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Better Than Mom’s Brown Butter Rice Krispie Treats! It’s true, promise, these rice krispie treats are like no other. Made with salted browned butter (KEY), double the marshmallows (homemade, to be exact), a touch of vanilla, and brown rice krispies. They’re sweet, salty, buttery, extra gooey, and just a little bit addicting. And the best part? They’re fun to make no matter what your age. The perfect back to school, bake sale, treat that will win everyone over.
Taking it back to our childhood days today, and my gosh, I am very happy about it.
Like the rest of the world, I grew up snacking on my mom’s homemade rice krispie treats. I didn’t like marshmallows at all (still don’t), but yet I loved my mom’s krispie treats. The thing about my mom’s krispie treats? She made them better, with double the butter and double the marshmallows. To be expected from her. Go big or go home has always been her motto…with desserts and life!
I guess my point is that she was/is the best sweets maker. To this day, everyone raves about her chocolate chip cookies and her Special K-Bars. Nothing better. But her rice krispie treats?
I think I may have beat her original recipe with these. Let me explain a bit.
First, I want to make note that these are not your average rice krispie treats. For one, I made the marshmallows. Honey marshmallows actually, with no processed sugar, no corn syrup and nothing weird at all. I will not say they are healthy, because that could be a bit of a stretch. But hey, they’re a much better option than the bagged kind.
Also, and most importantly, they actually taste good. So darn GOOD, and flavorful!
Second, browned butter. Salted brown butter, and this is KEY. You can skip the homemade marshmallows if you must. I know they’re a bit of an extra step, so I do understand. But you can’t skip the browned butter…or the salted part.
Third, vanilla. Just a touch. Because for real…why wasn’t vanilla in the original rice kripsie treat recipe? Always use vanilla.
Here’s the breakdown.
If you’re making my homemade honey marshmallows, start with these. They do add time onto this recipe, but if you have the time, make these. Please! They’re a true game-changer and I LOVE that they use zero corn syrup. Yes, please.
And they’re actually so much easier to make than you would think. You just need water, gelatin, honey (you can also use maple syrup), flaky sea salt, and vanilla. That’s it.
Then dissolve the gelatin in cold water, bring the honey to a boil, boil for 10 or so minutes, then stream the hot honey into the gelatin. Then just add vanilla plus sea salt and whip with a stand mixer until you have marshmallow “fluff”.
Spread the mixture into a pan, let them set, and done. You’ll now have homemade honey marshmallows that have the prettiest golden hue to them. AND that actually taste like something other than just pure sugar. These are SO GOOD.
As I said, I totally understand if you don’t have the time or energy to do this extra step. BUT, if you happen to have time and are feeling adventurous, I could not recommend the homemade marshmallows more. True game-changer, and really, so much easier to make than you would ever think.
Once you have your marshmallow situation all sorted out, it’s time to make the best rice krispie treats.
Brown a stick of salted butter, melt in your marshmallows and smell the deliciousness coming from the brown butter. It’s warming, toasty, and will definitely get you excited for cozy fall baking…just saying.
Add in a pinch of flaky sea salt, a touch of vanilla, and brown rice krispies. Spread out in a pan and then let the treats sit until set. In the directions, I say 1 hour, but 30 minutes will do too. Cut, sprinkle with additional salt (never a bad idea) and serve them up to everyone and anyone.
There’s not a person in the world who could not love these. Not only will they remind everyone of their childhood, but the fact that they actually have delicious flavor, are soft, chewy, perfectly salted, and slightly healthier too, really seals the deal and makes them better than moms.
So with that, do yourself a favor and indulge in some Tuesday treat making. These are easy to make, but even better to enjoy. And any memories that come along with this recipe are just an added bonus.
If you have a bake sale, end of summer BBQ, or Labor Day weekend picnic, you must bring these and you should probably double the recipe. They will go fast.
Lastly? If you are more of a chocolate peanut butter kind of person, then try out my chocolate covered brown butter krispie treats.
If you make these better than mom’s brown butter rice krispie treats be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Better Than Mom's Brown Butter Rice Krispie Treats
Servings: 24
Calories Per Serving: 1032 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Shop ingredients at your local Target store. Learn more
Ingredients
- 1 stick (8 tablespoons) salted butter
- 10 cups (two 10 ounce bags) marshmallows, homemade (recipe below) or store-bought
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon flaky sea salt
- 9 cups brown rice krispies
Instructions
- 1. Line a 9x13 inch baking dish with parchment paper.2. Add the butter to a large pot set over medium heat. Allow the butter to brown lightly until it smells toasted, about 2-3 minutes. Stir often. Remove from the heat and stir in the marshmallows, stirring until melted. Stir in the vanilla, salt, and brown rice krispies, tossing well to combine. Spread the mix out into the prepared pan, packing it in tightly. 3. Let the treats cool, at least 1 hour. Cut into bars and serve! Bars will keep for 2-3 days stored in an airtight container.
Notes
Store-Bought Marshmallows: if using store-bought marshmallows, you need 2 (10 ounce) bags.
Homemade Marshmallows: if using my homemade marshmallows (below), use the entire batch to make these rice krispie treats.
Adapted From: my mom's recipe, which was adapted from the Kellogg's Rice Krispies box.
Honey Marshmallows
Servings: 20 marshmallows
Calories Per Serving: 606 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Shop ingredients at your local Target store. Learn more
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons powdered gelatin
- 1 cup honey or maple syrup
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- flaky sea salt
- confectioners’ sugar, for dusting (optional)
Instructions
- 1. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper and dust with confectioners sugar. 2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, stir together the 1/2 cup cold water and the gelatin. Fit the stand mixer with the whisk attachment. 3. In a medium saucepan, combine the honey and 1/2 cup water. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until the mix reaches 240 degrees F. on a candy thermometer, about 10-12 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat.4. With the mixer on medium speed, carefully and slowly pour the hot syrup into the gelatin mixture. Add the vanilla and salt. Raise the mixer speed to high and beat for 8-10 minutes, or until the mixture is fluffy. 5. Working quickly, transfer the marshmallow mixture in the prepared pan. Smooth the top into an even layer. Let sit at room temp for 1 to 2 hours, until set. 6. Generously dust the top of the marshmallow with confectioners’ sugar and then invert it onto a clean cutting board. Cut the marshmallow into squares, they will be sticky. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 month.
Notes
If Using To make Krispie Treats: You can simply skip the setting process and use the marshmallow "fluff".
Confectioners' Sugar: you don't have to use this, but it makes working with the marshmallows much, much easier. Just a little dusting is all you need.
These are out of this world! I just use the store bought mini marshmallows and regular Rice Krispie cereal. I have no issues with sogginess whatsoever and people literally swoon over them!
Hey Mary Beth,
Happy Friday!! I am delighted to hear that this recipe turned out tasty for you, thanks a bunch for giving it a try!
Darn!! I didn’t read the reviews until it was too late! Mine also turned out ok initially and as it sat to cool/form, it got super soft. The only change I made was to use gluten free rice crispy cereal which might explain the sogginess of the end result, but so many folks had the same result regardless of what cereal they used. Also, I don’t think the honey marshmallow recipe makes enough for 9 cups of cereal. Even without the soggy result, the bars didn’t have much marshmallow and the brown butter taste (which is great) was the only thing coming through. Perhaps with so many poor results, you could address within the recipe before posting it again.
Hi Rosemarie,
So sorry you did not enjoy the recipe, thanks for giving it a try. xTieghan
Hi Tieghan!
First, I love making your recipes and seeing all the new things you come up with! I’ve made several of your recipes (3 just this week!) and have had great success and fun with all of them, except for these Rice Krispie treats. 🙁
The short story is: 6 tablespoons of butter is still way too much! I read the comments from others below who had the same problem with soggy, stale tasting treats, and saw your suggestion to reduce the butter from 8 tbs to 6. However, I think that 4 tablespoons would’ve been perfect! I followed the rest of your recipe to a T (using your homemade marshmallows, which turned out amazing!!!), but my treats were incredibly soggy and stale tasting. So much so, that the treats would’ve even hold together when I tried to cut them into squares. 🙁 I think that maybe a higher amount of butter would work for treats made using store-bought marshmallows, because store-bought are of course gummier and stickier, and would hold the treats together better. I’m afraid that the homemade marshmallows and 6 tbs of butter was just too much for the rice krispies to absorb.
For reference, I live in Kentucky, where it is very humid year-round (80%+), especially now in late summer. Maybe that has something to do with it too? Who knows. 🙂
I will try this recipe again with 4 tbs of butter and let you know how it goes! Like I said, your marshmallow recipe is fantastic! I wish I would’ve made a double batch so that I could’ve enjoyed them before using them all in my defunct Rice Krispie treats! Next time. 🙂
Wouldn’t*
Hey Tera,
Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, I’m sorry it didn’t turn out how you would have liked. xTieghan
Mine came out soggy as well with the homemade marshmallow fluff unfortunately.
Hey Paige,
Sorry to hear this, was there anything you may have adjusted in the recipe? Please let me know if I can help in anyway! xTieghan
I read the previous reviews about the squares turning out soggy, but was hoping for a different result. Unfortunately, that’s not what happened. I followed every step of making the marshmallows without a hitch. The homemade marshmallows, while delicious on their own, are definitely the culprit. It seems that their moisture content is too high to produce a chewy-yet-crispy treat. The flavour was all good, but the texture was less than satisfying. I used Rice Krispies brand made with brown rice. Maybe the brand Tiegan uses is heartier and sturdier? I really wanted to love these, but they were disappointing. I would, however, make the marshmallows again just to eat by themselves.
Hey Megan,
So sorry you did not enjoy the recipe, was there anything that was adjusted? Let me know how I can help. Here is the brand of Rice Krispies that I used: https://rstyle.me/+Xm4l_Hx-wx-TSDNA6yK5IA xTieghan
Brown butter in rice krispie treats is BRILLIANT. I just made 2 batches using my left offer home-made butterscotch and espresso-cinnamon marshmallows. ?
Hey Laura,
I am so glad you enjoyed the recipe, thanks so much for giving it a try! Happy Sunday:) xTieghan
I was really disappointed in the marshmallows and how they affected the overall final rice krispies’ treats. I doubled the recipe because I was intending to use these as Christmas presents to send to friends. I had been really excited to try my hand at homemade marshmallows because I’ve made brown butter rice krispies before with store- bought marshmallows and they’re amazing. So I thought I would up my game with homemade marshmallows after seeing this recipe.
The honey mixture couldn’t seem to get above 210 degrees (even after 20+ minutes on the stove). It subsequently took 25 minutes to whisk the marshmallows into something sort of resembling “fluff”. The end results were two pans of soggy, cardboard-tasting rice krispies treats that I threw away.
You’re my first choice when looking for new recipes to try, and I’ve had great success with many of your dishes and cocktails (your apple butter old fashioned is one of my all-time favorite drinks), which is why this was such a disappointment.
Hey Callie,
So sorry you had issues with the marshmallows. Was there anything you adjusted or anything I can help with? Please let me know! xTieghan
These are incredible. I must make these again soon.
Hey Matt,
I am so glad you enjoyed the recipe, thanks for giving it a try! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
The marshmallows wouldn’t melt off the heat. Had to put back on the heat to melt. But the recipe turned out great! Yum!
Thank you so much for trying this! I am really glad it was so good! xTieghan
Hi Tieghan,
Nope. I used local, fresh honey, Kerrygold butter and Maldon flaked sea salt. Considering the quality of the ingredients I used, they should have been amazing (as I expected).