These are the BEST tried and true Brown Butter Rice Krispie Treats! The brown butter adds a caramelized flavor and the salt adds so much flavor. These are SOFT Rice Krispies with the most perfect texture!
Brown Butter Rice Krispie Treats
Rice Krispie Treats are my all-time favorite kid-friendly dessert. You know the desserts that just remind you of all the best things in your childhood? That’s what a bite of a really great Rice Krispie Treat does for me. So nostalgic. So good.
This is my favorite recipe (and I’ve tried to many variations!). It’s soft, full of flavor from the brown butter and salt, and has these perfect pockets of marshmallows from adding the mini marshmallows in. It’s literally the best.
I love Rice Krispie Treats so much. Even though these Brown Butter Rice Krispie Treats are my all-time favorite, I also love making special ones for the holidays. Be sure to check out my Christmas Rice Krispie Treats, these Halloween Rice Krispie Treats, and these adorable Easter Rice Krispie Treats. They’re all so festive!
How To Make It
The most important step is to brown the butter. Start by melting the butter over medium heat, stirring it occasionally. Once it foams, you’ll know you’re close, so don’t walk away! It goes from brown to burned quickly. Keep stirring it, and once it smells nutty, it’s finished. It should take about 5 minutes total.
Next, you’ll stir in the bigger marshmallows. I like to stop stirring when about half of the marshmallows look totally melted. If you keep melting them, you can take it too far and lose all the air from the marshmallows. If you do that your Rice Krispies will be hard and they won’t be fluffy. Stopping when they’re half melted is my secret tip to make sure I always get perfectly soft treats.
Add the vanilla, salt, and crispy rice cereal. Stir until the cereal is evenly coated, then quickly fold in the mini marshmallows. You want to move really quickly once the mini marshmallows are added so they don’t melt too much.
Transfer the coated cereal to a parchment paper lined dish, and let it rest for an hour before cutting it into squares.
Why Did They Get Hard?
If your Rice Krispie Treats are hard, you either used too many marshmallows, not enough cereal, or you cooked the marshmallows for too long before adding the cereal.
What Can You Substitute For Butter?
You can use canola oil, vegetable oil, or coconut oil. If you’re going to use oil instead of butter, make sure to stir the marshmallows until they’re almost totally melted before mixing the cereal in.
How To Store Them
Store them in an airtight container for up to 2 days. You can also freeze them for up to 6 weeks in an airtight container (just be sure to separate the layers with wax or parchment paper).
Optional Variations
- Sweetened Condensed Milk: You can add half of a cup after the butter melts.
- Bourbon: Add a splash at the same time as the vanilla.
- Oreos: Add some crushed Oreo pieces in at the same time as the cereal.
- Pretzels: I think this would be incredible – I’m all about that sweet and salty flavor combo. Try adding crushed pretzels at the same time as the cereal.
- Chocolate: You can stir in white chocolate, dark chocolate, or milk chocolate chips at the same time as you add the mini marshmallows.
- Vanilla Bean: If you love vanilla, it would be amazing to use vanilla bean paste in this recipe.
- Sea Salt: Try sprinkling some flaky sea salt on top of the treats!
- Peanut Butter: Stir some into the melted marshmallow and butter mixture.
Keep In Touch
I’d love to hear what you thought of this recipe in the comments or on Instagram! @KeyToMyLime #KeyToMyLime
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Dessert Recipes
If you like this recipe be sure to check out our entire dessert recipe section! We’re all about easy desserts, so I’m sure you’ll find a foolproof dessert that you’ll love.
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Brown Butter Rice Krispie Treats Recipe
These are the BEST tried and true Brown Butter Rice Krispie Treats! The brown butter adds a caramelized flavor and the salt adds so much flavor. These are SOFT Rice Krispies with the most perfect texture!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 1 (10 ounce) bag marshmallows
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Heaping 1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 6 cups Rice Krispies or crispy rice cereal
- 2 cups mini marshmallows
Instructions
- Grease a 9 x 13 baking dish and line it with parchment paper with two edges hanging over opposite sides. Set the dish to the side.
- In a large nonstick skillet or pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Continue to stir the butter occasionally after it’s melted, and keep a close eye on it. Once it foams and has a nutty aroma, it’s finished browning (about 5 minutes total).
- Add in the marshmallows and use a silicone spatula to stir until it’s combined. When you’re mixing the marshmallows into the butter, be sure to stop when only about half of the marshmallows look totally melted - that’s how you end up with soft and fluffy Rice Krispie Treats. The rest will melt as you mix the crispy rice cereal in. If you keep mixing until the marshmallows look totally melted, you’ll lose a lot of the air in the marshmallows, which leaves you with hard and dense Rice Krispies.
- Add in the vanilla and salt, and stir to combine. Pour in the crispy rice cereal and mix to evenly coat the cereal with the marshmallow coating. Add in the mini marshmallows and stir just enough to combine. If you stir too long the mini marshmallows will melt into the Rice Krispie Treats.
- Transfer the crispy rice cereal and marshmallow mixture to the 9 x 13 dish. Use a greased piece of parchment paper to spread it out to an even thickness and press it into place.
- Let the Rice Krispies rest for 1 hour (30 minutes at a minimum), then use the two parchment paper handles to transfer the cereal and marshmallow bars to a cutting board. Cut into even squares.
Notes
Storage: Store in an airtight container for up to 2 days.
Freezing Instructions: Store squares separated by wax or parchment paper in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 6 weeks.
This recipe can easily be adapted to be gluten free, but you'll need to use all certified gluten free ingredients (be especially sure to double check that the cereal you're using is certified gluten free).
Nutrition Information:
Serving Size:
1/20Amount Per Serving: Calories: 262Total Fat: 9.4gCarbohydrates: 44.7gNet Carbohydrates: 44.5gFiber: 0.2gSugar: 22.7gProtein: 2.1g
Nutrition information isn’t always accurate.
These are the best ever salted Brown Butter Rice Krispie Treats! This soft rice crispies will be a hit with everyone.
1 thought on “Brown Butter Rice Krispie Treats Recipe”
There is a lot of moisture loss when you brown butter that would ordinarily help to keep the Treats soft. One thing you can do is to add a ¼ to one teaspoon of corn syrup to the marshmallow melt. If you add too much it will not set up, however, so less is more in this case.