I consider myself the queen of sweet-and-salty, and these, these were a revelation. They have toasty, nutty notes from the browned butter, vanilla bean marshmallows, and pretzel chunks all on a chocolate bottom. To prove my point: my two person household ate two 9×13 trays of these in one week. To further prove my point I dare you to make them.
Some tips before we start! Number one, and this is a tip I will echo over and over—read the recipe start to finish BEFORE starting. That will help you avoid things like realizing, yes, you actually should’ve prepped the pan in step 1 because now you need it and you need it quickly (unprepared pans burned me one too many times).
The next tip is making sure everything is measured and ready to go before starting. Similar to tip one, this recipe in particular will thank you for being prepared because not only does it move quickly, you essentially can’t leave the pot from the time the butter melts until the treats hit the pan (maybe 10 minutes). That being said, having everything fully prepped will save you from a sticky, marshmallow mess claiming your dishes, as letting the mixture sit in the pot too long encourages sticking.
And finally, what sets these apart from other Rice Krispie treats is the depth of flavor from the brown butter and homemade marshmallows. Homemade marshmallows are significantly better than the store bought in not only flavor, but also texture. They are creamy, fluffy, melt in your mouth clouds of vanilla that actually have their own flavor, not just vague sweet. Are they NEEDED to make these good? No, definitely not. But will they make them that much better? 1,000%. And pair that with the toasty notes of browned butter these are insane. Use a good quality butter for best results – I love Kerrygold.
Chocolate covered pretzel rice krispie treats
Course: DessertDifficulty: Easy24
treats20
minutes1
minute1
hour20
minutesRice Krispie treats studded with pretzel pieces and coated in chocolate.
Ingredients
4 cups Rice Krispies
2 cups pretzels*
4 Tbsp (1/2 stick) butter, unsalted
10-12oz vanilla bean marshmallows**
1 big pinch Salt
1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate
Maldon/finishing salt (optional)
Directions
- Line a 9x13inch baking dish with plastic wrap and very lightly oil with neutral oil. Set aside.
- Measure out Rice Krispies and set aside. Add pretzels by the handful to a plastic bag and gently crush, trying not to completely pulverize them, but create rough chunks. Transfer the pretzel pieces to a measuring cup, leaving the pretzel dust in the bottom of the bag. Continue until you have 2 cups worth.
- In a large, heavy bottomed stock pot or dutch oven, brown the butter. To do this, cook the butter over medium heat, stirring constantly, until it bubbles and foams and the floating white pieces turn a dark golden brown. Be vigilant and do not leave the pot, as it can turn from browned to burnt quick!
As soon as the solids turn dark golden and you smell a deep, nutty flavor, remove from heat. Quickly add in the marshmallows and a big pinch of salt, continuously stirring. (Don’t be afraid of the salt! A big 3-finger pinch is needed as most of the salt leaves the pretzels during crushing)
Stir until the marshmallows are completely melted, returning to low heat if needed, turning off as soon as they melt. Once fully combined, add in the rice krispies and crushed pretzels and work quickly with a flexible spatula to mix. Swiftly transfer to the prepared pan. - Use a spatula or clean hands to press the mixture into an even layer. You want to have a fairly even surface, and try your best to make the edges flush, not rising up the sides, for the cleanest chocolate bottom. Set aside.
- Melt the chocolate over a double boiler. To do this, simmer an inch of water in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Place a heatproof bowl over the pot, not letting it touch the water, and add chocolate. Stir chocolate occasionally until smooth and melted.
Remove, careful to not burn yourself on the steam as you lift the bowl and set aside. - Pour the chocolate over the Rice Krispie treats, starting from the inside and working your way out. Use an offset spatula to smooth the chocolate across the entire surface, all the way to the edge.
- Chill until the chocolate is set, either at room temp or in the fridge.
- Once the chocolate is set, carefully slice any chocolate that is stuck to the edge with a butter knife. Place a large cutting board over the top, and pinching hard with your hands for security, flip the board and baking dish in one motion so the dish is upside down. Slightly lift the dish while using the plastic wrap the gently pull down until the treats release. Pull off plastic wrap.
- Cut into 2inch squares in a 4×6 grid to create 24 treats. Top with maldon salt (optional) and serve.
Recipe Video
Notes
- Store in an airtight container. Good for approximately 1 week, but are best fresh!
- *Use pretzel sticks or traditional rounds but avoid overly thick or super thin pretzels.
- **Adjust marshmallow amount based on how stiff/gooey you want them to be. I used my Vanilla Bean Marshmallow recipe, but of course store bought works – optionally, add a touch of vanilla bean paste when melting to beef them up a bit!
