Brown Butter Rice Crispy Treats- a childhood favorite but with a brown butter twist. It's sticky, gooey and buttery with speckles of brown butter for the perfect touch.
Rice crispies are a comfort snack perfect anytime of the day and something I can truly never get tired of. It's simple, requires no baking and takes just a couple of minutes to whip up! Adding browned butter to this classic rice krispie treat is life changing and you may just never go back to normal rice Krispy treats. Who knew that such an easy treat could be so amazing.
But if you're thinking do, I really need a recipe to make rice crispies? Yes, you do! The wrong ratios can make a bad rice crispy whether you believe it or not. My first time making rice crispy treats wasn't great and I always wondered why mine didn't taste like others and I figured out it was because I wasn't following the right ratios and just mixing it all together and it was a little bit too dry. And now I've made this recipe plenty of times with and without the brown butter and always get star rating.
Why you'll love these brown butter rice crispies:
- Not overly sweet- Store bought rice crispies are overly sweet and I find that I can only enjoy one before having a sugar overload.
- Buttery- So buttery and delicious it'll change your idea of what childhood rice crispies are
- Brown Butter- Brings nutty brown butter flavor and aroma with a depth of flavor and honestly takes it to the next level. I personally think that the butter also makes the rice crispies not so sweet, it is an extra step but worth it. See here to learn more about How to make brown butter.
- Fast- Great last minute dessert for potluck that doesn't require ton of time
Brown Butter Rice crispy treats ingredients:
- Rice crispy cereal- Use any brand of puffed rice cereal, they do make the rice crispy treats taste differently depending on brand used.
- Marshmallows- I like a blend of big marshmallows and minis. I wanted to create a recipe that used a whole bag of marshmallows, so this recipe calls for 1 bag of big marshmallows (16 ounces bags) and one bag (10 ounce bag) of mini marshmallows. Try not to skip out on the mini marshmallows as they help create a gooey rice crispy treat.
- Butter- use unsalted butter, I used Kerry gold butter which created a buttery flavor
- Vanilla- A splash of vanilla makes the difference in flavor. I also love to use vanilla bean paste.
Let's make Brown Butter Rice Crispy Treats:
Line your 8x8 pan with a piece of parchment paper set to the side until needed.
In a large pot or Dutch oven add your butter and cook on medium heat. Melt butter and then reduce to medium-low heat. Swirl the pan and scrap the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon every once in a while.
The melted butter will begin to foam and there will be a nutty aroma. You'll start to see small brown particles on the bottom of the pan. Don't walk away! Once the brown specks turn a bit browner you can take it off the heat.
Add in the marshmallows.
Stir the marshmallows until it melts and then add in the vanilla extract.
Stir in the cereal until the marshmallows completely coat the cereal.
And then add the remaining marshmallows.
Pour the rice crispy mixture into the prepared pan
Slightly press the rice crispy down with a buttered or rubber spatula with nonstick cooking spray to create an even layer.
Let the brown butter rice crispy treats set for at least one hour before cutting.
Storage:
Rice crispy treats can be stored in an airtight container for up to 5 days at room temperature.
To create extra nutty brown butter rice crispy treats:
A small and simple secret ingredient is adding one tablespoon of milk powder to the brown butter right when you start to see specks forming. This creates more milk solids and there's more brown specks creating a more brown butter rice crispy.
Make ahead:
I love to make these ahead of time the night before. Just make them plastic wrap and then the next day you can cut and enjoy them
Brown butter Rice Crispy Variations:
- Make these rice crispy treats a birthday celebration by adding some rainbow sprinkles before pressing the top down.
- Use different cereals like fruity pebbles, cocoa pebbles, and cheerios to create different cereal treats
- Fold in m&m's, chopped Oreos and chocolate chips
- Add in some matcha powder for a fun twist
- Dip or drizzle in some white chocolate coating melts and add some sprinkles for a baby shower or celebration
- Incorporate some peanut butter into the marshmallow mixture to make peanut butter rice krispie treats
Tips to making brown butter rice crispies:
Don't use old or expired cereal, it will make your rice crispies stale
Follow the recipe, I know this is obvious but adding too much cereal can make the rice crispy treats dry and not gooey
-old rice crispy cereal
- you allowed the butter marshmallow mixture to get too hot and it cooked the rice crispy cereal
Yes certainly!
The extra marshmallows add to the gooeyness of the rice crispy treats, allowing you to have pockets of mini marshmallows in your brown butter rice crispy treats.
Yes just make sure you have a bowl or pot big enough to mix it all.
Aluminum foil will work just fine! Grease the foil before adding the rice crispies to prevent sticking.
Looking for more brown butter recipes?
If you've made these brown butter rice crispy treats make sure to tag us @ofjensweets on instagram,
I would also love and appreciate it if you took the time to leave a comment below! Thank you so much!
Brown Butter Rice Crispy Treats
Ingredients
- 10 tablespoon Unsalted butter
- 16 oz Marshmallows
- 6 cups Rice Crispy Cereal
- 2 Cups Mini Marshmallows
Instructions
- Line your 8x8 pan with a piece of parchment paper set to the side until needed.
- In a large pot or Dutch oven add your butter and cook on medium heat. Melt butter and then reduce to medium-low heat. Swirl the pan and scrap the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon every once in a while.
- The melted butter will begin to foam and there will be a nutty aroma. You'll start to see small brown particles on the bottom of the pan. Don't walk away! Once the brown specks turn a bit browner you can take it off the heat.
- Add in the marshmallows. Stir the marshmallows until it melts and then add in the vanilla extract.
- Stir in the cereal until the marshmallows completely coat the cereal and then add the remaining marshmallows.
- Pour the rice crispy mixture into the prepared pan and then slightly press the rice crispy down with a buttered or rubber spatula with nonstick cooking spray to create an even layer.
- Let the brown butter rice crispy treats set for at least one hour before cutting.
