Chewy, Gooey Golden Rice Krispie Treats
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These toasty, golden, and caramel-y Rice Krispie Treats are made with brown butter and a secret ingredient.
Photo by Johnny Miller (Clarkson Potter, 2021)
The inspiration for these delicious Rice Krispie treats comes from the bakery bar at Summer House Santa Monica, a fun restaurant in Bethesda, Maryland. They’re made with a secret ingredient that gives the bars a distinctly toasty, caramel flavor. After one bite, you’ll pause and wonder, “What’s in these?” I’ll give you a clue: it starts with “golden” and ends with “grahams.” Once you try them, you may never go back to the classic version of Rice Krispie Treats! And if you want another riff on the original Rice Krispie Treats, Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Treats are a really fun option for peanut butter lovers.
Table of Contents
“These are absolutely amazing…I work in a nice restaurant and bring them in for my coworkers…they are always inhaled and greatly appreciated!”
What You’ll Need To Make Chewy, Gooey Golden Rice Krispie Treats
Step-by-Step Instructions
To begin, place the Golden Grahams in a resealable plastic bag. Using a rolling pin, the bottom of a dry measuring cup or your fist, pound the cereal into smaller pieces. You don’t want to pulverize it – some pieces should be Rice Krispies-sized, some should be larger, and some should be crumbs.
In a large pot, melt the butter over medium-high heat.
After the butter melts, it will begin to bubble, foam, and turn golden around the edges.
Eventually it will turn a dark golden color and smell nutty — watch carefully, it will go from golden brown to burned quickly. (You’ll see little bits of brown sediment forming; that’s okay.)
Once the butter is browned, remove the pan from the heat and add all but 2 cups of the marshmallows, the vanilla, and salt.
Place the pot over low heat and stir the mixture with a wooden spoon until the marshmallows are completely melted.
Remove the pan from the heat and add the cereals.
Using a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, stir until evenly combined. Add the reserved marshmallows.
Stir until they are softened and partially melted, but not completely mixed in.
Using the butter wrapper or damp fingers, press the mixture into an even layer in the prepared baking pan.
Let cool for at least an hour.
Use the foil overhang to lift the treats onto a cutting board, then cut into squares. Enjoy!
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Chewy, Gooey Golden Rice Krispie Treats
These toasty, golden, and caramel-y Rice Krispie Treats are made with brown butter and a secret ingredient.
Ingredients
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
- Two 10-oz bags mini marshmallows, divided (about 10⅔ cups)
- 3 cups Golden Grahams
- ¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Heaping ½ teaspoon salt
- 5½ cups Rice Krispies or crispy rice cereal
Instructions
- Line a 9 x 13-inch pan with heavy duty aluminum foil and lightly grease with softened butter or nonstick spray. Set aside 2 cups of the marshmallows.
- Place the Golden Grahams in a resealable plastic bag. Using a rolling pin, the bottom of a dry measuring cup, or your fist, pound the cereal into smaller pieces. You don't want to pulverize it -- some pieces should be Rice Krispies-sized, some should be larger, and some should be crumbs.
- In a large pot, melt the butter over medium-high heat (save the wrappers for pressing the mixture into the pan). After the butter is melted, it will begin to bubble, foam, and turn golden around the edges. Swirl or stir the butter as it continues to brown; eventually it will turn a dark golden color and smell nutty -- watch carefully as it will go from golden brown to burned quickly. (You'll see little bits of brown sediment forming; that's okay.) This whole process should take just a few minutes. Once the butter is browned, immediately remove the pan from the heat and add the remaining marshmallows, vanilla, and salt.
- Place the pot over low heat and stir the mixture with a wooden spoon until the marshmallows are completely melted. Remove the pan from the heat and add the cereals. Using a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, stir until evenly combined. Add the reserved marshmallows and stir until they are softened and partially melted (you want pockets of goo). Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan and, using the butter wrapper or damp fingers, press the mixture gently into an even layer. Let cool for at least an hour.
- Use the foil overhang to lift the treats onto a cutting board, then cut into 18 to 24 bars, depending on how large you'd like them. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions: To freeze, place in layers separated by wax paper in airtight container. Freeze for up to 6 weeks. Let stand at room temperature for about an hour before serving.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (24 servings)
- Calories: 187
- Fat: 8g
- Saturated fat: 5g
- Carbohydrates: 29g
- Sugar: 16g
- Fiber: 0g
- Protein: 1g
- Sodium: 104mg
- Cholesterol: 20mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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I just made these gourmet treats using European butter. Delicious. Highly recommend!
I have made these a couple of times. The grandkids love them and so does papa. Love all your recipes ❤️
If I were to try adding chocolate chips, at what stage would it be recommended? Toward the end?
Hi Karen, Yes definitely at the end, and mix quickly because they will start to melt. I’d love to know how they turn out!
Literally the best rice krispie treat-type recipe I’ve ever made. 10/10, will make this again all the time.
Absolutely delicious, and now is a staple for every get together and holiday. Thank you so much Jen!
I FINALLY found the elusive Golden Grahams and made a batch. HUGE hit with grandkids. And parents. And us. I have already been asked to make another batch next week. I am not sure I will do the ‘brown butter’ next time and just go with the regular; kids don’t seem to notice a difference and it makes it a lot quicker. Thanks Jenn!
Outstanding!
I made four varieties of RK treats for a homeless shelter, a going-away party, and the neighbors when they were under the weather.
1. The Best Ever from this website were very good.
2. Best Ever with 1/2 cup peanut butter melted into the gooey marshmallow mixture, and with chopped peanuts and chocolate chips smashed onto the top and then briefly broiled, for a toasted marshmallow flavor.
3. Best Ever with melted dark chocolate, chocolate chips, and sprinkled with sea salt.
4. This recipe, but with Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal (because it was on sale at the grocery store).
I love chocolate, but these were my favorites. I gave a lot away, but I may have set aside a few for myself. 😉
Love your recipes however I am in the UK so many of your ingredients are hard to buy and cannot find Golden Grahams what do you suggest as an alternative (as this ingredient seems to be the power punch of this recipe) Thank you
Hi Lynn, another reader from the UK commented that she replaced the Golden Grahams with Cinnamon Toast Crunch so you could give that a try. (Keep in mind that I haven’t tried it myself.) I’d love to hear how they turn out if you try it!
I did it this morning, along with a batch of the ‘regular’ i.e. Golden Grahams version. Delicious! Planning on sharing w/ my Snickerdoodle loving sibling. Third batch, using Chocolate Caramel Capn Crunch as a 50/50 mix-in with the Krispies, goes to the kid brother who never met a cereal he didn’t like – especially the sugary ones. It’s tasty, just a little too sweet for cutting into anything larger than small squares.
I made this recipe at Easter along with other fancy desserts and delicious candy. Hands down this was the family favorite with the old and young! I was told Always make Rice Krispies this way! So easy and so delicious!
So, so good. I had heard about brown butter Rice Krispy Treats and wanted to make them but the addition of the Golden Grahams and the extra marshmallows at the end take this over the top. I also like how soft these stay. A lot RKT are so hard to chew and these are not. Definitely 5 stars!