Treat yourself : Brown butter crispy rice treats
Brown butter. Two words which strike fear in the minds and on the waistlines of much slimmer women.
For me, it is a siren call, greater than chocolate or even vanilla-bean-anything. The moment I see it listed in a recipe, I have to make it. And it almost nearly never disappoints.
So it is with this recipe. It takes not quite five ingredients and barely five minutes to put together. Of course, you can add a little more love by making your own marshmallows, but sometimes there just aren’t enough hours in the day to manufacture your own highly processed food. Besides, why not enjoy everything in moderation, with occasional immodest amounts of..
Brown butter – crispy rice treats :
(based on a recipe from Flour by Joanne Chang)
1 cup/2 sticks/228g unsalted butter
1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
280g marshmallows
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
9 cups/240g crispy rice cereal
Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking pan, coat it with nonstick cooking spray or line it with parchment paper.
In a large saucepan, melt the butter over low heat. As the butter melts, use the tip of a knife to scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean directly into the butter.
Once the butter has melted, it will start to bubble and crackle. As soon as the bubbling subsides, after about 5 minutes, the butter will be fully browned. Add the marshmallows and salt and stir constantly over low heat until the marshmallows are completely melted and the vanilla seeds are evenly distributed. [Note : I deviated from the recipe here, straining the butter into a new pan to get rid of the solids, before adding the marshmallows]
Remove the pan from the heat, add the cereal, and mix well with a wooden spoon to coat evenly. Turn the mixture into the prepared pan and pat into an even layer. Let cool for about 1 hour, or to room temperature, then cut into 12 pieces.
These treats can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.
Tags: brown butter, gluten free, Joanne Chang, vanilla
Angie@Angiesrecipes said,
September 18, 2011 @ 3:01 pm
mm…brown butter makes the rice treat downright delectable!
Reemski said,
September 18, 2011 @ 3:46 pm
Wouldn’t last 2 days in my house 😉
Siobhan C said,
September 18, 2011 @ 4:31 pm
Oh lordy!
Rosa said,
September 18, 2011 @ 7:06 pm
Those look so good! I really like the use of browned butter.
Cheers,
Rosa
Hannah said,
September 18, 2011 @ 9:02 pm
Ooooh! *hugs self* I’ve had 3/4 of a box of Rice Bubbles ever since I made peanut butter krispie slice last month, and was planning to try sunflower seed butter krispie treats next.
Nope. It’s this all the way.
Hannah said,
September 18, 2011 @ 11:03 pm
I thought that the standard rice crispy treat was pretty close to perfect already, but you’ve really upped the ante here! Love that photo, too… The gooey chocolate dripping over the top looks luscious.
Magda said,
September 19, 2011 @ 12:29 am
They look so unbelievably good! What waistline?
Laura said,
September 19, 2011 @ 12:40 am
The first time I worked with a pastry chef who used lots of brown butter I thought he was nuts! We got scolded so many times for not browning the butter enough and the first time I made it I left out the burnt bits because I thought they would ruin the final product, boy was I wrong. These treats must taste so good!
Are you looking forward to spring?
thelittleloaf said,
September 19, 2011 @ 6:34 am
Brown butter may strike fear in the hearts of women in the world, but it’s worth every extra inch! These look so simply delicious – gorgeous photos and recipe as always 🙂
mademoiselle délicieuse said,
September 19, 2011 @ 12:10 pm
So this is why you needed those white marshmallows! I’m sure pink ones would steal little girls’ hearts…
chocolatesuze said,
September 19, 2011 @ 12:17 pm
lol but the pink marshmallows wouldve been super pretty 😛
the caked crusader said,
September 19, 2011 @ 6:43 pm
At risk of sounding like a teenager…I am so totally making these!
Emma said,
September 19, 2011 @ 9:51 pm
I would love to make it to Flour the next time I’m in Boston – previous attempts have not come to fruition.
Wweeeeeeee-ooooooooooh-weeeeeeeee-ooooooohhh-weeeeeeeeeeaa-ohhhhhh: the sound of the brown butter sirens. I’d heed that call!
Russell at Chasing Delicious said,
September 20, 2011 @ 12:45 am
Yum! This recipe looks delicious. What a perfect snack.
kellypea said,
September 20, 2011 @ 2:55 am
I think I need these right now. I left my slimness somewhere a couple of decades ago, so I’m thinking they’d be perfect for breakfast 🙂
InTolerantChef said,
September 20, 2011 @ 10:03 am
Oooh, yummy! Anything with butter is amazing, and brown butter is awesome!
Hotly Spiced said,
September 23, 2011 @ 6:45 am
Given my naturopath has told me to go gluten free for a while, this is a great recipe.
Julia @ Mélanger said,
September 24, 2011 @ 10:06 am
So first important question, how long did these last?
What a delicious treat, and you could definitely play around with the recipe a little for variation. Not a recipe that I would expect from this book, but what do I know, I don’t have it?
Like a few books in my collection, I have been inspired by what you bake from. I’m thinking I’m going to have to purchase this one soon. Now that the book ban has been lifted. I loved this bakery when I was living in Boston.
Amy said,
October 2, 2011 @ 5:55 am
Shouldn’t the recipe read TWO bags of marshmallows for an approximate total of 560 gm?
Y said,
October 2, 2011 @ 10:06 am
Amy : You’re right! I edited the post to include the amount as stated in the book but then after a bit of pondering, have decided to change it back (to 280g instead of 560g). I’m pretty sure I originally misread the recipe and used only 280g of marshmallows, which turned out really well. To confirm it, I will attempt the recipe again, and will make any alterations if required.
Monica said,
October 3, 2011 @ 9:51 pm
OK… The kaffir lime cake looked gorgeous but this just brings out the kid in me… I *need* to make these!!