These gluten-free Brown Butter Rice Krispie Treats are everything you want in a dessert. Sweet, crunchy, and gooey with melted marshmallows, these treats are absolutely delicious.
If you love dessert bars, then you should try these Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars or these Chewy Special K Bars.
Table Of Contents
Recipe Details
Rice Krispie Treats are classic, but this brown butter version makes them even better. My entire family loves when we make these delicious bars and I’m sure yours will, too.
- TASTE: These Rice Krispie treats are perfectly sweet with a hint of vanilla. The brown butter gives them a subtle nutty flavor and mellows out the sweetness.
- TEXTURE: The marshmallows are deliciously gooey in these crispy bars. It’s hard to resist these chewy treats with their chunks of fluffy marshmallow.
- TIME: This recipe takes less than 20 minutes.
- EASE: This no-bake dessert is so easy to make. With just 4 ingredients, you can easily whip up these treats or freeze extras to satisfy your future sweet tooth.
What You’ll Need
Ingredient Notes
- Marshmallows- Mini marshmallows are best here because they melt easier than full-sized ones.
- Butter- You’ll want to use salted butter for this recipe as it adds a little salt to counterbalance the sweetness. If you use unsalted butter, then just add a pinch of salt.
Add-ins and Substitutions
- Make them vegan- For a vegan version of these treats, substitute plant-based butter or oil and vegan marshmallows, like the Dandies brand.
- Add chocolate chips, Oreos, or sprinkles- Mix in some mini chocolate chips, crushed Oreo cookies, or sprinkles for the best Rice Krispie Treats.
- Add in candy- M&Ms, Reese’s peanut butter cups, Milky Way bars, and Butterfinger bars can all be chopped up and added to these treats.
- Top with chocolate– Melt some chocolate and drizzle it on the cooled Rice Krispie Treats. Or you can spread some Chocolate Ganache on them.
How to Make Brown Butter Rice Krispie Treats
- Prepare the baking dish. Prepare an 8×8-inch baking dish by coating the bottom with some butter and lining it with parchment paper or wax paper.
- Melt butter and brown it. Add the salted butter to a large pot (stainless steel or enamel-coated dutch oven pot) over medium heat, and let it fully melt. Stir constantly with a wooden spoon until the butter turns a dark amber color.
- Add the marshmallows and vanilla. Add 8 cups of the marshmallows, frequently stirring until melted. Then stir in the vanilla and remove from heat.
Pro Tip: Avoid using nonstick or any dark-colored pot since you will need a light-colored pot to be able to keep a close eye on the color of the butter.
- Add the Rice Krispies. Fold in the Rice Krispies cereal and stir until they are fully coated with melted marshmallows. Add the rest of the marshmallows and stir until the marshmallows are well-coated.
- Mold and cool. Transfer the mixture to your prepared pan. Press it into an even layer in the pan, compressing the bars with a spatula. Let the the bars cool to room temperature before cutting and serving.
Recipe Tips
- Butter your baking pan before adding parchment paper- Doing this will keep the parchment paper in place so it doesn’t shift when you add the Rice Krispie and marshmallow mixture.
- Take the marshmallows off the heat once melted- Be careful not to burn the marshmallows and butter. Take them off the heat while you combine them with the Rice Krispies.
- Add marshmallows at the end- This step adds tons of gooey marshmallow chunks in the middle of these treats that make them irresistible.
- Keep the mixture from sticking to your spatula- To keep it from sticking, spray a spatula with non-stick spray before compressing the bars into the pan.
FAQs
Too much butter will result in Rice Krispie treats that are soggy and very sticky. It’s best to carefully measure the amount of butter added to get the right mix of chewy, gooey, and crispy.
There are two reasons your homemade rice crispy treats might be hard. The first is that you may have used too much cereal and not enough butter, causing the treats to be dry and crunchy, rather than gooey and crisp. The other reason is that you may have melted the butter and marshmallows over high heat. Using medium heat takes longer, but you get a better texture in your treats in the end.
Serving Suggestions
These Brown Butter Rice Krispie Treats are great on their own or paired with other desserts. Serve them with cookies, ice cream, bars, and other sweet treats.
- Cookies: Serve these treats with some Cookies and Cream Cookies, Monster Cookies, Chocolate Meringue Cookies, or Chewy M&M Cookies.
- Ice Cream/Sorbet: Pair these sweet bars with a scoop of your favorite ice cream or sorbet, like this No Churn Ice Cream, Easy Ube Ice Cream, or Honeydew Melon Sorbet.
- Other dessert bars: Serve these Brown Butter Rice Krispie Treats with other tasty bars, such as these Chewy Special K Bars, Blueberry Oatmeal Bars, Chocolate Caramel Pretzel Bars, or No-bake Chocolate Cheesecake Bars.
- Sweet treats: Enjoy this dessert alongside Chocolate Bark, Coffee Chocolate Mousse, Old Fashioned Sour Cream Donuts, or Lemon Raspberry Cupcakes.
Make This Recipe in Advance
Make ahead: Prepare these Rice Krispie Treats ahead of time and then wrap them individually in plastic wrap for serving at a later date.
Storing: Once they are wrapped in plastic wrap, place the Brown Butter Rice Krispie Treats in an airtight container. They can be stored at room temperature for up to a week.
Freeze: Freeze the individually wrapped treats in a ziplock bag for up to 6 months. Thaw in the refrigerator or at room temperature.
More Delicious Desserts!
Full Recipe Instructions
Brown Butter Rice Krispie Treats
Equipment
Ingredients
- 8 Tablespoons salted butter + 1/2 Tbsp
- 10 cups mini marshmallows divided (20 oz total)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 7 cups rice krispies cereal
Instructions
- Prepare a 8×8-inch baking dish by coating the bottom with 1/2 Tbsp butter and lining it with parchment paper. The butter will help keep the parchment in place.
- Add the salted butter into a large stainless steal or enamel coated dutch oven pot over medium heat, and let it fully melt. Use a wooden spoon to stir the butter constantly until it turns a dark amber color. Avoid using nonstick or really any dark colored pot since you will need a light colored pot to be able to keep a close eye on the color of the butter.
- Add 8 cups of marshmallows, frequently stirring until melted. Once melted, stir in the vanilla and remove from heat.
- Fold in the Rice Krispies cereal and stir until they are fully coated in melted marshmallows. Add the remaining 2 cups of marshmallows. Stir until the marshmallows are well-coated.
- Transfer the mixture into your prepared baking dish. Press it into an even layer. I like to spray a spatula with non-stick spray to help compress the bars into the pan. Let the the bars cool to room temperature before cutting and serving.
Notes
- Butter your baking pan before adding parchment paper- Doing this will keep the parchment paper in place so it doesn’t shift when you add the Rice Krispie and marshmallow mixture.
- Take the marshmallows off the heat once melted- Be careful not to burn the marshmallows and butter. Take them off the heat while you combine them with the Rice Krispies.
- Add marshmallows at the end- This step adds tons of gooey marshmallow chunks in the middle of these treats that make them irresistible.
- Keep the mixture from sticking to your spatula- To keep it from sticking, spray a spatula with non-stick spray before compressing the bars into the pan.
Nutrition
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