Salted brown butter rice crispy treats

Buttery, sweet, gooey and a little salty - these rice crispy treats are better than any I've been able to buy at a store and are sure to be your go to rice crispy treat recipe!

While I'm not a big marshmallow fan, my husband is marshmallow obsessed and absolutely loves rice crispy treats, really anything with marshmallows or fluff. This recipe though is something we were both completely in love with so even if you are not typically a rice crispy treat fan I know you'll love this recipe.

This recipe starts out by browning your butter. First you'll melt your butter, then it will begin to bubble and make loud, crackling or popping noises, and then you'll see a foamy layer form on the top and the milk solids will begin to brown and you'll smell a nutty aroma. At this point your butter is browned, and you'll continue on in the process.

Since this is a salted brown butter rice crispy treat, this recipe calls for salted butter. I absolutely love the Vital Farms salted butter as it has a high butterfat content which means there is more butter leftover when browning. Any salted butter will work great but know that is the brand I used here.

An important part of successful baking is often measuring out ingredients before you get started. With a recipe like this, it's even more important. You want everything to remain hot while you're working through the steps, so measuring out your cereal and marshmallows before you start and even preparing your square pan will help enable you to move with speed.

For the best rice crispy treat, I think it's important to use two types of marshmallows. The jumbo marshmallows for melting into your butter mixture because they have the best chewy texture. And then the mini marshmallows that are added at the end will only slightly melt into your mixture and give delicious marshmallowy bites throughout your treats.

Ingredients:

• 12oz (340g) jumbo marshmallows

• 3oz (87g, about 1 1/2 cups) mini marshmallows

• 6 cups (160g) puffed rice cereal

• 12 tablespoons (170g) salted butter

• 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste (or extract)

• Optional: flaky sea salt for finishing 

Active time: 20 minutes

Chill time: About 2 hours

Equipment:

• 9x9 square pan (or 8x8)

• Parchment paper

• Nonstick, heavy bottomed pot

• Rubber spatula

Cooking instructions:

Measure out your jumbo marshmallows, mini marshmallows and cereal, and set aside in three separate bowls.

Prepare your square pan, lining it with parchment paper on all sides - you'll want this to be ready to go for later.

Place your butter into your nonstick pot, on the stovetop over a low to medium heat. Once your butter melts, it will bubble and you'll hear it begin to crackle. Continue to stir the melted butter and watch it carefully as it can burn easily. You can bring your heat to medium at this point. The top will get foamy and you'll start to smell a nutty aroma (you'll know it when it happens). Once you see the color begin to turn to a light brown color, turn your heat off but keep the pot on the stove. Keep moving through the next steps with speed.

Add your large marshmallows into your browned butter and stir using your rubber spatula to melt your marshmallows and combine. If your marshmallows aren't melting completely, you can turn your stove back on at the lowest heat, continuously stirring until combined. Once your marshmallows have melted into your browned butter, you can remove your pot from the heat.

Stir in your vanilla extract and vanilla bean. Sprinkle in your salt - 1/4 teaspoon at minimum, and 1/2 teaspoon if you like your sweets a bit saltier. Stir to combine.

Next, add in your cereal. Continue to stir until your cereal is evenly coated with your butter and marshmallow mixture, being sure to reach into the edges of your pot.

Finally, pour in your mini marshmallows and continue to stir until your marshmallows have been evenly dispersed and your cereal is perfectly coated.

Into your lined pan, pour your rice crispy treat mixture. Use your spatula to press your mixture evenly across the pan, being sure to reach into the corners and pressing down firmly. You can also use a butter sheet or measuring cup here to help smooth and press your bars down. Move with some speed here while your mixture is still hot and malleable. If you'd like, at this point you can sprinkle on some flaky sea salt across the top.

Allow your rice crispy treats to cool for about an hour or two. Once cooled, remove from your pan carefully, use a sharp knife to cut into 16 squares, and enjoy!

These will taste their best within about three days, but will still taste delicious if stored in an airtight container for up to 5-7 days. If you need to stack the bars when storing, use parchment paper in between the layers to avoid sticking.

Carb and serving info:  

Carbs per serving (1 of 16): 32

Carbs for full recipe: 505

Carbs from large marshmallows: 288

Carbs from mini marshmallows: 72

Carbs from cereal: 144

Note: Carb information is calculated based on the specific ingredients I used to cook with to help guide my own insulin to carb ratio when dosing before I eat my home cooked recipes.