Jevay 
In my “packed lunch” era in elementary school, nothing was more important to me than the snack my mom put into my lunch box. If I didn’t have the right snack, I felt like the world was ending around me. How dare that woman a.k.a. my mother just throw any snack into my lunch and GOD FORBID she pack a cosmic brownie or the dullest cookie known to man, Chips-a-hoy! I beg your pardon! I wanted one snack in particular; one snack wrapped in the prettiest blue cellophane; a snack that was marshmallow-y, and square and would leave my hands just slightly sticky. I wanted a rice crispy treat. I wanted gold.
Now, snack time may not have been as important to you as it was to me! Perhaps I was a wee bit obsessed with my food. I still am in my defense. But you can admit that snacks are a way of life and good snack is worthy of praise. Rice crispy treats deserve a prize for remaining delicious throughout the years. Maybe even the Nobel?? Too much? Okay, fine?
Where did Rice Crispy Treats Come From?
But where did rice crispy treats even come from, you ask? Well, in the 1930s, Mildred Day, a Kellogg employee created the recipe for a group of Girl Scouts. Her recipe included molasses and corn syrup and no marshmallows. Eventually, Mildred would leave the company and the recipe was changed in the 1940s to include marshmallows.
Rice crispy treats came at a really interesting time in US history as well. Americans really valued convenience. Gone were the days of snacks and meals taking hours to make. Microwaved meals, and quick snacks quickly took over the food landscape. With that in mind, (plus their wonderful taste) rice crispy treats shot up in popularity.
But what makes rice crispy treats gourmet?
I’m from the school of thought that anything can get a wee bit better, and that includes rice crispy treats. Now, I’m not saying that the traditional rice crispy treat isn’t delicious as is. But what I am saying is that gourmet rice crispy treats are totally worth the time and effort it would take to make them!
All you need is just a couple of ingredients.
- Brown Butter: brown butter will produce a deeper and nuttier flavor. The original recipe calls for melted butter – switch it out for brown and already you’re halfway there to a little town called Flavor!.
- Vanilla Bean Paste: In traditional recipes vanilla extract is added. Vanilla extract is well and good, but let’s kick it up a notch. In these rice crispy treats we get to see and taste the vanilla! Plus the little specs make anything look tasty!
- Sweetened Condensed Milk: This ingredient is the “silver tuna”! Sweetened condensed milk creates the creamy texture that we’re going for in a rice crispy treat. I start off with about 1/4 of a cup and add up from there.
The preparation will be the same for your rice crispy treats, but the product will be so much better! Scouts honor!
Happy Reading, Happy Eating
-jevaydanielle_
Jump to Recipe
Gourmet Rice Crispy Treats
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup brown butter
- 10 ounces marshmallows 1 bag will do
- 2 tsp vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
- 3 cup rice crispy treats
- 7 ounces sweetened condensed milk
- 1/2 tsp salt
Instructions
- Prepare a 9X13 pan, or an 8×8 pan with parchment paper.
- Brown the butter over medium high heat. Allow the butter to melt and bubble until it is an amber color.
- Add in the marshmallows. Continue to stir them until they are mostly melted
- Add in the rice crispies and stir until combined.
- Add the vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste into the sweetened condensed milk stirring until combined. Then pour the milk mixture into the pot. Stir until combined.
- Scoop the mixture into the prepared pan. Allow to “gel” together in the fridge or on the counter for 30-1hr. Slice and enjoy.
Good web site! I truly love how it is easy on my eyes and the data are well written. I am wondering how I could be notified whenever a new post has been made. I’ve subscribed to your RSS which must do the trick! Have a nice day!
Hello! I’m so glad that you’re here. I am still building this plane while flying it lol. I’ll be setting up the email list a little later this week. I want to make sure that I’m picking the right pop up for the email box. =)