Brown Butter S’mores Rice Krispie Treats
These S’mores Rice Krispie Treats give you ooey gooey campfire flavor in only 15 minutes. These bars taste like a cross between classic smores and your favorite childhood cereal treats; no oven, no bonfire, and no fancy equipment required. If you are juggling work, friends, and a busy weeknight schedule, these smores rice crispy treats are a fun, pretty shortcut dessert you can throw together anytime a craving or last minute party pops up.
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Ingredients for S’mores Rice Krispie Treats
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 (10 ounce) bag mini marshmallows
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
- 2½ cups Rice Krispies cereal
- 3 cups Golden Grahams cereal, plus extra for pressing into the top
- ½ cup additional mini marshmallows (for folding in and topping)
- ½ cup chopped milk chocolate or milk chocolate chips
Optional, but helpful:
- Nonstick cooking spray or a little extra butter for the pan and spatula
- Flaky sea salt to sprinkle on top
How to Make S’mores Rice Krispie Treats
1. Prep the pan: Line an 8- or 9-inch square pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang. Lightly grease the parchment.
2. Brown the butter: Melt 6 tablespoons butter in a heavy-bottomed pot over medium-low heat. Continue cooking, stirring frequently, as the butter begins to foam and froth. Once the foam settles slightly and you see golden-brown flecks on the bottom of the pot, remove the pot from the heat or reduce the heat to low. The butter should smell rich and nutty. This generally takes about 4 to 6 minutes.
3. Melt the marshmallows: Add the 10-ounce bag of mini marshmallows, vanilla, and a pinch of salt. Stir over low heat until just melted, then remove from the heat.
4. Add the cereals: Gently fold in the Rice Krispies and Golden Grahams until evenly coated.
5. Cool briefly: Let the mixture cool for 1–2 minutes so the extra marshmallows and chocolate don’t melt completely.
6. Fold in the extras: Gently fold in most of the additional ½ cup mini marshmallows and ½ cup chopped milk chocolate or chocolate chips, reserving a little of each for topping.
7. Press into the pan: Transfer to the prepared pan and gently press into an even layer using greased hands or a spatula. Avoid packing it tightly.
8. Add the toppings: Press the reserved marshmallows and chocolate, plus a few extra Golden Grahams onto the warm treats. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt, if desired.
9. Cool and slice: Let set at room temperature for 30–45 minutes. Lift out using the parchment and cut into 9 large or 16 small squares.
Pro Tips
- Work quickly but gently. The mixture gets harder to spread as it cools. Have your pan lined and cereals measured before you start. When you press the mixture into the pan, use a gentle hand so the bars stay soft and a little pillowy instead of packed and tough.
- Control the melt of chocolate and extra marshmallows. If you want very visible chunks, let the cereal mixture cool for the full 2 minutes in the pot before folding in the extras. For a more melty swirl, add them after just 1 minute; they will streak a bit into the mixture, which looks beautiful too.
- Make ahead friendly. These bars stay soft for up to 3 days at room temperature if you store them in an airtight container. Place parchment between layers so they do not stick together. For parties, you can make them the night before and slice just before serving.
- Customize the chocolate. I love milk chocolate for that classic campfire flavor, but you can absolutely swap in semi sweet chocolate chips, dark chocolate chunks, or even a mix of both if you prefer a less sweet dessert.
- Pretty presentation for entertaining. For a brunch, shower, or girls night, cut the bars into small rectangles instead of big squares. Drizzle a little melted chocolate over the top and add an extra sprinkle of Golden Grahams for a bakery style look with almost no extra effort.
FAQs
Can I use regular marshmallows instead of mini marshmallows?
Yes. Use the same weight, about 10 ounces, and cut larger marshmallows into pieces so they melt evenly. For folding in and topping, mini marshmallows work best because they distribute more evenly and look cuter, but you can chop larger ones if needed.
What size pan should I use?
An 8 inch square pan will give you thicker, bakery style bars. A 9 inch square pan will make slightly thinner bars that are easier to cut into bite sized pieces for parties. Both work; just avoid spreading them into too large a pan or they will be too thin and dry out quickly.
How do I keep the bars from getting too hard?
The biggest culprits are overcooking the marshmallows or pressing too firmly into the pan. Melt the marshmallows on low heat just until smooth and use a light touch when pressing the mixture down. Also store them tightly covered so they do not dry out.
Can I use different cereals?
Yes. For a twist on smores treats golden grahams style, you can swap some or all of the Rice Krispies for Cocoa Krispies to make them extra chocolatey. You can also try other honey graham cereals if you cannot find Golden Grahams, though the flavor will shift slightly.
Can I double the recipe?
Yes. Double everything and press the mixture into a 9 by 13 inch pan. The bars will be a nice party size and perfect for bringing to cookouts, potlucks, or office treats.
I love that these S’mores Rice Krispie Treats bring full on campfire flavor into a simple, no bake dessert that fits right into a busy schedule. With browned butter, gooey marshmallow pockets, crunchy cereal, and puddles of milk chocolate, they feel special enough for parties yet practical enough for a random Tuesday night craving.
If you are in the mood for pretty, low stress baking, keep a box of Golden Grahams, a bag of mini marshmallows, and some chocolate on hand. Then whenever you need a quick tray of smores rice crispy treats, you can have them cooling on the counter in about 15 minutes, ready to slice, share, and enjoy.
Brown Butter S'mores Rice Krispie Treats
Ingredients
- 6 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 bag mini marshmallows 10 oz.
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
- 2½ cups Rice Krispies cereal
- 3 cups Golden Grahams cereal plus extra for pressing into the top
- ½ cup additional mini marshmallows for folding in and topping
- ½ cup chopped milk chocolate or milk chocolate chips
Instructions
- Line an 8- or 9-inch square pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang. Lightly grease the parchment.
- Melt 6 tablespoons butter in a heavy-bottomed pot over medium-low heat. Continue cooking, stirring frequently, as the butter begins to foam and froth. Once the foam settles slightly and you see golden-brown flecks on the bottom of the pot, remove the pot from the heat or reduce the heat to low. The butter should smell rich and nutty. This generally takes about 4 to 6 minutes.
- Add the 10-ounce bag of mini marshmallows, vanilla, and a pinch of salt. Stir over low heat until just melted, then remove from the heat.
- Gently fold in the Rice Krispies and Golden Grahams until evenly coated.
- Let the mixture cool for 1–2 minutes so the extra marshmallows and chocolate don’t melt completely.
- Gently fold in most of the additional ½ cup mini marshmallows and ½ cup chopped milk chocolate or chocolate chips, reserving a little of each for topping.
- Transfer to the prepared pan and gently press into an even layer using greased hands or a spatula. Avoid packing it tightly.
- Press the reserved marshmallows and chocolate, plus a few extra Golden Grahams onto the warm treats. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt, if desired.
- Let set at room temperature for 30–45 minutes. Lift out using the parchment and cut into 9 large or 16 small squares.
