Best Brown Butter Rice Krispie Treats Recipe
Bring your classic rice krispie treats to the next level with these Brown Butter Rice Krispie Treats! Brown Butter and a little sea salt turn these into literally the best rice krispie treats ever. Caramel-y, sweet, and nutty with the perfect lil’ touch of salty, buttery flavor. SO good!
Rice Krispie treats are a beloved classic. And for good reason–that gooey, crispy, and marshmallowy goodness is hard to resist. Plus, it’s such an easy recipe, anyone can make it. But if you want to make rice krispie treats even better, you need to make them with brown butter. Brown butter adds deeply satisfying nuttiness and sea salt perfectly balances out all the sweetness. These are a classier version of the original and I’m all about it. Let’s make them!
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Ingredients
Brown Butter Rice Krispie Treats
- Rice Krispies cereal – The generic crispy rice cereal you find at your local grocery store will work just as well! Puffed rice cereal, on the other hand, is different and won’t work as well.
- Salted butter – You can also use unsalted butter. I mostly keep salted butter on hand and usually prefer it in sweet treats, but unsalted works just as well.
- 1 bag of marshmallows (10 oz) – I prefer mini marshmallows as they melt more evenly.
- Vanilla extract – You can also use vanilla bean paste in place of vanilla extract.
- A pinch of sea salt, plus more for topping
How to make brown butter rice krispie treats
Start by making the brown butter: Melt butter over medium heat in a large pot. Keep a close eye on it, stirring frequently. As the butter melts, it will go through various stages; melting, foaming, and finally, turning golden brown with a nutty aroma. It will have little darker flecks of browned butter on the bottom of the pan. This process takes about 5-7 minutes. Remove it from the heat as soon as you see the little brown flecks in the bottom of the pan.
Next, remove the browned butter from the heat and stir in the pinch of salt and vanilla. Then, add the marshmallows. Stir for 1 minute, then place it back on the burner you used, but keep it off. It should melt as you stir without turning the heat back on, but you can turn it back on low if it needs some encouragement.
Once the marshmallows are fully melted, remove the pot from the heat and stir the rice krispie cereal into the marshmallow mixture.
Once fully combined, use a wooden spoon or a rubber spatula to scrape the mixture into a greased, 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Press the rice krispie mixture into the prepared pan with buttered hands so it doesn’t stick to your fingers. Use the bottom of a measuring cup to make an even layer.
Allow the treats to cool in the fridge for 30 minutes before cutting and serving!
Sprinkle with flaky sea salt before serving!
Storage Instructions
Once rice krispie treats have cooled, store them in an airtight container on the counter for up to 3 days at room temperature, 2 weeks in the fridge, and up to 3 months in the freezer.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
The nutty brown butter flavor of these rice krispie treats is hard to beat. With one little extra step, we turn one of the most nostalgic childhood treats into something special. And, it’s a great last minute dessert because it’s such a simple recipe. That’s why it’s one of my favorite recipes to add to Christmas cookie gift boxes!
Tried this Brown Butter Rice Krispie Treats Recipe?
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Try these other rice krispie treat recipes
Brown Butter Rice Krispie Treats
The most delicious rice krispie treats because they are made with brown butter and topped with flaky sea salt. The brown butter is a simple yet impactful change to a classic rice krispie that will blow your mind.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 7 minutes
- Total Time: 12 minutes
- Yield: 12 treats 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 6 cups krispie rice cereal
- 1/2 cup salted butter (one stick)
- 1 10 oz bag mini marshmallows
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- sea salt
Instructions
- Grease a 9 x 13 inch baking pan with butter and set aside.
- Add the butter to a large stock pot over medium heat. Stir frequently and watch as the butter starts to foam. Shortly after you will start to see little brown flecks in the bottom of the pan. Remove from heat once you see those flecks.
- Add vanilla, pinch of sea salt and the marshmallows. Place the pot back on the burner you used (heat still off) and stir until marshmallows are melted. If they don’t seem to be melting fully you can turn the heat back on low until they do. Just make sure to stir constantly.
- Once marshmallows are melted, remove the pot from the heat and add the cereal. Stir until fully combined.
- Scrape the mixture in the greased baking dish and press the mixture down firmly with greased fingers. Using the bottom of a measuring cup to press down is helpful to achieve an even, flat top.
- Place in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before serving. Sprinkle with more sea salt once set.
