Brown Butter Maple Crispies
My grandpa was a man of many talents. He was a business man, a hunter, a family man, and even an excellent cook. He wasn’t really a fancy cook, creating chef like dishes in his humble midwest kitchen. He was however famous for his legendary breakfasts, his homemade ice cream every 4th of July, and his tray of giant rice crispy treats at every family gathering. Honestly, I hadn’t had a rice crispy treat since his last batch until I created this recipe. There is just the tiny extra step of making the marshmallow fluff from scratch with gelatin which takes almost as long as melting a bag of marshmallows, but makes these treats incredibly nutrient dense. I added autumnal warmth by browning the butter and using maple syrup in the marshmallows rather than sugar. The result is delicious, nourishing, and just so nostalgic. Perfect for a blustery October day.
Ingredients:
1 stick of butter (1/2 cup), melted and browned (not burnt :)
1/2 cup of water, split into two 1/4 cups
2 tablespoons gelatin (my favorite brand, you can use code JMW10 for a discount)
1/2 cup maple syrup
1 tablespoon arrowroot powder
6 cups crisp rice cereal (we love one degree organics and get it from thrive market!)
Directions:
Firstly, grab your 9x13 dish and butter it with a stick of butter. I like to rub the end of the stick all around the bottom and sides, paying special attention to the corners. Then put the butter into a sauce pan over low heat and let it start browning. Keep your eye on it throughout the process, but by the end you should have golden slightly browned butter. While the butter is browning, in the bowl of your stand mixer (or a large bowl if you’re using a hand mixer) pour a 1/4 cup of the water and sprinkle the gelatin over top. Let it sit and absorb the liquid for about 10 minutes. While that happens, put the other 1/4 cup of water and the maple syrup in a pot and let it come to a low boil. Keep it at a low boil for about 5-8 minutes. When it’s done boiling turn the stand mixer on low with the water/gelatin mixture in it. Slowly pour the boiling maple syrup and water in. Turn it up to high and let it mix with the whisk attachment for about 10 minutes. It will lighten in color and triple in volume. At this point, turn the mixer speed down to the lowest setting and pour the browned butter in.
Let it incorporate a bit until it isn’t sloshing around too much. Turn the speed back to high and fully mix it in. Add the arrowroot in and mix for another minute. Turn the mixer off and remove the bowl from the stand mixer and quickly pour the cereal in. Use a rubber spatula to incorporate the crispies and then pour into the buttered dish and smooth out. Pop in the fridge to firm up. Slice into squares once it’s hardened. They seem to stay crisper if they’re stored in the fridge rather than at room temperature.
