Pumpkin spice rice krispie treats?! Believe it. Intoxicatingly aromatic browned butter. Ever-popular pumpkin spice. And all the ooey, gooey goodness of the original marshmallow bars.
These pumpkin spice rice krispie treats transform a childhood favorite into something that’s waaaaaay next level. Intoxicatingly aromatic browned butter and ever-popular pumpkin spice coalesce with ooey, gooey marshmallows and rice krispies to make these not-too-sweet treats all grown up. Don’t worry, though. Your inner child will still thank you.–Angie Zoobkoff
DIY Pumpkin Spice Blend
If you have a favored pumpkin spice blend that makes you go wobbly in the knees, by all means, use it in this recipe. Simply swap it for the various individual spices in the ingredient list below, using 3 to 3 3/4 teaspoons of your pumpkin spice mixture, depending on just how amped up a pumpkin spice presence you prefer.
☞ Contents
Pumpkin Spice Rice Krispie Treats
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons (3 oz) unsalted butter, plus more for the baking dish
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- One (10-ounce) bag mini or jumbo marshmallows
- 6 cups Rice Krispies or other crisped rice cereal
- 1/2 to 1 teaspoon fleur de sel or other coarse sea salt
Directions
- Lightly butter a 9-by-13-inch baking dish.
- In a large saucepan or pot over medium-high heat, melt the butter. Continue to cook after it’s melted until it turns brown and has a nutty aroma, 2 to 3 minutes. Keep a careful watch on the butter as it can go from brown to burnt in a matter of seconds. You may see dark flecks of milk solids at the bottom of the pan and that’s okay. Immediately remove the pan from the heat.
- Add the cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, cardamom, ginger, and kosher salt to the butter and stir to coat the spices with butter. The butter will appear quite dark after you add the spices. Again, that’s okay. Return the pan to low heat and cook until intensely aromatic, 1 to 2 minutes.
- Add the marshmallows to the pan and allow the marshmallows to become warm enough to melt or lose their shape when you stir them, scraping the bottom of the pan to prevent the marshmallows from scorching, about 3 minutes. (The timing is approximate. Jumbo marshallows will take a touch longer than mini marshmallows.)
- Working quickly, dump the Rice Krispies in the pan and use a wooden spoon or a lightly buttered rubber spatula to mix until the cereal is coated with the marshmallow goo.
- Spread the mixture in the prepared pan and press it evenly, using the spatula if the mixture is still too warm to use your hands. Sprinkle with the fleur de sel and let the treats cool for about 15 minutes. Cut into whatever size squares or rectangles you desire. Watch them disappear.
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Recipe Testers’ Reviews
Just when you thought there wasn’t anything else you could do with pumpkin spice! I was skeptical to try a pumpkin spice rice krispie treats recipe as I don’t have much love for those overly sweet sticky childhood treats. This recipe completely changed my mind! The nuttiness of the brown butter and the toasted spices resulted in a not-too-sweet and exceptionally tasty treat! I actually used Halloween cookie cutters to make shapes for a Halloween party, so I ended up with 10 large shapes, plus a bunch of trimmings to snack on.
These pumpkin spice rice krispie treats were spectacular to make and even better to eat. The spice is nice. I was worried about the brown butter process as I’ve burnt butter before. However, this was much easier. When I poured the spices in, it was like I was transported to grandma’s house with the aromas that the spices were bringing. The toasting process was fantastic at bringing the flavors of the spices out. The appearance didn’t change much, it just turned a deeper brown color. I had never cooked marshmallows on the stovetop for krispie treats recipe and I loved this method. It took about 3 minutes to melt and turn the marshmallows into a melty concoction. The salt on top really brought out the spices even more at the end. The way I cut the treats created about 16 smaller servings. This would be a fantastic recipe to throw together and take to a fall potluck or dinner as people may think it took you longer than it did to put together. I think in the future, I’ll just put some cooking spray on the bottom on the pan instead of butter as it was a bit too rich for myself and friends who enjoyed the recipe with me. However, I think that eating these with a nice cup of warm cider is the perfect dessert or snack next to the fireplace this fall.
Quintessential fall flavors give a decidedly sophisticated twist to a childhood favorite. Anyone who loves the classic rice krispie treat will want to give these a try. With just a few extra spices and an extra step browning the butter, you get a seasonal, sophisticated take on the original. I found that just 1/2 teaspoon salt was plenty to sprinkle over the top of the treats once they were spread in the pan. I stopped there—a full teaspoon would have been just too much for me. I must admit that I ate some just as soon as I spread the mixture in the pan—they smelled so good!
The flavor of these pumpkin spice rice krispie treats is good and the texture is spot on. I liked the pumpkin pie spice and thought it worked well. I would definitely make these treats again. Although I do have some homemade pumpkin pie spice, I used the spice mix as specified in the recipe. I think it’s nice and you can actually adjust the quantities of each spice when making these treats a second time, if desired, to be exactly what you like.
Thought you couldn’t love rice krispie treats more? Well, try these and your love will expand. Frankly, I don’t think I can go back to traditional rice krispie treats now. The fragrant and warm spices received a thumbs up from ALL my tasters—a huge reward for very little extra effort. To press the gooey mixture evenly, I cut a piece of wax paper large enough to cover the entire surface and run my hand across the top. Press lightly again after sprinkling the fleur de sel so that it sticks.
If you love the spices in chai tea, you’ll really love these pumpkin spice rice krispie treats. In addition to the lovely spice combination, the browned butter and finishing salt really takes this classic cereal treat to another level and is perfect for fall. You can’t beat the time it takes to put this dessert together, so it’s definitely a win in my house.
This recipe takes rice krispie treats to a new level. The browned butter tastes a bit richer than the traditional melted butter and the spices give both depth and warmth to this classic treat. They are absolutely delicious. Before I began the cooking process for these, I stirred the spices and salt together in a small dish. I also buttered my rubber scraper and the bowl I would be using to stir the melted marshmallow mixture and cereal together. This makes for an easier stirring process and much quicker clean-up time. There was a lot of foam on the butter even after it browned. I ignored this and it eventually the foam was reabsorbed into the melted butter while blending the melted butter and spices.
Suburban white girls rejoice! (I can say that because I am one.) Here’s another pumpkin spice-flavored thing to devour. Instead of using the recommended spices in the ingredients list, I used 3 heaping teaspoons pumpkin pie spice and wondered why I’d never done this before! I swore I’ve made every variation of krispie treats out there. Browning the butter is genius and cuts the sweetness of the marshmallows just a bit. When it comes time to smash the gooey mixture in the pan, I sprayed my biggest spatula with cooking spray (sometimes I use the butter wrapper) and I smooshed the goo flat. Eat these bars like you would Pringles—salt side down—to get the maximum flavor hit. I cut them into my usual 12 bars.
As soon as I saw cardamon in this pumpkin spice rice krispie treats recipe, I HAD to try it. There’s something about this exotic spice that makes me dream about faraway places. I didn’t have ground cardamon, only the pods, so I removed the seeds and ground them. This was the best part as the fragrance filled my kitchen! I only used 1/2 teaspoon, as instructed in the recipe, but I think in the future I’ll add a little more. We thought these treats were very tasty but I would sprinkle a little less salt in the future. Don’t get me wrong I love salty and sweet but 1 teaspoon was a little too salty. Easy to make but a little messy and sticky.
I’ve actually never had rice krispie treats before, but when I saw cardamom in the list of ingredients, I decided it was time to rectify this. I waited 15 minutes after making them and took a nibble, thinking that would suffice, and I would leave the rest for late night-roaming housemates. But then I took another nibble. And another. I found it gently satisfying and neither as cloyingly rich or sweet as I had thought it might be. The sprinkling of fleur de sel was the perfect touch. The end result was more cinnamon-y and less generally spiced than the title would indicate, and I might prefer a bit more cardamom and one of my testers would have liked a bit more nutmeg. The flavor was nicely autumnal.
I never turn down a rice krispie treat and these are delicious. Instead of just tasting like marshmallow, they have a deeper flavor from the spices, browned butter, and salty finish. They are also much richer than conventional rice krispie treats because they contain TWICE as much butter!
Originally published October 13, 2016
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If you make this recipe, snap a photo and hashtag it #LeitesCulinaria. We'd love to see your creations on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
Is the salt really necessary on top ? We’re trying to reduce salt intake. Thanks!
Ems, absolutely not. The sprinkling of salt simply offers a contrast to the sweet that some folks like, but I think you’ll find these to be quite lovely minus the salt. They’re not as cloyingly sweet as classic rice krispie treats, either, so it’s not like the sweetness NEEDS anything in contrast. Looking forward to hearing what you think!