Malted Brown Butter Rice Cereal Treats

These rice cereal treats are based on a recipe I learned from my roommate, Kevin, during my time as a linguistics PhD student. What I enjoyed most about his rice cereal treats was how a simple change in technique–the browning of the butter–made them that much more enjoyable and memorable! For this version, I wanted to further intensify the caramel and nutty notes of the browned butter with malted milk powder. The result is a much more pronounced caramelized flavor profile that has a good salty and sweet balance.

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Malted Brown Butter Rice Cereal Treats

Course: Dessert

Keyword: Brown Butter, Malted Milk, Rice Cereal Treats

Author: Shawn

Ingredients

• ½ cup unsalted butter
• 2 10 oz. bags mini marshmallows (reserve two cups)
• ⅓ cup malted milk powder
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• 7 cups rice cereal
• Flaky sea salt optional

Instructions

• Lightly grease the bottom and sides of an 8” square pan. Line the pan with a parchment sling and lightly grease the parchment as well.
• In a large pot over medium heat, melt the butter. With a silicone spatula, stir the butter frequently as it begins to brown. The butter will begin to melt and foam, then the foam will form smaller bubbles. As the butter begins to emit a nutty aroma, continue to cook and stir the butter, until the butter develops a brown color.
• Turn off the heat and add the mini marshmallows to the butter and stir until just completely melted. The residual heat should be enough to melt the marshmallows completely. If not, turn the heat to low and continue to melt the marshmallows until they are barely melted. Do not overcook the marshmallows. This will cause the rice cereal treats to harden later on.
• Once the marshmallows are melted, immediately stir in the malted milk powder, salt, and vanilla extract. Working quickly, add the cereal and remaining 2 cups of marshmallows. Fold all of the ingredients together until the rice cereal is barely coated and the marshmallows are slightly melted but retain their shape.
• Immediately transfer the mixture to the prepared pan and evenly press the rice treats into the pan.
• Allow the treats to cool to room temperature, about 1 hour. When the treats have cooled, slice into squares and finish with a sprinkle of flaky sea salt over the top.

Enjoy! <3