Secret Ingredient Rice Krispie Treats
So, I feel like on a list of the easiest things to cook/bake, rice krispie treats are right up there with spaghetti, scrambled eggs, and grilled cheese sandwiches. They all feature pretty basic ingredients, come together within minutes and are all (I think) pretty hard to mess up.
Even back when I was an abysmal cook, I knew how to put together rice krispie treats. No matter what anybody says, the pre-made packaged ones don’t taste as good as the ones made from scratch. They just don’t.
There’s nothing wrong with pre-packaged rice krispie treats, but I’m partial to making my own from scratch because if I can control the amount of marshmallow in the mix, then I can control the ‘gooey-ness’ factor. Packaged ones don’t really have it.
You want to know what ones do? These.
I’m always interested in finding ways to improve on classics, and today’s recipe is another one of those ways. If you’re a fan of scratch made rice krispie treats and you want to up their gooey-ness factor, this is for you. It doesn’t require a whole lot of extra steps or ingredients. There’s just one extra step and one extra addition to the usual suspects of ingredients, actually:
Browning the butter, and a can of sweetened condensed milk.
That’s right folks. Browning your butter and adding sweetened condensed milk to your treats mix will alter everything you ever thought you knew about how to make or eat rice krispie treats. You are not prepared for how incredible this is. I wasn’t. The rich, gooeyness it adds to them is everything you want in a treat. It adds a real ‘bakery’ taste and flavor to them that almost makes no sense, because rice krispie treats aren’t baked at all. I don’t understand it, and I really don’t need to. I’m just glad to have discovered it, and you will be too once you try this out for yourself.
Wear a mask. Social Distance. Stay safe. Be kind.
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Ingredients Directions Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the cereal and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly toasted and fragrant, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside. Melt the butter in a large saucepan or pot over low heat, gently stirring with a rubber spatula so all the butter melts evenly. When the butter is bubbling, add 1/3 to 1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk* and stir to combine. Bring the sweetened condensed milk to a boil (this will happen really quickly) and cook for about a minute until it is fragrant. Once the butter begins to foam, watch carefully, as it will quickly begin to brown and emit a nutty aroma. When browned, turn off the heat. Stir in the salt and vanilla. Working quickly, add half the marshmallows and stir until thoroughly melted. Add the remaining marshmallows and stir until melted. The residual heat from the butter should be enough to melt them off the heat, but you can return the pot to low heat for a few seconds if the marshmallows aren’t melting easily. Keep a close eye on the butter, however — you don’t want it to continue to brown to the point of burning. Add the toasted cereal and gently fold it in until the cereal is completely coated with the marshmallow mixture. Transfer the mixture to an 8 x8 inch baking pan that you’ve sprayed with cooking spray or lined with parchment paper. Using the rubber spatula, lightly and gently press into an even layer. Let the treats stand at room temperature until set and completely cool, about 1 hour. Cut into 2-inch squares and serve. *This all depends on how gooey you want the treats to be. I went for the full 1/2 cup.Secret Ingredient Rice Krispie Treats
Linking up to Fiesta Friday #362, co-hosted this week by Petra @ Food Eat Love.
You also recommend toasting the cereal first….that is different and sounds great. Thanks for the new suggestions!
Yes, toasting the cereal does add another level of flavor. Thanks!
Yum! Such delicious upgrades to the classic. My daughter will want to make these with me! 🙂
Awesome, thanks Josette–enjoy 😉
Your rice krispies brings back to many memories, I can;t even remember when I last made them and now I really wonder why! And I would really like some now! I just did a shopping list with the ingredients above on top! 🙂
That you for sharing and Happy Fiesta Friday!
That’s how I always feel when I do make them; “Like wow, why don’t I do this more often?” lol Thank you!
I did them! Just added cocoanibs and we polished them off before I even thought about taking a photo! Great recipe! 🙂