My mom always made the best Rice Crispy Treats– me, not so much. It’s taken approximately 33 years to make a treat that rivals hers. I know, you’re probably reading this and thinking, just follow the directions on the back of the box, and there you go. But my mom’s are great– gooey, chewy, sometimes they have chocolate chips mixed in. Maybe it was just that I thought mine sucked, that made hers all the better.
Her recipe is not a secret. She would tell me that she just used more butter, a whole bag of mini marshmallows, and however much cereal she liked. And she worked fast. Getting the rice crispy goo into the pan in a speedy fashion was key.
So this week I decided to give the Rice Crispy Treat another try. But never one to leave well enough alone, I modernized the treat with the addition of brown butter, and a little extra salt. And these cereal bars were, in one word, amazing. And addictive. There’s another word for you!
I did as my mother told me, and I added more butter– in this case, a lot more butter. While I suppose you can make Rice Crispy Treats with just a few tablespoons, I wanted this to be a rich dessert, redolent of brown butter– so I added a stick. I slowly browned the butter, waited until it got that nutty aroma, and that warm brown tone, tossed in some kosher salt, and melted an entire bag of mini marshmallows.
The marshmallows made a lustrous creme, I chucked in the cereal, and coated each piece of cereal in the goo. Working quickly, I pressed the cereal into the pan. Then I upped the ante by sprinkling the top with a bit of Maldon salt.
While these weren’t the Rice Crispy Treats I grew up with, they maybe… just maybe, were better. They were Rice Crispy Treats plus. Sweet, salty, delicious, oh! and I almost forgot to say, SO easy to “bake.” They take just a few minutes to have a little piece of decadence.
Brown Butter Rice Crispy Treats
If you choose to sprinkle Maldon, or fleur de sel on the top of these treats, as I did, I would cut down on the use of kosher salt in the marshmallow goo to 1/8 teaspoon. If you’d like to omit the Maldon, use 1/4 teaspoon.
1 stick unsalted butter
1 10-12 ounce bag mini marshmallows
1/8-1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
6 cups crispy rice cereal
sprinkling of Maldon salt (optional)
Lightly grease a 9-inch pan. Set aside.
In a light-bottomed pot over medium heat, melt butter. Continue to cook, swirling the pan occasionally, until butter begins to brown, and emits a nutty aroma, about 5-7 minutes. Turn off the heat. Add the marshmallows, and stir, until melted smooth. There should be enough residual heat in the pan to do this.
Add the cereal, stirring well to completely coat. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan, and working quickly, press the cereal together, and evenly into the pan. If using, sprinkle the surface of the treats with Maldon. Wait until cooled, about 1 hour, and enjoy.
