When I was a kid, I remember my mom making Rice Crispy Treats when it was time for my twin brother and I to take birthday treats to school. Our birthday is the day before Valentine’s day, so I remember the treats being studded with spicy cinnamon red hots in the muddled shape of hearts. I’m pretty sure that this was in second or third grade because it is coupled together with the memory of my Dad and Stepmom bringing their new dalmatian puppy into our classrooms to celebrate our birthdays in serious style. I’m sure there were years of brownies, cupcakes, and lemon bars, but I only remember the Rice Crispy Treats.
As someone who doesn’t love, or even really like chocolate, I always gravitate towards the caramel, sugar cookie, Rice Crispy Treat side of the dessert table. Rice Crispy Treats seem like such a “kid dessert”. You might go to a friend’s house for dinner and have chocolate soufflé, or a delicious pie or gallette for dessert, but never in my adult life have I had Rice Crispy Treats served to a group of adults. Which sadly means that as an adult you rarely come across a gooey, sticky, sweet tray of Rice Crispy Treats, and that is a real shame. Sure, they’re around at kids’ birthday parties and Halloween parties, but what would be the harm in making up a batch of Rice Crispy Treats to your book club, or to dinner at a friend’s when you’re asked (or volunteer) to make dessert? Nothing! There is no harm in that at all… especially when the Rice Crispy Treats in question are made with rich, nutty, fragrant browned butter, heavenly roasted marshmallows, and a hefty sprinkling of fleur de sel!
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I started toying around with my “grown up” version of Rice Crispy Treats a couple years ago and I think I’ve gotten down to the exact, perfect recipe. You’d be amazed at how many different ways a recipe with only four ingredients can go, particularly in regards to the Rice Krispies to marshmallow ratio. My neighbors have been the recipients of a heck of a lot of Rice Crispy Treats test batches over the last couple of years!
I tend to like my Rice Crispy Treats a little more on the gooey side, so I have a more marshmallows to cereal in my recipe, but if you like yours a little firmer you can add an extra 1/2 oz – 1oz of cereal to yours. The key to this recipe is only roasting half of the marshmallows. If you roast them all it changes the consistency of the treats and makes them tough; roasting half gives you that lovely burnt, toasted sugar flavor while the un-roasted marshmallows keep the treats soft and melt-in-your-mouth-y.
These treats would be a wonderful addition to your holiday gatherings, and I promise they’ll be devoured by kids and grownups alike. They only take about ten minutes to make so they’re perfect for throwing together when you’re oven and stovetop have a full dance card. I also should mention they’re amazing in the morning with a cup of piping hot coffee… and you know how I feel about desserts that double as breakfast! This recipe makes enough for a large 9×13 inch pan, if you cut it in half (which I don’t recommend because you’ll probably regret it) you can use a 9X9 inch pan.
BROWN BUTTER ROASTED MARSHMALLOW SALTED RICE CRISPY TREATS
Ingredients.
9 oz. Rice Krispies cereal (about 8.5 cups)
20 oz. marshmallows
2 sticks unsalted butter, browned
2 tsp fleur de sel (1 1/2 tsp mixed in, 1/2 tsp on top)
non-stick spray
Directions.
Measure out the Rice Krispies cereal, toss it with 1 1/2 teaspoons of fleur de sel, and set it aside.
Spray or lightly butter a 13×9 inch dish.
Line a roasting sheet with parchment paper and spray it with non-stick spray. Spread 1/2 of the marshmallows out in a single layer and place them on the middle rack in a cold oven. Set the other half of the marshmallows aside.
Turn the oven broiler on at 450oF. Keep a close eye on them while you brown your butter. Pull them from the oven as soon as the top layer of the marshmallows is a deep, golden brown. The marshmallows take about 5 minutes to roast.
Place two sticks of butter in a large, heavy bottomed metal pot and melt the butter over medium heat. Once it begins to foam and sizzle reduce the heat to medium-low. The foam will subside leaving you with separated butter. It will look perfectly clear. Continue to stir. The butter will begin to foam up again and will quickly begin to turn a toasty brown color. When it smells amazing and turns a beautiful, deep brown hue, turn off the burner and quickly add in the un-roasted marshmallows and stir to melt them into the butter.
Your roasted marshmallows should be done roasting at this point. Pull them from the oven, carefully pick up the edges of the parchment and slide the marshmallows straight into the pot. Stir until all the marshmallows are totally melted. If needed you can turn the burner to low to add additional heat to help the process along.
Add in the cereal and salt and mix the whole delicious mess together until well combined. Dump it all into the greased dish and using wet hands (or the back of a wet wooden spoon) quickly, carefully, and gently press the hot mixture evenly into the dish. Sprinkle with another half teaspoon of the salt and let cool to room temperature. Once cooled you can serve them immediately or cover them with plastic wrap and they’ll keep for a couple days… but, honestly, you probably won’t have any left for more than 24 hours.
PRINTABLE RECIPE.
BROWN BUTTER ROASTED MARSHMALLOW SALTED RICE CRISPY TREATS
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