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.

Stack of golden rice Krispie treats.

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 TreatsAnd 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.

“These are absolutely amazing…I work in a nice restaurant and bring them in for my coworkers…they are always inhaled and greatly appreciated!”

Hannah

What You’ll Need To Make Chewy, Gooey Golden Rice Krispie Treats

Treat ingredients including Golden Grahams, marshmallows, and butter.

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.

Rolling pin pounding a bag of cereal.

In a large pot, melt the butter over medium-high heat.

Butter melting in a pot.

After the butter melts, it will begin to bubble, foam, and turn golden around the edges.

Pot of golden butter.

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.)

Pot of brown butter.

Once the butter is browned, remove the pan from the heat and add all but 2 cups of the marshmallows, the vanilla, and salt.

Marshmallows, vanilla, and salt in a pot.

Place the pot over low heat and stir the mixture with a wooden spoon until the marshmallows are completely melted.

Wooden spoon in a bowl of melted marshmallow mixture.

Remove the pan from the heat and add the cereals.

Cereal in a pot with marshmallow mixture.

Using a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, stir until evenly combined. Add the reserved marshmallows.

Marshmallows in a pot with a cereal mixture.

Stir until they are softened and partially melted, but not completely mixed in.

Wooden spoon stirring a sticky cereal mixture.

Using the butter wrapper or damp fingers, press the mixture into an even layer in the prepared baking pan.

Person pressing cereal mixture into a lined baking pan with a butter wrapper.

Let cool for at least an hour.

Uncut Golden Rice Krispie treats in a lined baking dish.

Use the foil overhang to lift the treats onto a cutting board, then cut into squares. Enjoy!

Stack of golden rice Krispie treats.
Photo by Johnny Miller (Clarkson Potter, 2021)

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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.

Servings: 18 to 24 squares
Prep Time: 5 Minutes
Cook Time: 10 Minutes
Total Time: 15 Minutes, plus one hour to cool

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

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. 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.
  6. 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 Edamam

  • 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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Comments

  • I am mystified by how these disparate processed foods that by themselves are m’eh become amazing when combined! The golden grahams make this crispy treat next level. I haven’t yet tried the whole milk powder version floating around on the internet but I’m going to wager this is the best rice crispy treat recipe ever. They also freeze great. Make them now, you won’t be disappointed!

    • — SK on June 13, 2024
    • Reply
  • These were a hit at our Memorial Day party. They were gobbled up and my son said he wishes I would have made another batch! These are our favorite Rice Krispie treats now! Thank you for another fabulous recipe.

    • — Sherry on June 3, 2024
    • Reply
  • This are SO good. I did decrease the butter by one tablespoon as I found them a little too wet the first time I made them. Also when mixing the second bag of marshmallows do not over mix as you will lose the pockets.

    • — Libby on May 3, 2024
    • Reply
  • Gooey and wonderful! My son and husband commented they are the best Rice Krispies treats they have ever eaten! Thank you!

    • — Freckles488 on February 27, 2024
    • Reply
  • These are absolutely amazing. I am not even a Rice Krispie treat fan. I work in a nice restaurant and bring them in for my coworkers…they are always inhaled and greatly appreciated! I legitimately keep cereal and marshmallows on deck in my house specifically for these, as I’m not a cereal person either. They’re so quick to whip up and satisfying.

    • — Hannah on February 4, 2024
    • Reply
  • I had a bit of trouble but I think it was because my marshmallows were not completely melted. I think that may be why I didn’t get a complete pan full. Any suggestions? The taste was very good though!

    • — Tish on November 29, 2023
    • Reply
    • Hi Tish, did you gently press the mixture into an even layer in the pan? Might you have been able to press more so that it touched all sides of the pan? If you truly didn’t have enough to do that, I suspect that maybe your marshmallows weren’t melted enough. Glad you like the way they tasted though!

      • — Jenn on November 30, 2023
      • Reply

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