Salted Brown Butter Rice Krispies Treats

The other day I went grocery shopping and found a deal on cereal. We don't usually eat much cereal in this house so I decided on getting a box of Rice Krispies (along with 3 other brands) thinking that I would make some Rice Krispies Treats with them. I thought that Riley (and Jamaal) would enjoy them. 

Turns out my boys have been holding out on me. The cereal (all 4! boxes) is almost gone and it hasn't been quite 2 weeks since I bought it! Jamaal pulled out the Rice Krispies the other day and I made a comment about not being able to make the treats because everyone kept eating the Rice Krispies. I was mostly just stating a fact, and okay with him eating them. I wasn't sure if we had any marshmallows anyway. But he ended up having Cinnamon Toast Crunch instead. So I figured I should hurry up and make them, since I made him change up his cereal choice. 

I googled a recipe and found this: the 50 best recipes. My eye went to a browned butter recipe, and as I was getting ready to print I noticed that the recipe was adapted from The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook by Deb Perelman, which I happen to have! I got a little annoyed, because the author of the blog I first read makes it seem like it was her idea. I'm glad I noticed it was Deb's recipe (which is also shared on her blog!). Because I LOVE her and have been looking forward to using her cookbook for a while. 

So, I pulled out the box and measured what we had left: roughly 5 cups of cereal...and of course the recipe calls for 6. But it ended up being just perfect. Enjoy!

Salted Brown Butter Rice Krispies Treats
From Smitten Kitchen

Ingredients:
-1 stick (8 Tbsp) butter
-Heaping 1/4 teaspoon flaky sea salt (I used flaky kosher salt, and just a large-ish pinch)
-10 ounces of marshmallows
-6 cups Rice Krispies (or 5 cups if your family eats them up before you can make these.)

1. Prepare an 8x8 pan, either by using butter to coat the sides and bottom, or non-stick spray.
2. In a medium sauce pan over medium-low heat, brown the butter stirring constantly. Be very careful not to burn it. Once browned remove from heat. Stir in salt.
3. Add marshmallows and stir until melted. If necessary, use low heat to melt any stubborn marshmallows. Be careful not to over-cook the mallows.
4. Fold in the cereal. Using a heat-safe spatula to scrape the sides and bottom of the pan, evenly coat the Krispies.
5. Once mixed well, dump the mixture into the 8-inch square pan, making sure to scrape the sides and bottom of the pan well. Get your hands wet with cold water, shake off excess water. Now press the treats down. (This trick worked great! Didn't have a sticky-icky mess, and they pressed really easily.
6. Let the treats cool. Then cut into 2 inch square pieces.

Makes 16 treats.
4 PointsPlus per treat. (using either 5 or 6 cups of cereal)

Carrot Cake {Cupcakes}

Carrot Cake {Cupcakes}

Ingredients:

- 2 cups flour
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 4 eggs
- 3 cups grated carrots
- 1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Directions: 

1. Sift together dry ingredients and then mix in oil, eggs and carrots. Stir in nuts if desired. 

2. Fill cupcake papers (or greased muffin tins) to about 2/3 full. 

3. Bake for 12-15 minutes (or until set in the middle) in a 350 degree oven. 

4. Cool and frost with cream cheese frosting. (see recipe below)

Cream Cheese {Frosting} (Courtesy of Martha Stewart Original recipe is here)
Ingredients:

- 8 oz cream cheese (softened)

- 1 stick butter, cut into pieces (softened)

- 1 cup powdered sugar

- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Place cream cheese in a mixing bowl of a standing mixer. Beat until creamy. 

2. Gradually add butter and continue beating until smooth and well blended.

3. Sift in powdered sugar, and continue beating until smooth

4. Add vanilla and stir to combine.

Decorate cupcakes with a sprinkling of cinnamon and candy carrots, peas, and radishes. To make carrots, slightly soften some Starburst candies, and roll them into desired shapes. Top with some sort of green candy (Jess used jelly beans, but green twizzlers would work too.) For in depth instructions on making carrots, go here. Go here for more inspiration. 

Espresso Brownies

Springer's Espresso Brownies
(A recipe given to me by a social worker I work with)
Ingredients:
-4 ounces unsweetened chocolate (I only had semisweet, and went with that.)
-2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter
-3-4 tablespoons Medaglia d'Oro ground espresso
-2 teaspoons vanilla
-4 large eggs
-2 cups granulated sugar
-1 cup unbleached flour, stirred with a whisk before measuring
-chopped walnuts (optional) (if you add these they will alter the points values as I did not use them)

1. Melt chocolate with butter very gently. Once melted add espresso and vanilla. Let cool to lukewarm.
2. In medium sized bowl, beat eggs with sugar. Once chocolate has cooled, add it to the sugar mixture.
3. Gently fold in flour, just until absorbed. (Don't beat once flour has been added). Fold in nuts if using.
4. Scrape batter into buttered and floured pan (8x8 or 9x12)
5. Bake at 325 if pan is glass, or 350 if using a metal pan.
6. Bake about 25 minutes but start testing early. When toothpick inserted in center comes out with damp crumbs (but not liquid) remove to rack to cool. Cool for 30 minutes or more before cutting. 

They have a  mocha flavor that I like a lot. But I would not say that these are the world's best brownies either. That being said, I would definitely make them again. And I would probably still use the semisweet chocolate. I don't feel like the brownies were overpoweringly sweet. But when I measured out the sugar, I did go just under 2 cups. They come out fudgey and chewy, just how a brownie should be. (In my opinion!)


I used a 9x13 glass pan, and cut 54 brownies out (6 rows by 9 columns). Enjoy! 1 square = 2 points; 2 squares =5 points; 3 squares =7 points. (if you make them as I did, and cut them as small as I did as well. :) )