will slowly cool down and the milk solids will not separate.

STORING, PACKAGING, & FREEZING

When it comes to most no bake confections, they taste best at room temperature, but they don’t hold up well to being left out on your countertop for long periods of time. Some of them will stay fresh in a cookie jar or food-safe container with a lid for 3-5 days if left to sit on your kitchen countertop. But, others most certainly will not! If in doubt, store them in a food-safe container in your fridge. When you want one, two, or half a dozen, take them out of the container and place them in a single layer on a plate. Let them sit at room temperature for 5 minutes and they’re ready!

Most no-bake confections are made without the need to freeze them for long periods of time, but they can be frozen. For this recipe, I have tested whether or not they can be frozen, and they certainly can! Once they are completely hardened, pile them into a clean, food-safe container. The container must be freezer friendly! You’ll want to ensure a very tight fitting lid too. I use these quite often when freezing baked goods. I like to place a sheet of plastic wrap over the top of the container before pushing the lid on. This helps to create a better seal. The goal is to keep all of that freshness locked in!  

You can freeze these for up to three months. If you plan to give previously frozen confections as a gift, lay them out onto a wire cooling rack in a single layer to thaw out. Condensation might form and that’s normal. Giving them space to breath by not overlapping them will help to eliminate that. Once thawed, pile into cellophane bags and tie with a ribbon, or stack in a cookie tin/box.

QUESTIONS?

If I have not answered all of your questions in the text above, don’t hesitate to reach out to me! You can contact me by sending me a message in the comments section further down the page. I will try my best to answer as soon as possible! You might reach me even faster by following me on Facebook and sending me a private message. Scroll down to follow me and never miss another recipe!

Finally, as I stated previously, every day I will be posting a new recipe. If you miss one, don’t fret. You can find my entire collection of Christmas Recipes right here! There are over 100 Christmas recipes and counting. There’s something for everyone! Cheers!