Salted Brown Butter Rice Krispie Treats

I spend a lot of time looking up really complicated recipes, because I want to challenge myself. But lately, I haven't felt like doing really involved recipes. Maybe it's because  the single-digit temperatures have left me craving comfort over complication. Or maybe, I just have too much cereal in the house.

It's been two weeks since I've made anything for my work chums, which means it's been two weeks since I've practiced my baking. Life has kept me a little busy, and by the time I get a free moment, it's time for bed. But honestly, when you're really passionate about something, you'll find the time. So I carved a few hours out to get myself back into the swing of things. And what better way to get more practice in, than with yummy, crunchy rice krispie treats? But oh no, not just those standard treats you find the recipe for on the back of the cereal box, no. Salted Brown Butter Rice Krispie Treats are a much-needed twist on an old classic. They're like your cool first cousins from Chicago with the same last name as you, but they're way more popular, even with your group of friends.

What's great about these is that the taste is not different, but rather enhanced. Brown butter is a sneakily powerful ingredient. Sure, it's the same as butter, but with a slight twist that takes something basic, and gives it the depth that it's always deserved. And to top that all off, sea salt helps to bring the flavors out even more. If you're a sweet and salty type of person, then this is for you. I will not tell you how many I've had for fear that your jaw will fly open and never close. I'm just glad I have hungry co-workers, because the few that I saved for the house, did not last in the house for very long.

What You'll Need:

• 1 stick unsalted butter
• 1 8-inch square cake pan
• 1 10 ounce bag of marshmallows
• 1/4 teaspoon coarse sea salt (plus more for sprinkling!!)
• 6 cups of Rice Krispie cereal (buy on 12 oz box)

Butter (or coat with cooking spray) the bottom and sides of the cake pan. Lay a piece of wax or parchment paper on top, making sure that it properly sticks to the corners and edges.

In  a large pot, melt the butter over medium-high heat. It will melt, then start to foam, and crackle. Once the crackling has subsided, the butter will start to turn a golden color. After a few moments, your butter will start to brown, and should give off a wonderful, nutty aroma. Stir frequently, scraping up any brown bits that are hanging out at the bottom. Do not leave your butter unattended. Brown butter will turn to burned butter in very little time. And no one likes burned butter.

As soon as the butter takes on a nutty color, turn the heat off 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 low until the marshmallows are smooth.

Remove the pot from the stove and stir in the salt and cereal together. Quickly spread into prepared pan. If you're like me, you love the salty-sweet contrast. Evenly sprinkle on as much extra sea salt as you please.

Let cool, then cut into squares, or whatever shape you're feelin'.

SOURCE: Smitten Kitchen 

HAPPY BAKING!

Adventures in Recipe Testing: Nutella Edition

Since it's kind of World Nutella Week (but when is it NOT Nutella week, am I right?) I decided to make cookies for my work chums (aka recipe testers) using this heavenly hazelnut spread as my anchor. The test? Salted Nutella Oatmeal Cookies. Testing a recipe is kind of scary, isn't it? You honestly never really know how it's going to go until those cookies (or whatever you're baking) have are done. You could get the timing wrong, you could add too much flour and as a result they're too dry, you could have been heavy-handed with the vanilla, killing it. Tons of things could go wrong, and yet, tons of things could also go right. Nothing ventured, nothing gained and all that.

When I first started baking (that is, when I finally started making things that were actually edible, and couldn't double as door stops and paper weights...) I thought that my food heroes spent hours in the kitchen, taking different flours together and mixing it with ingredients. Kind of like a mad scientist with those really long rubber gloves, cooking chemicals on burners in their labs. But now, after lots of time watching the greats I realized: all the best recipes are based on the classics. For instance, the classic rice crispy treat recipe on the back of the cereal box. Great bakers take that recipe as the base and say: what makes this better? For one, brown butter. A great baker is one who takes a recipe, tries it, then improves upon it because at the end of the day, it's about making something taste out--of-this-world. The recipe I based these cookies off of was for a classic oatmeal raisin cookie.

I should be honest: I may or may not have just wanted to buy a tub of nutella so that I could eat it by the spoonfuls in my kitchen...which I did. Twice. But after that, I used about a cup worth of it to make these cookies...then scooped out the remainder of the jar with my finger. No nutella was wasted in the testing of this recipe.

Have I ever mentioned that sea salt is my favorite ingredient? Put it on some dark, dark chocolate with caramel, and I'll marry you. (No, I won't.) It was the perfect topping for cookies that are extra sweet. Not only is it a great contrast, but it also brings out the flavor of the nutella even more. It's like magic. Delicious, salty magic. I would also like to note that no matter how much you love sea salt, do not let yourself get carried away. I was so excited once that sea salt had taken my dark chocolate oatmeal cookies to the next level, that I pinched a bunch with my fingers and threw it in my mouth. That was a terrible decision. Learn from my mistakes.

Tomorrow my dear work chums will be my taste testers. After some workshopping, these babies will be up on the blog.

Happy friday!! Eat some nutella today. (by the spoonful. It's the weekend, who cares?)

P.S. This is my 100th post. I can't believe it.