Brown Butter Salted Corn Rice Krispies Treats

Not your mamma's rice krispies treats.

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If you love a sweet and salty snack, these brown butter rice krispies treats will be your kryptonite. Filled with soft marshmallow pockets and salty corn bits, these chewy treats delight adults and children alike. 

A typical Rice Krispies treat is one single chewy texture and one consistently sweet flavor. With all due respect to the classic, I like a dessert with a little more variation, so I’ve tweaked the OG formula to take these treats up a notch—without sacrificing their beautiful simplicity. Browning the butter before melting in the marshmallows brings an extra layer of caramelized richness and slight bitterness that balances the sweetness. Adding in a judicious amount of salt- both in the form of kosher salt and those salty corn snacks- boosts all the other flavors and provides a little relief from the general sweetness. Finally, folding in a few marshmallows with the corn snacks ensures we get pockets of soft squishiness as well as bits of crunch in the middle of the chewy treat. 

While I originally developed these treats with Love, Corn’s sea salt corn snacks, don’t feel like you have to run out and find that specific product to make them.  You could also use corn nuts (just make sure to choose a lightly salted variety, not one that’s flavored), corn chips, or even pretzels. Essentially, anything that’s salty and crunchy will work. 

These Rice Krispies treats are at their chewiest best when they’re fresh, but they will also keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. You might notice that the corn snacks become a little less crisp as time goes on, but the flavors will still be just as good. 

Enjoy!

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Brown Butter Salted Corn Rice Krispies Treats

(Makes 9 large or 18 small)

Prep time: 15 minutes

Chill time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

½ c. (1 stick, 113 g.) unsalted butter

12 oz. mini marshmallows (about 6 cups), divided

½ tsp. vanilla extract

¼ tsp. kosher salt (I used Diamond Crystal)

4 cups rice krispies cereal

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons crunchy corn snacks, such as Love Corn, divided

Equipment: 9” x 9” baking pan, parchment paper, large high-sided pan, heat-proof flexible spatula

Instructions

1. Line a 9”x 9” metal baking pan with parchment paper, letting the excess hang over two of the sides for easy removal. Measure out 2 oz. (about 1 cup) of the mini marshmallows and set aside. Keep the remaining marshmallows close by.

2. In a large high-sided pan, melt butter over medium heat. Continue to cook, stirring and scraping at the bottom constantly, until butter foaming subsides and the milk solids in the butter brown, 2-3 minutes more.

3. Reduce the heat to low. Add the remaining 10 ounces of marshmallows to the brown butter and stir with a heat-safe rubber spatula briefly to combine and stop the butter from burning. Add vanilla and salt and continue to stir until the marshmallows are totally melted and mixture is smooth and combined.

4. Add rice krispies and 1 cup corn snacks and fold in until evenly combined. Remove pan from heat and fold in ¾ cup of remaining marshmallows.

5. Dollop rice krispies mixture into prepared pan, smoothing it out into an even layer with the rubber spatula. Press remaining 1/4 cup marshmallows and 2 tablespoons corn snacks into the top of the treats.

6. Let rice krispies treats cool until firm, about 30 minutes in the refrigerator or 2 hours at room temperature. To slice, use the parchment paper handles to remove the rice krispies treat slab from the pan and transfer to a cutting board. Using a sharp knife, cut into 9 squares or 18 rectangles.

Originally posted November 8, 2025.