Brown Butter Vanilla Bean Rice Krispie Treats (with free printable labels for gifting)

Rice Krispie Treats sound like "little kid food", right? Wrong, if you're talking about these Brown Butter Vanilla Bean Rice Krispie Treats. Kids of all ages go crazy over them but be warned - they're addictively delicious!

When it came to Rice Krispie Treats, my attitude was always a little "meh"... I could take them or leave them. Then, a few years ago, I was at my son, Nick's home for dinner. He pulled out a pan of rice cereal treats and said, "try one!". I politely refused as I like to save my calories for sweet treats that are "worth it" in my eyes. He said, "No, really mom, just take a bite". I took a small bite and my eyes opened wide, WOW! - so good! He shared "the secret" that made them so delicious and now I'm quite smitten. I think you will also be delightfully surprised when you take the first bite of these Brown Butter Vanilla Bean Rice Krispie Treats!

The Secret

Scott picked up two of our grandchildren, Emmy and Hayes from school yesterday, as they're spending the weekend with us. He brought them each one of these Brown Butter Vanilla Bean Rice Krispie Treats. As soon as they arrived home, Emmy asked, "Are those Rice Krispie Treats on the blog". I said, "Not yet". They both adamantly declared that "They need to be - they're SO good!".

I also took a few large squares of these Brown Butter Vanilla Bean Rice Krispie Treats to an older granddaughter, Annie, who was participating in a track meet last week. I wrapped them in parchment paper and added a colorful gift label.

The next day, my daughter relayed that Annie told her, "that Rice Krispie treat was one of the best things I've ever tasted!". And who knows? After she took the first few bites, she ran the last leg of the girl's relay and cleaned up BIG time for the team!

So what's the secret that makes these treats so fabulous and out of the ordinary? Actually, there are several things that take them to a gourmet level. Generally, Rice Krispie Treats call for melted butter, marshmallows and rice cereal. In this recipe, the butter is browned on the stovetop after it's melted. Brown butter is a simple chef's trick that adds a fabulous dimension to pasta, veggies, fish... all kinds of things. including Rice Krispie Treats!

Browning butter takes just a few extra minutes but the flavor explosion it provides is amazing. The milk solids in the butter end up getting toasted which creates a nutty, sweet flavor. Here's what Martha Stewart says about brown butter:

It feels like a magic trick every time. Brown butter is a simple one-ingredient sauce, a chef trick that can transform all kinds of recipes, savory and sweet. In mere minutes, a stick of unsalted butter melts, then simmers and sputters, transforming into an intoxicatingly fragrant and impossibly silky brown sauce.

Two other little tricks

The two other steps that take these Brown Butter Vanilla Bean Rice Krispie Treats from ordinary to extraordinary are also quite simple. We add the tiny seeds from one vanilla bean or a spoonful of vanilla bean paste. This addition of real vanilla bean enhances the delicious brown butter flavor.

The second trick I like to employ with my rice krispie treats is to add an additional portion of marshmallows at the end. The extra marshmallows melt in little pockets creating gooey, crispy, impossibly delicious treats!

A gourmet gift!

Want to make someone's day? Give them a plate of these Brown Butter Rice Krispie Treats. Even better, wrap large squares of these sweet confections in parchment paper and add one of our free printable labels and a pretty little bow.

You'll be sure to be the most popular kid on the block and will be fondly remembered when the recipients take the first bite. These Brown Butter Vanilla Bean Rice Krispie Treats are a wonderful gift for neighbors, friends, mailmen, teachers, hairdressers, co-workers... anyone you want to cheer up or express "thanks" or "I care" or "have a great day" to!

To receive the free printable labels, simply let us know in the comment section below this post that you'd like them. We will send you the PDF that you can download and print on your own printer. We'll also send instructions on how to do this and ideas for gift presentations.

Nirvana

Perhaps I should have called these fabulous little squares Nirvana Rice Krispie Treats as they truly are quite heavenly but Brown Butter Vanilla Bean Rice Krispie Treats will have to suffice for now since I've already created the labels. Hope you enjoy them as much as everyone around here has!

P.S. If you enjoy this recipe, you'll also love our Brown Butter Pumpkin Spiced Rice Krispie Treats!

Café Tips for making these Brown Butter Vanilla Bean Rice Krispie Treats

• This recipe calls for rice cereal. The most well-known rice cereal here in the U.S. is probably Rice Krispies, but there are also lots of generic brands which will be much less expensive and will work well.
• If you don't generally eat rice cereal and don't want to have a large box of cereal get stale, this type of cereal freezes well so just stash the excess in the freezer for the next time you want to make these Brown Butter Vanilla BEanRice Krispie Treats. (Warning - it will probably be sooner than you think!)
• I like to use mini marshmallows for this recipe however, the small marshmallows are not always available. Regular size marshmallows will work for this recipe but for the 4 ounces that are added at the end (to create the pockets of melty, marshmallow) you can cut the larger marshmallows into small pieces. To do this, simply spray a kitchen shears with cooking spray to eliminate stickiness. You may have to repeat this a few times. After the marshmallows are cut up, toss the pieces with 1 teaspoon of cornstarch to keep them from sticking to each other.
• This recipe calls for the scraped seeds of one vanilla bean pod OR 2 teaspoons of Vanilla Bean Paste (a convenient product consisting of natural vanilla bean seeds in a syrupy, paste form). If you're in a pinch and don't have either of these, and equal amount of Pure Vanilla Extract can be subbed.
• If you're not familiar the the technique, here's a great video on how to scrape the seeds from a vanilla bean.
• I like to sprinkle these bars with a bit of flaky sea salt. I use Maldon Sea Salt. Maldon is a finishing salt, used by many chefs as a final (gourmet) touch for vegetables, entrees, desserts, etc. It's more expensive than regular salt, but it's worth it and it lasts a long time.
• Use a large pot to make these brown butter Rice Krispie treats. This will eliminate a lot of mess on your stovetop from the spattering butter as it is cooking and being transformed to the lovely brown butter.
• I like to make these treats in an 8x8-inch square pan for pretty and tall bars. You can also use a 9x9-inch pan though the bars will be a little shorter.

Thought for the  day:

Be strong and courageous.
Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged,
for the Lord your God
will be with you wherever you go.
Joshua 1:9

What we're listening to for inspiration:

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Brown Butter Vanilla Bean Rice Krispie Treats

Rice Krispie Treats sound like "little kid food", right? Wrong, if you're talking about these Brown Butter Vanilla Bean Rice Krispie Treats. Kids of all ages go crazy over them but be warned - they're addictively delicious!

Author: Chris Scheuer

Course: Dessert, Snack

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Brown Butter Rice Krispie Treats, Brown Butter Vanilla Bean Rice Krispie Treats, Rice Krispie Treats

Prep Time: 15 mins

Cook Time: 10 mins

Total Time: 25 mins

Servings: 16 servings

Calories: 166 kcal

Ingredients

• ½ cup butter 1 stick
• 16 ounces mini marshmallows divided (divided)
• scraped seeds from one vanilla bean pod OR two teaspoons vanilla bean paste
• 5 ½ cups crispy rice cereal I use Rice Krispies
• flaky sea salt optional I love Maldon

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

1. Spray an 8x8 square pan with cooking spray (or lightly oil it). Line the pan with heavy duty foil (or regular foil that’s been doubled) so that two ends extend over the edges of the pan. (You can also use parchment paper to line the pan.) Spray the foil (or parchment) with cooking spray. Set aside. Also spray a large pot or Dutch oven and a large spoon or spatula with cooking spray.
2. Heat the butter in the prepared pot over medium heat. After the butter melts it will start to sizzle a bit and a white foam will develop on the top. If it’s splattering too much reduce the heat a bit. Continue cooking for 3-5 minutes until the butter gets silent (stops sizzling) and the foam turns a deeper yellow. Start swirly the pan occasional at this point until the butter turns golden brown and has a nutty aroma.
3. Turn down the heat to the lowest setting and add 12 ounces (about ¾) of the marshmallows to the butter. Stir (with the oiled spatula or spoon) until the marshmallows melt and the mixture is smooth. Add the vanilla bean seeds or vanilla bean paste (or vanilla extract) and stir to combine.
4. Add all of the rice cereal and stir until well combined. Then add the remaining 4 ounces of mini marshmallows and stir to distribute and just until they’re beginning to melt (you want little pockets of marshmallow).
5. Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan. With slightly wet fingers, press the mixture lightly into the pan. Don’t pack it in or the bars will be dense. Sprinkle the top lightly with flaky sea salt, if desired.
6. Allow to cool and enjoy! You can store the treats in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days. They also freeze well.

Recipe Notes

See Café Tips above in the post for more detailed instructions and tips to ensure success.

If you prefer to use Metric measurements there is a button in each of our recipes, right above the word “Instructions”. Just click that button to toggle to grams, milliliters, etc. If you ever come across one of our recipes that doesn’t have the Metric conversion (some of the older recipes may not), feel free to leave a comment and I will add it.

Calories 166kcal

Fat 6g

Saturated fat 4g

Trans fat 0.2g

Polyunsaturated fat 0.3g

Monounsaturated fat 2g

Cholesterol 15mg

Sodium 69mg

Potassium 11mg

Carbohydrates 29g

Fiber 0.1g

Sugar 16g

Protein 1g

Vitamin A 177%

Calcium 3%

Iron 0.3%