Salted Brown Butter Rice Krispie Treats

In general, I try to stay away from the processed foods. However, these little treats are worth the occasional wander into the isles of  prepackaged food. I have always loved rice krispie treats but this recipe from Smitten Kitchen just takes them to a new level. There is something about the nutty caramel flavor of brown butter that I just adore and  combined with the touch of salt and marshmallows- a winning combo!  This was actually the first recipe that I used brown butter in and since then I have discovered many other great brown butter recipes, including, these delicious brown butter snickerdoodles.

 
And here is my little secret (maybe not anymore) about rice krispie treats.  When they are in the pan and still warm and soft I can sneak a piece and then just press the remaining rice krispie treats to fill the gap and no one ever knows. And you can continue to do this until they are so cool they can’t be pressed anymore (not guilty of this one)! Anyway…… just give these a try, they are worth the teensy bit of extra effort they take. If you want to make them a little healthier, you can buy organic brown rice krispies without all the additives and these work great too. I strongly encourage the addition of the sea salt the recipe calls for as it really compliments the amazing flavor of the browned butter!

Salted Brown Butter Rice Krispie Treats

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Ingredients

  

• 1/2 cup 1 stick of unsalted butter cut into 8 pieces
• 10 oz bag marshmallows
• 1/4 tsp of coarse sea salt heaping
• 6 cups Rice Krispies

Instructions

 

• Butter a 9 x13 pan
• In a large pot (large enough to add marshmallows and rice krispies) melt the butter over medium low heat,stirring occasionally. Once melted, continue to cook, stirring constantly. The butter will foam, the foam will subside a bit, then the butter will begin to go from golden to brown and smell nutty. Make sure you stir up any browned bits that form during the cooking. When it smells nutty and is brown it is done, quickly remove from heat .(The butter can go from brown to burnt quickly so keep a close eye on it and remove from the heat right away.)
• As soon as the butter is browned and off the heat, stir in the marshmallows until melted. If you use the large marshmallows or they aren't melting put the pot back over low heat and stir until they are melted.
• Stir in the rice krispies and the salt until evenly combined and all the rice krispies are coated.
• Scrape them out into the prepared pan and press evenly into the pan with a spatula ( let cool for a minute then sneak a piece and press them again to fill the pan 🙂 )

Notes

If you want thicker rice krispie treats, use an 8 or 9 inch square pan instead. I find them easier for the kids to eat when thinner.

Adapted from Smitten Kitchen