Description

These aren't your standard Rice Krispie Treats - these are My Brown Butter Rice Krispie Treats wearing a party dress! A few simple tweaks to the classic recipe (mega brown butter and optional toasted coconut!) elevates this easy no-bake recipe to one that will be a crowd pleaser for ALL ages!

Ingredients

Scale

120g long thread coconut or coconut of your choice (unsweetened)
265g rice krispies / puffed rice cereal
180g marshmallows, chopped into small pieces (mini marshmallows would work well here too)
210g butter (I used salted), cold from the fridge is fine
50g milk powder (I used full fat)
430g marshmallows, left whole (mini or regular are fine)
1 tsp vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
½ tsp kosher salt, or more to taste

Instructions

Generously butter a 9x13” (20x30cm) pan and line it with a parchment paper sling for easy removal once the rice krispie treats are done. I like to clip down the parchment with binder clips so that it does not move when you are adding the mixture to the pan.
Place the coconut into a medium non-stick pan over medium low heat, stirring often with a spatula to make sure that it does not catch. Toast until the majority of the coconut is golden brown - it will feel like it is taking a long time and then suddenly be ready, so make sure that you keep a close eye on it. Remove from the heat and transfer to a bowl to stop the cooking process and leave to cool. I like to toast the coconut while I prepare the chopped marshmallows and rice krispies.
Combine the Rice Krispie Cereal / rice bubbles and the chopped marshmallow in a large mixing bowl. I like to mix it all so that the cut edges of the marshmallows get some of the rice bubble dust on them so that they don’t stick together.
In a large pot (this is the pot you are going to mix the rice krispie treats together in so make sure that it is big enough), melt the butter over medium heat. Add the milk powder and whisk to combine. Cook the butter, whisking frequently, until the milk solids begin to brown. Continue to cook until the butter and milk mixture is medium brown and nutty smelling. It is important to whisk thoroughly as the milk powder will clump slightly.
Remove the pot from the heat and add the 430g measure of marshmallows and mix well to combine - the butter will coat the marshmallows. Continue to mix until the marshmallows melt completely. You should not have to return it to the heat, but if you are finding it is stubborn, you can pop it back onto the heat just briefly.
Once the marshmallows are melted, add the vanilla and salt, then switch to a rubber spatula and add the rice krispies, chopped marshmallows, and the coconut. Working relatively quickly, stir the mixture until it is well combined. Make sure that you get the pockets of marshmallow from the bottom of the pan.
Transfer the rice krispie mixture into the prepared pan. Press it down with your spatula, getting it as even as possible, then lightly wet your hands and use them to press down the remainder of the rice krispie treats until they are as flat and even as possible.
Leave them to set at room temperature, at least an hour or up to overnight. If making ahead of time, cover the pan tightly with plastic wrap.
Using the parchment sling, remove the set bars from the pan and transfer to a cutting board. Cut into pieces using a sharp knife.
Store rice krispies in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days with parchment paper in between the layers.

Notes

You will need a total of 610g of marshmallows for this recipe.

I know that a lot of my brown butter recipes have you re-weigh the butter after browning but this is a recipe where you can get away with not doing that, so I left out that step as it is all made in the same pan, so would be annoying to remove from the pan, weigh, then remove again.

If you are not using the toasted coconut, reduce the starting weight of the butter down to 190g.

You want to get everything ready before you go as things move quickly when you have a mass of rice bubble mixture to get into the pan, so make sure that your pan is greased and lined, and your marshmallows are chopped and mixed with the rice bubbles and ready to be added.

Rice Krispies are also called Rice Bubbles, so you will see me use the name interchangeably.

I use New Zealand marshmallows which are from the brand Pascall. I have also tested these with US style marshmallows and they work well.

If you want to make a slightly thicker version of these, the quantities are:

160g coconut
350g rice bubbles
240g chopped marshmallow
280g butter
65g milk powder
570g marshmallows
1 ¼ tsp vanilla
½ tsp salt or to taste

If you are leaving out the coconut the butter quantity is 250g.

To make with Lucky Charms:

I followed the recipe as written, using the version without coconut (so starting quantity of the butter is 190g). I added in the 180g chopped up marshmallows, but this definitely wasn't needed as it made them quite gooey. I used a 300g box of Lucky Charms and held back a few of the marshmallows and the cereal to press on the top. They were easiest to cut after being in the fridge to set.