Toasted Rice Krispies Treats Recipe

Whoever came up with the combination of butter, marshmallows, and rice cereal, you are a wonder. For those of you that want/need to bring something homemade to a potluck or if you don't want to show up empty handed to holiday parties but feel like you don't know anything about baking, this recipe is for you; just get the red & green Rice Krispies to make them extra festive without any extra effort! I had those in my grocery order but they mistakenly picked regular old plain ones. I guess that's the tradeoff for grocery shopping without leaving your couch.

This recipe takes basic Rice Krispies Treats to the next level with a couple additional prep steps and a little salt. Instead of just melting the butter, we're taking it a step further and creating brown butter.

Brown butter is made by taking butter past the melting point, past the foaming point, and to the point where the milk solids within the butter toast over the heat, creating an amber brown color and a rich, nutty flavor. Since we have to use the butter to keep the marshmallows from turning to cement anyway, why not coax out all the flavor we can in the process? 

Another step we'll take is to stick the marshmallows under the broiler for a couple minutes until they begin to puff up and turn toasty brown. Again, it's all about using each ingredient to our advantage and building the flavor before assembling.

The final upgrade to these treats is a generous sprinkle of coarse sea salt after pressing them into the pan. The salt pulls everything together and helps to intensify the toasted flavor. These are the perfect winter treat to enjoy with a mug of hot cocoa.

Toasted Marshmallow Brown Butter Rice Krispies Treats Recipe
Makes 16 bars (2" squares)

Ingredients:
4 tbsp unsalted butter
10 oz marshmallows
1 tbsp water or liqueur
6 cups Rice Krispies cereal
1 tsp coarse sea salt

Preheat broiler to low heat. Melt butter on stovetop over low heat until browned. Line a sheet pan in buttered parchment paper and spread marshmallows into an even layer. Place under broiler, turning pan every 30-60 seconds until marshmallows are evenly browned. Remove from the oven and mix marshmallows into butter and water until combined. Add cereal, and gently fold until all cereal is coated.

Turn out into a parchment lined 8x8 square pan and press into an even layer. Sprinkle salt and gently press so that it sticks to the top. Cover and let set at room temperature for at least 3 hours until completely cooled, then cut into 16 even 2" squares.

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Step 1: Brown Butter

Brown butter is basically just a fancy term for super melted butter. All you have to do is add your butter to a preferably light colored pan over low heat and stir it. The light color will let you monitor the browning so it doesn't burn.

For this recipe, use 4 tbsp (half a stick) of butter. Also, you need to use real butter (which you should always use in everything you make) in order to get brown butter. Margarine will not work the same since it doesn't contain the milk solids that butter has, and that's where the brown comes from. 

The butter will go through a bubbly state at first once it's all melted, which is when the excess water is evaporating out so we're left with just the fat. Once that water is gone, you'll see white swirls of foam. Do not leave the pan unattended at this point. This is when the butter begins to brown, and it can go from brown to burnt within seconds if you're not careful.

You'll notice the color changing from pale yellow to dark yellow, then to an amber color. I usually let it go just a minute past when it starts to turn amber, and keep the butter moving the whole time to prevent any solids from falling to the bottom of the pan and burning. Turn off the heat once you reach a deep amber color and set aside. 

Step 2: Toast Marshmallows

Preheat the broiler to high heat. Line a baking sheet with greased parchment paper and add 10 oz of marshmallows in a single layer. Place under the broiler and cook for a minute until you notice the tops of the marshmallows starting to brown, then flip them to make sure they brown evenly.

I leave the oven door open the entire time they toast and watch them to make sure they don't catch fire. If you've ever toasted a marshmallow over a campfire, you know how quickly it can go from, "wow, look how perfectly toasted my marshmallow is!" to a lump of black coal. Once everything is toasty brown, remove from the oven and add to your brown butter. 

Step 3: Mix

Fold the butter and marshmallows together until it creates a goopy, friendly bond. Add 1 tbsp water (or liqueur if you're 21 or older, sharing these with people 21 or older, and feeling cute). When we created the brown butter, we also boiled out the water we need to give the treats their trademark chewy texture.

You'll see all the delicious brown bits from your butter and the toasted parts of your marshmallows stand out against the white marshmallow. That's alllll flavor. Now add in 6 cups of cereal and gently fold everything together until no loose Krispies remain in the bottom of the pan.

Step 4: Press

Line an 8x8 square pan with parchment paper and turn out your treats mixture into it. Rip off a small corner of parchment to prevent the mixture from sticking to your fingers, and gently press the top into an even layer. Take about 1 tsp of coarse sea salt (or any salt you have available) and sprinkle it over the whole top, then gently press so that it sticks to the treats.

Cover and let set at room temperature for at least 3 hours until completely cooled. Do not refrigerate them to try and speed up the process - that will make them hard as a rock. 

Step 5: Cut

Lift the block of cooled treats out of the pan and onto a cutting board. Use a long serrated knife (I know this knife is outrageous but I love it) to cut into 16 even squares (cut in half, then cut each half in half, and repeat horizontally).

Stack on a platter to create a tower, facing the cut parts toward the outside and the edges hidden inside. Be creative with decorations for the holiday; layer candy canes, Hershey's Kisses, or even some simple slice-and-bake or store bought cookies to make them look homemade, too!