salted brown butter crispy treats

While marching out of the kitchen with what must have been his 15th rice krispie treat, my husband declared this to be our new Christmas cookie. I can't fight him on this one. They are just too stinkin' good. I have made 6 or 7 batches of these in the last 2 weeks (!) We have polished off quite a few, shared them with friends, and tucked packets of them into boxes shipped to family. It is ridiculous how much they are loved.

They are good because it takes the nostalgia factor of rice krispie treats and enhances it with brown butter, a little bit of salt and (my addition) extra marshmallow. It reminds of the whole salted caramel phenomena we have gone a little crazy for.

The recipe is from Deb Perelman's new book "The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook". It is probably the best cookbook I have read in the last 5 years. The food is interesting and fun, the writing is clever and the recipes are spot on. If you are looking for a last minute gift for someone who loves to cook or a way to spend your xmas Amazon gift cards- I cannot say enough about this book.

salted brown butter crispy treats

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, plus more for the pan
Heaping 1/4 teaspoon flaky sea salt
One 10-ounce bag large or miniature marshmallows (here I buy the 16 ounce bag and put 3/4 of it in, so like 12 ounces of marshmallows)
6 cups puffed-rice cereal (rice krispies)

1) Butter, or coat with nonstick spray, an 8-inchsquare cake pan with 2-inch sides. (I use 9x13 glass pan).

2) Brown the butter: In a large pot, melt 1 stick butter over medium-low heat. It will melt, then foam, then turn clear golden, and finally start to turn brown and smell nutty. Stir frequently, scraping up any bits from the bottom as you do. Don't take your eyes off the pot: you may be impatient for it to start browning, but the period between the time the butter begins to taken on color and the point where it burns is often less than a minute.

3) Make the crispy treats: As soon as the butter takes on a nutty color, turn the heat off, sprinkle salt over butter, and stir in the marshmallows. The residual heat from the melted butter should be enough to melt them, but if it is not, turn it back on over low heat until the marshmallows are smooth. Be careful not to cook the marshmallows, which will destroy their stretchy softness; you're just looking for enough heat so they will melt and smooth out.

4) Remove the pot from the stove, and stir in the cereal, folding it gently with the marshmallow mixture until the cereal is evenly coated. Quickly spread into prepared pan. I use a piece of waxed or parchment paper that I've sprayed with oil to press it firmly and evenly into the edges and corners and smooth the top, though a silicon spatula works almost as well.

5) Let cool, then cut into squares and get ready to make new friends.