I know that the addition of "Adult" is usually code for booze or nudity. Sorry to disappoint, folks, but my Adult Rice Krispie Treats involve neither.
However, they ARE way more complex in flavor than the regular, tastes - like - cavities variety, and therefore WAY more delicious. In fact, I would say they're downright addictive. Consider yourself warned!
These treats make an AWESOME gift folks trying to avoid gluten, and are a great alternative or complement to some of the heavier treats you find nowadays.
Not that these are "healthy", by any means. Let's not fool ourselves. That Fluff is PURE sugar. But hey, if you're gonna make treats, I say do it right or don't bother. ;-)
1 12-oz box crispy rice cereal of choice
1 16oz tub of marshmallow fluff (do NOT use marshmallows - it's important to getting the texture right)
Half a stick of salted butter, plus extra for greasing. Save the wrapper for Step 8!
1 teaspoon salt (you can use less if you're scurred, but I like a full teaspoon)
*I recommend using a sturdy silicone spatula for this recipe. I have one with a thick head and a wooden handle the works great. The silicone gets coated in butter during the "Brown the Butter" phase, so the marshmallow slides right off it, as opposed to sticking the way it would to, say, a wooden spoon. The sturdiness is key when it comes time to stir in the cereal.
Toast the Cereal. Spread the rice krispies out on a large sheet pan and toast them in the oven at 300 degrees, stirring every 5 min, until the majority of it looks dark brown. (Don't worry - I've never gotten them all 100% toasty or even all the same color, and the treats always turn out awesome.Just make sure not to burn any of them.) While the cereal is toasting, you can get started on the next steps. Just don't forget to keep stirring the cereal, and don't let it burn! I recommend setting a 5-min timer over and over again so you don't get distracted. If you can smell the cereal toasting, it's likely done, so definitely check on it.
Butter a Shallow Pan. Generously butter a large, shallow sheet pan so the treats don't stick to the pan. You can also line it with buttered foil or parchment if you prefer.
Melt the Half Stick of Butter: Put a large pot (large enough to hold all the ingredients and still give you room to stir without stuff flying out) over medium high heat. Cut up butter (so it will melt faster - you can put it in whole if you're more patient than I am) and add to pot.
Brown the Butter: Once the butter begins to foam a bubble, stir every 30 seconds and start keeping a close eye on it. As soon as it begins to turn just a little bit brown, turn heat down to medium low and continue stirring every 30 seconds or so Once the majority of the butter has browned, turn the heat to low and pull the pot off of the heat for a couple of minutes. Once the butter has stopped bubbling, you can return it to the low heat. Note: Once the butter starts to brown, it can burn very quickly, so you want to watch it carefully. If you're afraid it's heading to burn-ville, TAKE THE POT OFF OF THE HEAT IMMEDIATELY and keep stirring until the bubbling/sputtering calms down.
Add the Salt: Add the teaspoon (or less, if you're scurred) of salt and stir it into the butter.
Add and Melt the Fluff: Dump in a big scoop of Fluff and stir it into the hot butter. Once it's fairly melty, add another big scoop and stir. Repeat until all Fluff is added, combined with butter, and melted. I find it's much easier to get a consistent texture if you do this a bit at a time, rather than dumping it all in at once. DO NOT turn the heat up any higher. If you get the sugar in the Fluff too hot, your finished bars will be too chewy, possibly even tough. Just stir patiently and trust me.
Stir in Cereal: Keeping the heat on low, dump in about a third of the cereal. Stir until evenly combined. Dump in the next third. Stir until evenly combined. Dump in the rest of the cereal. Can you guess what to do next? ;-)
Spread into Pan: Once all of butter, Fluff, and cereal is evenly combined, dump the whole lot onto that nicely-buttered pan from Step 2. Using the buttery side of the butter wrapper, press the pile of deliciousness evenly into the pan. You can also butter your hands and go commando. But trust me, you want a layer of butter between you and all that sticky marshmallow!
These babies can be enjoyed immediately, or over the next few days. They likely won't last any longer than that. ;-)