Next-Level Rice Krispie Treats! | Gimme Some Oven

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The classic 3-ingredient Rice Krispie Treats recipe is kicked up an irresistible notch with brown butter, toasted marshmallows, a splash of bourbon (if you’d like), and an extra pinch of sea salt. Crazy good!

Raise your hand if you grew up loving rice krispie treats! ♡

These 3-ingredient wonders from the back of the Kellogg’s box were a total family fave in our house growing up, and also one of the very first recipes that I proudly learned to make “all by myself” as a kid.  But while the classic recipe will forever and always be a nostalgic fave — guys, I’m here today to tell you that they can be so much tastier with a few simple tweaks!

First, we’ve gotta brown that butter.  This step only takes an extra few minutes and adds the most delicious, rich and nutty flavor to these treats.  Second, why not toast those marshmallows?!  It literally takes less than a minute to broil marshmallows in the oven, and that extra roasty toasty flavor (as charred as you prefer) tastes just as amazing as you would think in this recipe.  Third, you’ve gotta add some extra sea salt.  In my opinion, it is notably lacking in the original recipe and serves to balance out the sugary-sweet flavor of the marshmallows.  And finally — perhaps most importantly — I’m a big believer that you need to add slightly less Rice Krispies than the original recipe calls for.  I love my rice krispie treats soft and chewy, not hard and dry, which can be solved by adjusting the cereal ratio a bit and lightly pressing (rather than firmly packing) the mixture into your baking dish.

If you would really like to kick these up an extra notch, I also love adding a good splash of bourbon to the melty marshmallow mixture, which is just as delicious as you would imagine but optional if you would rather not.  And, of course, you’re also welcome to add in extra peanut butter, chocolate chips, vanilla or sprinkles if you would like too.

Bottom line — these next-level steps only add about an extra 10 minutes or so to an already speedy prep time for these treats, and they kick the flavor up a majorly delicious notch.  So if you’re feeling nostalgic and want to make a batch, give this version a try!

Epic Rice Krispie Treats Ingredients:

Here are the ingredients that you will need to make these next-level treats!

• Rice Krispies: For nostalgia’s sake, this recipe is written with the classic Kellogg’s Rice Krispies cereal.  (Although if you would like to make these gluten-free, you can use their gluten-free Rice Krispies.)
• Mini marshmallows: Guys, you need to go with the original, jet-puffed, sugary mini marshmallows for this recipe.  Some of the newer, healthier, more naturally-sweetened marshmallow brands don’t melt and mix in as well as the classic mini marshmallows.  (For you international readers, unfortunately some of the non-American brands of marshmallows also don’t melt as well either.)  I recommend sticking with the classics.
• Butter: Yep, I have doubled the amount of butter that the original Kellogg’s recipe calls for — partly so that we can have more of that rich brown butter flavor, but also partly because some of the liquid will evaporate as the butter browns.
• Bourbon (optional): If you would like to kick these treats up an extra notch, I highly recommend adding a splash of bourbon to the brown butter and marshmallows mixture.
• Sea salt: You can either add some fine sea salt into the marshmallow mixture, to spread evenly throughout the treats.  Or, my preference, you can alternately sprinkle some flaky sea salt on top of each treat for extra crunch.

Detailed ingredient amounts listed in the full recipe below.

How To Make Rice Krispie Treats:

Here is a brief overview of the steps for how to make rice crispy treats…kicked up a notch. ♡

1. Prep the broiler and marshmallows. This recipe moves quickly once everything starts to cook, so go ahead and preheat the broiler and spread the marshmallows out in an even layer on a baking sheet (no overlapping!), then set them aside until ready to cook.
2. Brown the butter. Next, go ahead and brown the butter in a large stockpot, keeping a close eye on it so that it does not burn.  Then once it is golden and toasty, briefly transfer it to a heatproof container so that the cooking is halted until we are ready to mix it with the marshmallows.  (Or if you’re feeling confident with your multitasking, you can complete step 3 while the butter finishes browning.)
3. “Toast” the marshmallows. Once the butter is ready to go, broil the marshmallows for 30-60 seconds until they reach your desired level of toastiness, keeping a very close eye on them as they cook quickly!  Remove from the oven as soon as the marshmallows are ready to go.
4. Stir everything together. Then — moving very quickly — transfer the browned butter back into the stockpot, along with the bourbon and salt, and briefly stir to combine.  Carefully transfer the toasted marshmallows to the stockpot (I find it’s easiest to do this with a large spatula) and briefly stir to combine.  Then add in the Rice Krispies and stir until they are more or less evenly coated.  It’s ok if there are some marshmallow clumps in there.
5. Press into the baking dish. Transfer the mixture to a parchment-lined (or greased) 9 x 9-inch baking dish, and gently press (don’t firmly pack) the mixture down into an even layer.  Let the rice crispy treats cool until they reach room temperature.
6. Serve. Then slice, serve and enjoy!

Detailed instructions included in the recipe below, as always.

Possible Rice Krispie Treats Variations:

Here are a few more suggestions for to customize this rice crispy treats recipe to your liking:

• Toast the Rice Krispies: For triple bonus points, you can also spread the Rice Krispies out on a large baking sheet and pop them under the broiler briefly (keep a very close eye on them) until they are lightly golden and toasted.  You may want to do this step twice, giving the cereal a stir once between broilings, so that you can achieve a more even toasting.
• Add vanilla extract: I also sometimes love adding in a tiny splash (about 1/2 teaspoon) of vanilla extract to the marshmallow mixture, if you are interested in a touch of vanilla flavor.
• Add peanut butter: Feel free to mix 1/2 cup of creamy peanut butter into the marshmallow mixture, if you would like to make peanut butter rice krispie treats.  (If so, I also recommend mixing in some semisweet chocolate chips too!)
• Add sprinkles: You are also welcome to mix in some sprinkles if you would like to make your treats a bit more colorful and festive!
• Caramelize the marshmallows: For another variation on the classic, check out this NYTimes recipe that adds extra marshmallows and caramelizes them in the stockpot.
• Make them gluten-free: Use gluten-free Rice Krispies and, as always, double-check that your brand of marshmallows are gluten-free too.

More Nostalgic Dessert Recipes:

Looking for some more nostalgic dessert recipes from our childhoods?  Here are a few of my personal faves:

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