Brown Butter Rice Krispies Treats

by Sabrina Snyder

Published on

11 Comments

5 from 2 votes
16
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
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Brown Butter Rice Krispies are the best gooey, buttery crispy treats! Chewy bars made with crispy rice cereal, toasty browned butter, and marshmallows.

Rice Krispie Treats are one of the easiest Snack Bar Recipes you can make! This twist on classic rice cereal bars is simple but adds so much depth of flavor!

Brown Butter Rice Krispies Treats

BROWN BUTTER RICE KRISPIES TREATS

When you start with such a simple, easy treat like Rice Krispies, you only need slight adjustments to make them out of this world. This toasty browned butter upgrade only takes a few extra minutes and you get gooeiest, most buttery treats. You may never go back to plain Rice Krispie Treats again.

The star of Brown Butter Rice Krispie Treats is, of course, the browned butter. Brown butter is one of those things you see on a menu that makes you think gourmet. While it definitely sounds fancy, it’s actually a fairly easy technique. The key to making brown butter is to keep stirring and remove from heat as soon as it begins to brown and has a nutty aroma.

So why brown butter? Simply put it adds so much depth of flavor to the unsalted butter. Brown butter adds a nutty flavor to any dish (try it in savory dishes too!) and only takes about 5 minutes to get foamy and golden brown. When making brown butter, be sure to use unsalted butter so you can control how much salt is added.

Brown Butter Rice Krispie Treats are best enjoyed the same day you make them. The less air in whatever airtight container you use, the longer they will last. The best way store them is in a large storage bag. Lay the bag flat on its side, arrange the rice krispies in a single layer, and push as much air out as possible before sealing.

These Rice Krispies make a great party treat. And they get even better covered in chocolate. Check out the Chocolate Covered Brown Butter Rice Krispies Treats recipe at the bottom of the post. This easy chocolate magic shell is perfect for quick chocolate covered treats.

What kind of salt is best for baking?

Most recipes call for kosher salt and its best to assume that they mean fine grain unless stated. You can exchange sea salt for kosher salt in most recipes. If you use table salt, use half the amount. It’s not that table salt is saltier than kosher salt, it just has smaller crystals so you get more of it by volume.

MORE MARSHMALLOW BAR RECIPES

 

Brown Butter Rice Krispies Treats in baking dish

VARIATIONS ON BROWN BUTTER RICE KRISPIES TREATS

  • Chocolate Chips: Chocolate chips make almost any dessert better. Add 1 cup white chocolate chips, dark chocolate chips, or milk chocolate chips after you add the rice cereal.
  • Marshmallows: Instead of store bought, try Homemade Marshmallows if you have extra time. They are totally worth it! For more marshmallow goodness, stir in ½ cup mini marshmallows after you add the rice cereal so they don’t melt.
  • Peanut Butter: For delicious peanut butter Brown Butter Rice Krispies, add ½ cup creamy peanut butter after you add the marshmallows and they begin to soften. You may need to stir over low heat until everything is melted and combined.
  • Caramel: These decadent buttery Rice Krispies get even better with caramel. Mix in 1 cup chopped up chewy caramels or caramel baking chips.
  • Vanilla Extract: Add a ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract when you stir in the salt for more flavor. You can also use almond extract or bourbon.

Chocolate Covered Brown Butter Rice Krispies Treats

  • Ingredients: 2 cups bittersweet chocolate, 6 tablespoons coconut oil
  • Combine bittersweet chocolate with coconut oil. Microwave in 30 second increments until all melted and stir to combine. Let sit for a few minutes to cool slightly.
  • Using a wooden skewer or fork, pick up the rice krispies treat and dip halfway into the chocolate until one half is coated.
  • Let excess chocolate drip off for just a couple of seconds and then place on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper. Place in the freezer until chocolate hardens, about 10 minutes.

MORE KID-FRIENDLY DESSERTS:

HOW TO STORE BROWN BUTTER RICE KRISPIES TREATS

  • Serve: Keep Rice Krispies at room temperature for up to 3 days in an airtight container or storage bag.
  • Store: For fresh, crispy treats, don’t refrigerate. Make sure there is little to no air in the container or bag. Use parchment paper to separate layers if stacking in an airtight container.
  • Freeze: You can freeze Brown Butter Rice Krispie Treats for up to 6 weeks in a sealed container. Thaw at room temperature for about 15 minutes before eating.

Top down photo of Brown Butter Rice Krispies Treat

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Dinner, then Dessert

Brown Butter Rice Krispie Treats

Brown Butter Rice Krispies are the best gooey, buttery crispy treats! Chewy bars made with crispy rice cereal, toasty browned butter, and marshmallows.
Yield 16
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Author Sabrina Snyder
Brown Butter Rice Krispies Treats in stack, top-down view
PrintRate

Ingredients
 

  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 10 ounces marshmallows
  • 6 cups Rice Krispies cereal

Instructions

  • Grease a 9x13 inch pan, or line with parchment paper. Set aside.
  • In a dutch oven or large pot, melt butter over medium low heat, stirring continuously. Keep stirring until butter foams, turns golden brown and has a nutty aroma.
  • Once the butter begins to brown, remove from heat and stir for 1 minute. Stir salt into melted butter.
  • Add the marshmallows and mix until completely melted.
  • Mix in the Rice Krispies Treats until completely coated.
  • Press the mixture into the prepared pan and let cool completely before serving.

Nutrition

Calories: 147kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 15mg | Sodium: 107mg | Potassium: 13mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 876IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 2mg | Iron: 3mg
Keyword: Brown Butter Rice Krispie Treats

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Brown Butter Rice Krispies Treats collage

About the Author: Sabrina Snyder

Sabrina is a professionally trained Private Chef of over 10 years with ServSafe Manager certification in food safety. She creates all the recipes here on Dinner, then Dessert, fueled in no small part by her love for bacon.

Sabrina Snyder is a professionally trained personal and private chef of over 10 years who is the creator and developer of all the recipes on Dinner, then Dessert.

She is also the author of the cookbook Dinner, then Dessert – Satisfying Meals Using Only 3, 5 or 7 Ingredients, published by Harper Collins.

She started Dinner, then Dessert as a business in her office as a lunch service for her coworkers who admired her lunches before going to culinary school and becoming a full time personal chef and private chef.

As a personal chef Sabrina would cook for families one day a week and cook their entire week of dinners. All grocery shopping, cooking and cleaning was done along with instructions on reheating. As a private chef she cooked for private parties and cooked in family homes in the evenings for families on a nightly basis after working as a personal chef during the day.

Sabrina has been certified as a ServSafe Manager since 2007 and was a longstanding member of the USPCA Personal Chef Association including being on the board of the Washington DC Chapter of Chefs in the US Personal Chef Association when they won Chapter of the year.

As a member of the community of food website creators Sabrina Snyder has spoken at many conferences regarding her experiences as a food writer including the Indulge Food Conference, Everything Food Conference, Haven Food Conference and IACP Annual Food Professionals Conference.

Sabrina lives with her family in sunny California.

See more posts by Sabrina

Dinner, then Dessert, Inc. owns the copyright on all images and text and does not allow for its original recipes and pictures to be reproduced anywhere other than at this site unless authorization is given. If you enjoyed the recipe and would like to publish it on your own site, please re-write it in your own words, and link back to my site and recipe page. Read my disclosure and copyright policy. This post may contain affiliate links.

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Comments

  4. Can you imagine I have actually never made rice krispie treats? But wow, it seems so easy – and with added brown butter I will have to try it now!!

    Reply

  6. To make it just a little bit better, I add another half bag (5 oz) of mini marshmallows to the mixture just before transferring everything to the prepared pan. This provides bites of partially melted marshmallow to your treats.

    Reply