Browned Butter Rice Krispie Treats

While baking is one of my favorite hobbies, there are times when I just don’t have a lot of time to devote to it. But that doesn’t mean that I don’t try to do/bake something with the little time that I do have.

Today’s recipe came about in one of those times when I was very busy, but still wanted to have something sweet to eat for dessert. It’s considered to be pretty much one of the easiest dessert recipes there are out there, and for that reason I’m also happy that I can add it to the You Can’t Screw This Up recipe collection on the blog that’s good for baking beginners.

Today’s eats also add to the blog’s running collection of browned butter recipes. It’s been well-established on here that browned butter can make any and everything taste 10xs better and today, we’re adding rice krispie treats to that list.

For those of you who are new here and to the ingredient, browned butter basically describes butter that has been cooked long enough for its milk solids to separate and caramelize to the point where it produces a very rich, nutty aroma/flavor. It’s pretty much liquid gold and as I’ve said, it can make pretty much anything–sweet or savory–taste better.

Rice krispie treats are a classic dessert, and they typically come with a very short ingredient list: marshmallows, cereal. and butter. But because they’re largely comprised of melted marshmallow, they are also extremely sweet. This makes browned butter a really perfect addition to the recipe. The browning takes one extra step in the process, but believe me: that extra step is so worth it.

Guys, these are absolutely delicious. In addition to being rich and gooey, the caramelized, ‘nutty’ flavor of the browned butter balances out the sweetness of the marshmallow perfectly.

I really don’t think that I’ll ever make rice krispie treats any other way again. There’s just no point. Make them for yourself, and I think you’ll agree with me.

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Browned Butter Rice Krispie Treats

Recipe Adapted from NYT Cooking

Ingredients

16 ounces (1 cup) unsalted butter
2 (10.5) bags of marshmallows
2 (12 ounce boxes) Cinnamon Sugar Rice Krispie Cereal (Regular flavored Rice Krispies will work too)

Directions

Spray a 13 x 9 baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.

In a medium sized saucepan, melt butter over medium-high heat.

Cook, gently swirling pan constantly, until the butter begins to foam, the particles begin to turn golden brown and butter smells nutty, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and continue swirling the pan until the butter is a rich brown, about 15 seconds longer.

In a large pot, cook down the marshmallows over medium-low heat, stirring with a wooden spoon until completely melted, about 7-10 minutes.

Turn off the heat and remove pot from the stove.

Stir in the browned butter.

Spray a silicone spatula with cooking spray on both sides. Stir in the cereal.

Scrape into prepared pan and press down lightly into an even layer. (If necessary, spray hands with cooking spray hands to press mixture flat.)

Let cool/set completely, about one hour. Cut into squares or bars.