These things take time

Posted: November 22, 2009 | Author: Johanna | Filed under: Johanna | 5 Comments »

Until recently, I had never made Rice Krispie Treats.
I know, I know. Shock, sacrilege, etc.  But we didn’t really eat Rice Krispies in my house, and we didn’t have marshmallow Fluff in my house, and I was never a Girl Scout, and I will take a chocolate chip cookie over anything else any day and…..

I digress.
So Deb, from the ever-amazing Smitten Kitchen, posted a recipe a few weeks ago (oh lord, a month ago? WHERE DID NOVEMBER GO???) for something that seemed too delicious to pass up: Salted Brown Butter Crispy Treats.  As with many things, if Deb has posted it and made it, I’ll try it. I mean, hell, I made bagels because she did. And homemade oreo cookies. And cider donuts. Maybe I have a problem. Regardless, the idea of gussied-up, grown-up Rice Krispie Treats got in my brain and stuck. So, I had to make some.
The ingredient list and procedures for this is pretty simple. 1 stick of butter, 1 bag of marshmallows, some salt, and about  6 cups of Puffed Rice Cereal (Whole Foods doesn’t carry Rice Krispies, but having brown rice in my treats was like an even BIGGER treat.)
The first step is to brown the butter, and this is the only bit of the process that takes time. You have to melt the butter over low, low heat, and let it keep cooking until it foams, and then stops foaming, and then starts to smell nutty. As soon as you get a whiff, turn off the heat and throw in the bag of marshmallows. Stir like crazy, and encourage all the marshmallows to melt.

I had a little trouble with the next step, so will give you my updated version. Once all the marshmallows have melted into the butter, put a GENEROUS 1/4 teaspoon of sea salt, and the 6 cups of crispies, into a big bowl, and toss. Once everything is combined, pour/scoop the marshmallow and brown butter mixture into the bowl. Maybe if I had a bigger saucepan at my disposal, this wouldn’t have been an issue, but as it stood, I needed some help. So, once everything is in a big bowl, just start stirring and folding and smooshing, until it’s cohesive.

Spread it into a well-buttered baking dish, and let it sit until it’s cool and set. Then, you can cut it into squares, rectangles, or whatever weird shape happens when you and your boyfriend say, “Oh just one more teeny piece” about 67 times between the two of you and suddenly, there’s a janky-looking cut down the side of your pan of Crispy Treats and….

Again. I digress.

Fair Warning: Everybody that I know is getting these for the holidays. Some of you may get them drizzled with Salted Caramel sauce. Some with chocolate sauce. Some just on their own.
But you’re going to eat them, and you’re going to love them. Until that time….. yum. Make these. But beware: they disappear FAST!!