These brown butter rice krispie treats are an elevated twist on the classic, taking them to the next level with nutty browned butter and caramelized, toasted marshmallows. This method packs in the flavor and keeps extra gooey pockets of marshmallows, making these easy rice krispie treats a new favorite.
The extra step of browning the butter adds a deep, rich flavor, while toasting the marshmallows gives them a subtle campfire-like smokiness. And the best part? They come together in under 20 minutes with just a few ingredients!
Anything with brown butter is a yes for me. It adds an extra subtle layer of nettle, caramelized flavor that truly makes a difference in your baked goods.
Toasty brown butter enhances the flavor of these chocolate chip blondies, brown butter chocolate chip cookies, brown butter snickerdoodles, summer peach crisp, pear spice cake, and banana sheet cake! Give it a try!
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
Elevated flavor – The combination of nutty browned butter and torched marshmallows makes these taste like they come from a bakery shop.
Perfectly gooey texture – Extra toasted marshmallows folded in at the end create little pockets of melty goodness throughout the whole batch.
Quick and simple – An easy no-bake dessert that sets up in about an hour.
Crowd-pleaser – Whether for a bake sale, potluck, or just a treat for yourself, these will disappear fast. My husband took the extras in for a pot luck and everyone raved about them!
Ingredients
- Mini marshmallows. Mini marshmallows melt more easily and fold into the Rice Krispies evenly.
- Unsalted butter. We will brown the butter to capitalize on the nutty, toasty flavor of torching the marshmallows.
- Vanilla extract. Adds to that classic vanilla marshmallow flavor!
- Kosher salt. Not pictured, but helps to balance the final flavor. You can also use salted butter and omit the salt.
See recipe card for full ingredients list and quantities.
Substitutions and Variations
- Butter: use salted butter in place of unsalted and omit the addition of the kosher salt.
- Chocolate: Fold in ½ cup of mini chocolate chips after mixing in the cereal or use this toasting method in our malted chocolate rice krispie treats!
- Nuts: Add ½ cup chopped toasted pecans or almonds for extra crunch.
- S’mores: Swap 1 cup of Rice Krispies for crushed graham crackers and add chocolate chips, chunks, or chopped chocolate.
- Salty: Add a generous sprinkle of flaky sea salt onto the tops right after you press them into the pan for a sweet and salty, yet perfectly balanced combo.
How to Make This Recipe
One: Spread the marshmallows evenly on a sheet pan and toast to your liking.
Two: Brown the butter in a large pot until fragrant and toasty.
Hot tip! Toast the marshmallows to the level you enjoy them when you roast them over the campfire. If you prefer them lightly toasted, take the time to toast them that way. I love to set mine on fire, so I went all in on burning them.
Three: Add half of the toasted marshmallows and stir to combine, then add the vanilla and salt.
Four: Stir in the rice krispies until coated.
Five: Add in the second half of the marshmallows and gently fold. Don't over mix in order to keep gooey pockets.
Six: Press the mixture into a 9x13" pan lined with a strip of parchemnt paper, then let them set for 1 hour before slicing.
Hot tip! Don't press them down too much, or else they get really dense and become more difficult to eat. Leaving them more "loose" leads to easier eating.
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Expert Tips
- Use fresh marshmallows. Stale marshmallows won’t melt properly and will affect the texture.
- Toast only the tops. Spread them out in a single layer on a sheet pan for even toasting, and don't stay in one place for too long. Toast only as much as you like...if you don't like burnt marshmallows, then keep then nicely browned.
- Don't walk away from the butter. It can go from perfectly browned to burnt in seconds. Keep a close eye and remove it from the heat (or add the marshmallows) as soon as it turns golden and smells nutty.
- Grease your tools. Lightly butter your spatula, hands, and knife to prevent sticking when pushing the mixture into the pan..
- Work quickly. Once the cereal and second batch of marshmallows is mixed in, transfer the mixture to the pan right away before it starts to firm up.
- Extra gooey bars. Use 1 cup less cereal for an even softer, more marshmallowy texture.
Recipe FAQs
This usually happens if the mixture is overcooked. Be sure to remove the butter from the heat as soon as it browns, and don’t overheat the marshmallows when melting them. Also, press the mixture gently into the pan. If you pack them in too tightly, the bars will be dense and hard to eat.
Yes! You can use large marshmallows, but they take longer to melt so be patient and manage the heat during the melting process. They will also need longer to break up during the addition of the second half.
If you don’t have a torch, you can toast the marshmallows under the broiler in your oven. Spread them on a lined baking sheet and broil for 30-60 seconds, watching closely to prevent a fire, and rotate the pan.
I don't suggest this method, as the marshmallows get too melty from the heat before they actually get browned. A kitchen torch is the tool for this job.
Storage
For clean slices, lightly grease a chef’s knife with butter or cooking spray before cutting.
Store at room temperature, covered, for 4-5 days.
What to Know When Cooking with The Cozy Plum
- All recipes are created with Diamond Crystal kosher salt, the least salty variety of kosher salt. If using Morton's, you'll need to cut the amount of salt in half as it's 2x as salty. This will be the same for sea salt. Please do not use table salt.
- Switch between Cups vs Metric using the toggle on the recipe card. Baking by weight using a digital scale will always produce the most accurate results.
- Scale the recipe using the '1X' '2X' '3X' buttons on the recipe card. Note that this does not make an adjustment for baking times, only quantities.
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📖Recipe
Toasted Marshmallow Rice Krispie Treats
Equipment
- Large pot
Ingredients
- 2, 10- oz bags mini marshmallows divided
- ¾ cup unsalted butter
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 8½ cups Rice Krispies
Instructions
- Grease and line a 9x13” pan with parchment paper slings so the slices can be easily removed to cut.
- Add all of the marshmallows to a large sheet pan and torch/toast* them to your liking.2, 10- oz bags mini marshmallows
- In a large pot or dutch oven, melt the butter over medium heat until it gets browned and toasty. It will melt, get foamy, and sizzle, and then you’ll see the milk solids start to get golden in color and smell nutty.¾ cup unsalted butter
- Remove from the heat and add half of the toasted marshmallows. Add the vanilla and salt and stir.2 teaspoons vanilla extract, ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- Put the pot back on the heat and stir until melted, then pour in the rice krispies and stir to evenly coat. I like to use a rubber spatula for this.8½ cups Rice Krispies
- Remove the pot from the heat, add the remaining toasted marshmallows, and gently fold them in. Don’t mash them up too much - we want them to remain as gooey pockets.
- Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan and use the butter wrappers, a rubber spatula, or damp hands to press the mixture down gently into an even layer. Set uncovered at room temperature for 1 hour.
- Use the parchment slings to remove the rice krispie treats from the pan then use a large chef's knife to cut the bars into squares.
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