Berry Brown Butter Rice Krispie Treats
BERRY BROWN BUTTER RICE KRISPIE TREATS RECIPE
FIRST PUBLISHED 5/25/16; LAST UPDATED 7/21/22
I think we can all agree, butter makes everything better. But brown butter? I’m convinced that stuff would make even cardboard taste decadent. It's nothing but pure, golden buttery magic that just makes your tastebuds sing with joy.
Today, it also happens to be making these berry rice krispie treats sing with deliciousness!
WHAT ARE BERRY BROWN BUTTER RICE KRISPIE TREATS?
If you like brown butter, sweet and salty treats, summer berries and, of course, rice krispie treats, these are for you. They’re the essentially OG rice krispie treats, but majorly leveled up. Yes, that's right. I took the oh-so-yummy classic rice krispie treats (which are totally perfectly acceptable and delicious in their own right), jazzed them up a bit and made them even more delicious (Who knew that was possible?!) and a rice krispie treat that feels especially summery and perfect for this time of year. When I say you won't be able to stop eating these brown butter berry rice krispie treats, truly, you WON'T be able to stop eating them. It doesn't matter if it's breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, dessert, you'll want to stuff your face with an embarrassingly large amount of these. You can eat a whole pan in one sitting. Trust me. Or more, trust Dave, since I’ve seen him do this firsthand. Suffice it to say, self-control and these rice krispie treats don’t mix. You’ve been warned.
Side note- since these are made from cereal and fruit I feel like they're a totally acceptable, well-balanced breakfast. I mean, ya know, if you're into eating healthy things like fruit and GF cereal for breakfast ;)
INGREDIENTS FOR BERRY BROWN BUTTER RICE KRISPIE TREATS
You only need a handful of ingredients, 5 to be exact, to make this rice krispies treat recipe.
BUTTER- The key ingredient here to give our treats that golden, nutty browned butter flavor. I suggest using unsalted, however, salted works fine, too. Just be sure to omit the added salty to avoid treats that are too salty to eat.
MARSHMALLOWS- The glue that holds these babies together and keeps them soft, chewy and moist. I like to use mini marshmallows as I find they melt more evenly and more quickly, but the equivalent amount of regular sized marshmallows are totally acceptable and work just as well in this recipe.
RICE KRISPIES- The leading lady of our recipe and an ingredient that we obviously can’t go without!
SALT- I know it might seem like it won’t make a difference, but trust me when I say it does. It truly just rounds out the flavors and really balances out the sweetness of the marshmallows. Don’t skip it!
VANILLA- Another of one those ingredients that seem like they won’t really make a difference, but they definitely do! It’s not absolutely necessary but it’s just a nice touch and works to enhance and round-out all the other flavors. However, it can totally be omitted.
BERRIES- Last but not least, our special guest star, the berries! You’ll want to use freeze dried (can be found at Trader Joe’s or really any local grocery store). Feel free to mix and match, use only one berry, two berries, etc. Whatever you like to make these treats your own.
HOW TO MAKE RICE KRISPIE TREATS
It couldn’t be more simple to make rice krispies treats! You just need a few minutes and everything is mixed up in one pan, then sets in another pan. Easy, peezy!
LET THE BUTTER FULLY BROWN- The key to making these treats taste as good as they do. Be patient and let the butter fully brown before moving onto the next step.
DON’T OVERMIX THE FRUIT- I like to start mixing in the cereal then add in the berries. That way the berries don’t get too crumbly and you get pieces of fruit versus crumbs in the final bars.
WORK QUICKLY- Once the marshmallows have melted and you’ve added the rice krispies and berries, be sure to work quickly to get everything mixed and transferred to the lined baking dish as the mixture will begin setting almost immediately.
LET THEM FULLY SET- As tempting as it is to want to dive right into the pan of treats, be sure to let them fully set before slicing and eating.
INGREDIENTS
1 stick unsalted butter (you can use salted butter, but if you do, omit the additional salt)
1 bag (10 ounces, or about 5 cups) mini marshmallows
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon vanilla (optional)
5 cups rice krispie cereal
1/2 cup of each freeze-dried strawberries, blueberries and raspberries
INSTRUCTIONS
Line a 9"x9" baking dish with foil. Then grease the foil and set the pan aside.If you don’t have foil you an also use parchment paper.
In a large pot, set over medium heat, melt the butter and then keep cooking until it has browned. The whole process should take about 5-7 minutes.
Once the butter has finished browning, turn the heat to low, then add in the marshmallows and salt and, if you’re using it, the vanilla. Mix until the marshmallows have completely melted. Remove the pan from the heat.
Then, working quickly, mix in the cereal and fruit, stirring until everything is combined and well-coated with the marshamllow mixture. Pro tip- partially mix in the cereal before adding in the fruit to ensure that the fruit stays in pieces and doesn’t get too crushed up.
Transfer the mixture into the lined baking sheet and use your hands or a spatula (preferably lightly greased) to firmly press it into place.
Allow to sit at room temperature for at least 2 hours, or until everything has set. Then slice into 9 or 12 squares (depending on what size you want them) and enjoy. Store additional rice krispie treats covered, at room temperature (I kept mine in a covered cake stand).
NOTES
You can find freeze dried fruit in the produce, bulk or health food section of your grocery store. Trader Joe’s also sells freeze dried strawberries and blueberries. They use to have raspberries too, but I haven’t seen those in a while.
Feel free to use whatever combination of fruits you prefer, or, use only one at a time (I mean, brown butter strawberry rice krispy treats doesn't sound like a bad option, either, right?!). For example, last time I made these I only used blueberries and double the amount of strawberries but skipped the raspberries.