brown butter rice krispie treats;

Fresh, homemade rice krispie treats are an underrated treat in my opinion. Fresh, soft, and chewy, with just a little of that snap crackle pop. But these are more than just your average marshmallow rice treat. Salted brown butter Rice Krispie treats make for a gourmet version of this chocolate treat!

One of my friends ordered an amazing brown butter Rice Krispie treat and wanted to try to recreate it at home! And this is the result, a nicely salted, nutty, brown brown butter gooey crispy rice treat.

The key of course, is the brown butter. It’s in the name brown butter Rice Krispie treats so of course it’s important! Have you made brown butter before? Once you’ve done it once or twice, it’s not that hard. But when you haven’t done it before it’s intimidating to recognize when the butter is done. It usually takes about 3 minutes when I do it. Here are the steps to watch out for:

• The butter melts. I should think this is obvious. This is around the point where I add the salt.
• The butter starts to boil and will crackle. Keep going.
• The crackling will fade out and the butter will take on an amber color. Usually some of the salt and butter will collect into brown bits and it’ll start smelling “toasty” and “nutty” and delicious.
• I usually give it 15-30 more seconds and then remove it from the heat and start adding -half the marshmallows, which will also help cool it down a bit. I stir, off the heat for a while. Once those have started melting and forming a blobby mass I’ll add the rest of the marshmallows and pop the pan back over low heat. Continuous stirring is key until it’s melted and smooth! Then you can move on to adding the puffed rice.

Speaking of marshmallows, I always go for name brand marshmallows. A lot of times generic store brand items are just as good as the name brand ones. I, however have had enough experiences buying store brand marshmallows that they’re off my list now. It’s worth the few extra cents to grab the jet puffed Kraft marshmallows. There’s nothing awful about store brand taste-wise, they just don’t melt properly. They tend to gum up and not distribute evenly which is important for brown butter Rice Krispie treats.

Then comes the salt. If you only have table salt available, scale back the salt to a heaping teaspoon. Table salt is much finer than kosher salt and if you’re using it, don’t overpower your flavors. Kosher salt has bigger grains so is recommended, but my favorite is actually this Icelandic birch salt. We discovered it in Iceland, and you can read about our amazing trip here! The birch flavor adds just an extra subtle complex flavor to so many dishes and is a staple in our household. Of course if you’re looking for an option close to home, kosher salt will work perfectly in these brown butter Rice Krispie treats.

These brown butter Rice Krispie treats are amazing on their own, but you know I can’t resist a chocolate drizzle. It’s easy to add, just melt some coconut oil and chocolate chips and drizzle away! Keep in mind that while the drizzle is intended to firm up at room temperature, hot summer months can keep it a little soft. You can help them set with a short stint in the fridge. I like to pop these treats in the fridge or freezer and then let them come to room temp for eating.

secrets to success:

• Don’t be shy about getting the brown in your butter! Read my tips above for step by step instructions and what to look for in each step.
• My favorite salt to use in this recipe is Icelandic birch smoked salt. We discovered it on our Iceland trip and it’s been a kitchen staple since. The more accessible version is kosher salt. If you only have table salt available, then dial back the salt to about 1/2 a tsp since it’s finer and will be extra salty.
• These treats last surprisingly well in the freezer. Wrap them up individually and let them sit out to bring to room temp to chow down (otherwise they’ll break your teeth). This also makes them great to pack for lunches!

Looking for other lunchbox snack ideas?

• Banana bread cookies make for a perfect healthful breakfast or snack on the go.
• A classic dessert everyone will love in their lunchbox is Twix cookies or for a healthful version try these healthful twix cookie bars.
• For a salty sweet treat try these cookie dough pretzel bites.