Brown Butter Rice Krispies Treats with White Chocolate

Transform one of your childhood favorites into a more sophisticated sweet with a few extra steps. Brown butter and white chocolate never tasted so good together!

I don’t think anyone ever outgrows their favorite childhood treats, especially those classic Rice Krispies Treats! Whoever thought of melting marshmallows with butter and mixing it with Rice Krispies cereal was a genius. They turned a pretty bland cereal (you definitely need at least half a cup of sugar on this stuff, in my opinion) into a wonderful gooey, sugary, chewy, crispy masterpiece! I’m pretty sure at least 90% of the Rice Krispies cereal that is purchased from grocery stores is used for the sole purpose of making these marshmallowy blocks of amazingness.

While the classic recipe never gets old, I decided to fancify (definitely a real word in my book) the Rice Krispie Treat a little. One simple step that I came across on Smitten Kitchen was browning the butter. Of course!!! Why didn’t I think of that before? That would add a wonderful caramelized and nutty flavor.

I couldn’t stop there. Why not add chocolate? This is the question I ask myself every day, whether it’s when I’m baking cakes, cookies, ice cream, tacos–did I say tacos?

Annnnyway, since white chocolate is my favorite kind of chocolate (I know it’s not actually classified as chocolate–it’s still damn good!), I decided to spread some of that white chocolate love all over the Rice Krispies Treats.

I decided to stop my fancification (still a word to me) there since the point of the Rice Krispies Treat is it’s simplicity in ingredients and steps. And sometimes all it takes is just a couple of changes to give your taste buds a whole new experience.

The creamy vanilla flavor from the white chocolate pairs really well with the nuttiness of the brown butter.

You can definitely never go wrong with the original recipe, but why not be a little adventurous for once? The added steps are too simple to pass up, so give this recipe a shot!

Let’s get started with the butter! Actually, before you get started on the butter, pour the cereal in a large bowl and set it aside for now.

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. You’ll notice it start to foam up a bit, but this will eventually subside and make way for an amber color. You’ll also begin to see little brown specks showing up on the bottom of the pan. Continue to stir until your butter starts to smell nutty. It should look like this when it’s done:

Turn off the heat, and immediately add the marshmallows.

Stir until the mixture is smooth and lumpless.

Note: The residual heat from the butter should be enough to melt the marshmallows, but if it isn’t, place the pan on low heat and stir until smooth.

Next, you’re ready to pour this mixture over the cereal.

Stir it up!

Plop this delicious mound of ooey gooeyness into a buttered (cooking spray works well too!) 8-inch square pan and pat down with buttered fingers. Or use a rubber spatula, if you’re feeling less adventurous

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Now it’s time for the chocolate! Place the chopped white chocolate (white chocolate chips will work as well) in a small microwave-safe bowl. Melt in the microwave for one minute, remove and stir, then return to the microwave for 30 seconds more, or until smooth.

Spread the melted chocolate evenly over the Rice Krispies and allow to set for at least one hour before cutting into squares.

Brown Butter Rice Krispies Treats

Transform one of your childhood favorites into a more sophisticated sweet with a few extra steps. Brown butter and white chocolate never tasted so good together!

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Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Setting Time 1 hour hr

Total Time 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 16 Pieces

Ingredients

  

• 6 cups (150g) Rice Krispies cereal (any crispy rice cereal)
• ½ cup (115g) butter
• 1 (10 oz) package marshmallows
• 8 ounces white chocolate chopped

Instructions

 

• Butter or spray an 8-inch square pan with non-stick spray.
• Place your cereal in a large bowl and set aside.
• In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat. As the butter melts, it'll start to foam, then turn a clear golden color. Continue to stir the butter, scraping up any browned specks from the bottom of the pan as it starts to brown. It should have a nutty aroma.
• Once browned and nutty, turn off the heat and immediately stir in the marshmallows. The heat from the butter should be enough to melt the marshmallows, but if not, put the pan back on low heat until the marshmallows are fully melted and smooth.
• Pour the marshmallow mixture over the cereal and stir until incorporated. Quickly spread into your prepared pan. (I like to spray my fingers with cooking spray to press the mixture evenly into the corners and edges of the pan, but a rubber spatula works just as well.)
• Melt white chocolate in a small microwave-safe bowl for one minute in the microwave. Stir. Place back in the microwave for another 30 seconds or until no more lumps remain. Use an offset spatula (or butter knife) to spread the chocolate evenly over the Rice Krispies. Allow to set for at least one hour before cutting into squares. Store Rice Krispies Treats covered at room temperature for up to 1 week.