Katie Lee Biegel’s Brown Butter Crispy Rice Treats Are a Fun Take on an Old Classic

With the kids back in school, bake sale fundraisers are likely already on your docket. And although your go-to chocolate chip cookie recipe or souped-up boxed brownies are delicious, you may feel inspired to try something new. Katie Lee Biegel has a recipe for classic crispy rice treats that feels like a more grown-up version. They’re the same treats you know and love, but with a salty, toasty spin that really kicks them up a notch.

“Today on #TheKitchen @foodnetwork, Brown Butter Crispy Rice Treats!” Biegel captioned a recent Instagram post. “Perfect for the back-to-school bake sale.”

And Biegel would know what makes a treat bake sale approved. She wrote on the recipe page for her treats on Food Network’s website, “I was the bake sale chair at my daughter’s nursery school and I made these brown butter crispy rice treats. They were a total hit!”

The simple addition of brown butter and a bit of crushed butter crackers take these treats from good to mouthwatering.

To make Biegel’s treats, you first start by browning your butter in a Dutch oven over medium-low heat. You want to cook the butter until it’s golden brown and has a nutty scent. Add your marshmallows to the butter and allow them to melt completely. Finally, turn the heat to low and add in a splash of vanilla extract, your rice cereal, and crushed butter crackers (Biegel likes Ritz), stirring everything evenly so all the bits of cereal and crackers are coated.

Pour the mixture into a prepared baking dish and press everything together. Sprinkle with a bit of flaky sea salt and allow the treats to cool for about 30 minutes before cutting them into squares.

“The simple act of browning the butter first gives a new depth of flavor, and the addition of crushed butter crackers adds a salty element that plays off the sweetness of the marshmallows,” Biegel wrote in the recipe. “For the sale, I decorated with a sprinkle of edible gold glitter, but they’re certainly gilded enough on their own!”

Grab the full recipe here and become the next school bake sale queen. Everyone and their mother (literally) will be asking how you made these delicious treats.

Before you go, check out our slideshow below: