Chewy, Gooey Golden Rice Krispie Treats
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my full disclosure policy.
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!
You May Also Like
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
Powered by 
- 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.
See more recipes:
Comments
Add a Comment
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
The best rice crispy treats ever. U just gotta accept that it’s an absolutely indulgent treat and enjoy!
Our family is already a fan of Golden Grahams, so I was pretty sure these would be a hit. They were beyond decadently delicious, and my 10-year-old has said we cannot go back to eating regular rice crispies treats ever again. Love, love, loved these and cannot wait for the next occasion to make them! Thanks for introducing our family to what surely will become a tradition from now on.
Just when we thought Rice Krispie treats couldn’t get any better!! My 10 yr old son and I were a little skeptical as we actually had never ate golden graham cereal but the picture was so tempting & he was adament that these treats were going to happen! The addition of the Golden Graham Cereal was brilliant as it added a warm, gentle-caramel flavor that was out of this world. I would not adjust the recipes ingredients. I would suggest however that you double the batch as these will disappear quickly!!! We separated with wax paper and packaged tightly for fresh keeping.
Thank you for sharing!
– michelle & Nicolas
1. I have made this with half the butter successfully, and in fact preferred it because I felt like the full cup of butter has little pools of butter that never quite mixed in and just looked and felt a little icky. I don’t feel that it lacked in flavor or texture. It stuck a little more when pulling away from foil to cut, but just as delicious!
2. Someone asked about freezing. I froze a batch successfully to keep myself from eating them all at once. No issues when thawed. I still ate the entire batch within 7-10 days so can’t comment on longevity!
3. And most important, these are AMAZING. Like your favorite childhood treat grew up with you. Both the Golden Grahams and browned butter give a lot more depth. Even on my laziest cook days, these are worth the extra steps. Run, do not walk, to the kitchen now!!
Thank you for sharing that you made it successfully with 1/2 the butter. They’re tasty but a bit rich for me. I feel more confident cutting back now!
These are wonderful, I will never make without the Golden Grahams again. Super!!!
These are one of my daughter’s favorite treats. I swap out the white rice krispie cereal with brown rice. Sometimes, I add mini chocolate chips too.
This recipe has made me very popular with the kids in my neighborhood…as well as the adults. It is amazing the difference the Golden Grahams make in taste! Easy recipe, quick to make and will not last long!
Could I use crushed Graham wafers instead of the honey graham cereal?
Hi Pat, I think you could. I’d crush them like the recipe indicates for the Golden Grahams. Because I’ve never used graham crackers here, I might suggest starting out by using less than the recipe calls for– (maybe 1 1/2 cups instead of 3) and use additional Rice Krispies in their place. If you don’t feel like going that route, you could always make my traditional Rice Krispies Treats.
Love this new take on your already amazing Best Ever Rice Krispy Treats! Just wondering why the difference in butter…1 cup for the Golden vs 3/4 for the original. Not that you can ever have too
much butter…:). Just wondering if I should up it for the original as well?
When testing the recipes, through trial and error, I just determined that this was best with 1 cup of butter. I’d stick with the 1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) for the regular Rice Krispies. Enjoy!
Great! Thanks so much for the quick response!?
These are amazing, however I found the 1 cup of butter to be too much that made them kind of greasy. I’ve now made it several times with only 1/2 cup and find them just as tasty with 1/2 the fat and not as greasy.