Salted Brown Butter Crispy Treats

• servings: 16 2”x2” squares
• total time: 45 min

Ingredients

8 tablespoons (115 grams or 1 stick) unsalted butter, plus more for the pan

Heaping ¼ teaspoon flaky sea salt

One 10-ounce (285-gram) bag large or miniature marshmallows

6 cups (170 grams) puffed-rice cereal (about half a 12-ounce box; I've had luck with brown-rice cereals as well)

Directions

Butter (or coat with nonstick spray) an 8-inch square cake pan with 2-inch sides.

In a large pot, melt 1 stick butter over medium-low heat. It will melt, then foam, then turn clear golden, and finally start to turn brown and smell nutty. Stir frequently, scraping up any bits from the bottom as you do. Don't take your eyes off the pot: You may be impatient for it to start browning, but the period between the time the butter begins to take on color and the point where it burns is often less than a minute.

As soon as the butter takes on a nutty color, turn the heat off, sprinkle salt over butter, and stir in the marshmallows.

The residual heat from the melted butter should be enough to melt them, but if it is not, turn it back on over low heat until the marshmallows are smooth. (Be careful not to cook the marshmallows, which will de- stroy their stretchy softness; you're just looking for enough heat so they will melt and smooth out.)

Remove the pot from the stove, and stir in the cereal, folding it gently with the marshmallow mixture until the cereal is evenly coated.

Quickly spread into prepared pan. I use a piece of waxed or parchment paper that I've sprayed with oil to press it firmly and evenly into the edges and corners and smooth the top, though a silicon spatula works almost as well.

Let cool, then cut into squares and get ready to make new friends.

Notes

From: ‘Smitten Kitchen Every Day’ by Deb Perelman