Rice Krispie Treats

Toasting the Rice Krispies and generously seasoning the bars balances the sweetness of the marshmallows, while brown butter adds rich, nutty flavor.

By
Genevieve Yam
Headshot of Genevieve Yam
Genevieve Yam
Culinary Editor
After graduating from the International Culinary Center, Genevieve cooked at Blue Hill at Stone Barns and Per Se. Prior to joining Serious Eats, she was an editor at Epicurious. She grew up between Toronto and Hong Kong and is a graduate of the University of St Andrews in Scotland. She currently lives in New York with her husband and two cats.
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Published February 09, 2023
Overhead view of a torn apart rice krispie treat

Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez

Why It Works

  • Toasting the Rice Krispies and browning the butter lends the bars a rich nuttiness and beautiful golden brown color.
  • Seasoning the Rice Krispie treats generously with kosher salt helps cut through the sweetness of marshmallows and creates the right balance of salty and sweet.

With the exception of Betty Crocker pound cake, my mother rarely baked. The only thing she contributed to bake sales at school were Rice Krispies treats, and she didn’t even bother making them on the stove. She’d melt the butter and the marshmallows in the microwave, add the Rice Krispies, and call it a day. Her recipe was the one on the back of the box, and though the taste of the classic treat is incredibly nostalgic for me, I find them a little too sickly sweet as an adult.

Over the years, I’ve tweaked the classic recipe to come up with a bar that has more complexity and depth. With only a few ingredients, it may seem like there's not much to do with a basic Rice Krispie treat without altering it beyond recognition—you've got the Krispies, the marshmallows, and the butter. It is what it is, right? Well, to a point. Even with so few ingredients, we can still turn to a couple strong techniques to enhance and improve upon the original Rice Krispie treat while staying remarkably true to it.

Overhead view of a square rice krispie treat

Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez

Those techniques arethe Maillard reactionand salt. If you're a reader of Serious Eats, you already know what Maillard is: a complex transformation of proteins and sugars when heated to create increasingly complex and savory aromas and flavors, along with deeper, darker brown colors. It's largely what makes roast chicken skin so delicious, roasted vegetables vastly more layered in flavor than steamed or boiled, and gives breads and pastries an earthier edge to offset the sweetness of their ample simple and complex carbohydrates.

There are two opportunities to apply the Maillard reaction to Rice Krispie treats without adding a single additional ingredient. First, we can toast the cereal in the oven until golden, which brings out the grain’s nutty, earthy notes. Second, instead of just melting the butter, we can brown it until nutty and fragrant. With just those two simple steps, the Rice Krispie treats develop needed depth and dimension beyond their underlying sweetness.

Close up view of rice krispie treat pulled apart

Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez


And then there's the salt. As anyone who's pushed the salt just a little more than might seem appropriate in a dessert knows, it's one of the secret weapons of making sweet foods significantly more delicious. And so, in this Rice Krispie treats recipe, I generously season the toasted puffed rice grains while incorporating them into the mixture of brown butter and marshmallows. After that, I finish the bars with a sprinkle of flaky sea salt, which helps to balance the sweetness of the vanilla-scented marshmallows and highlights the richness of the brown butter.

Though I use regular marshmallows in this recipe, you could certainly swap them out for a vegetarian alternative. And feel free to change up your cereal—this recipe is delicious with Corn Flakes, too.

Recipe Details

Rice Krispie Treats

Prep20 mins
Cook15 mins
Cooling Time30 mins
Total65 mins
服务9 to 12 servings

Toasting the Rice Krispies and generously seasoning the bars balances the sweetness of the marshmallows, while brown butter adds rich, nutty flavor.

华体会应用下载

  • 6cups(165g)Rice Krispies

  • Nonstick cooking spray, for greasing

  • 4tablespoons(56g)unsalted butter

  • 1/2teaspoonDiamond Crystalkosher salt; for table salt, use half as much by volume

  • One12-ounce bagmarshmallows, any size

  • Flaky salt, such as Maldon, to garnish

Directions

  1. Adjust oven racks to the second-from-top and second-from-bottom positions. Preheat oven to 325ºF (160ºC). Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment (this will make it easier to transfer the rice krispies into a bowl after) and divide Rice Krispies evenly between the 2 sheets. Toast in the oven, stirring with a silicone spatula every 3 minutes, until evenly golden brown, about 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool 5 minutes. Lift up both the shorter sides of the parchment to form a “sleeve” to gather all the Rice Krispies, then transfer cereal to a large bowl. Set aside.

    Two image collage of rice krispies spread on a baking sheet before and after getting toasted

    Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez

  2. Meanwhile, line a 2-quart baking dish (see note) with parchment overhanging two sides and coat evenly with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.

  3. In a 6-quart pot, melt 4 tablespoons unsalted butter over medium heat, then cook, stirring and swirling, until milk solids turn golden brown and the butter smells nutty, 3 to 4 minutes. Reduce heat to low. Add salt and marshmallows, then, using a silicone spatula, stir until the marshmallows have just melted, about 4 minutes. Add toasted Rice Krispies and fold until evenly coated.

    Four image collage of butter browning in a pot, salt being added to marshmellows in pot, melted marshmellows, rice krispies folded into marshmellow mixtuer

    Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez

  4. Scrape Rice Krispies mixture into prepared baking dish. Spray another spatula with nonstick cooking spray, then use it to press the mixture into an even layer.

    Smoothing rice krispies treat mixture into a baking pan with a silicon spatula

    Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez

  5. Sprinkle all over with flaky salt. Allow bars to cool for 30 minutes before portioning.

    Overhead view of rice krispie treat with salt on it

    Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez

  6. To portion, remove bars from the baking dish and place on a cutting board. Using a serrated knife, cut bars into squares, rectangles, or your desired shape.

    Cutting rice krispies treats with a serrated knife

    Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez

Special Equipment

2 rimmed baking sheets; parchment paper; 2-quart baking dish (see note), or 9- by 9-inch baking dish

Notes

To make these Rice Krispie treats vegetarian, substitute the regular marshmallows with a vegetarian-friendly alternative.

不同维度的烤盘将经度g as the baking dish has a roughly 2-quart volume.

Make-Ahead和存储

The bars can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week, but are best enjoyed within 5 days.

Nutrition Facts(per serving)
176 Calories
4g Fat
35g Carbs
1g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 9 to 12
Amount per serving
Calories 176
% Daily Value*
Total Fat4g 5%
Saturated Fat 2g 12%
Cholesterol10mg 3%
Sodium209mg 9%
Total Carbohydrate35g 13%
Dietary Fiber 0g 0%
Total Sugars 18g
Protein1g
Vitamin C 9mg 44%
Calcium 3mg 0%
Iron 4mg 24%
Potassium 20mg 0%
* %每日价值(DV)告诉你多少营养ent in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

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