Brown Butter Sea Salt Rice Krispies

Yes, these look like regular Rice Krispie Treats.  And they're not so far from the original.  But they're juuust far enough to be really amazing.  They're a delicious distance.  And let's be real, brown butter is the answer.  No wait, it's the Answer.  It's always the Answer.  Plus sea salt, duh.

In order to make this recipe, you need to brown some butter and put your marshmallows in a tiny black bowl and let some marshmallows artfully tumble beside the bowl.  Then take pictures and make those pictures a collage.  Don't skip this step.  It's crucial.    

It's actually a little frightening how many of these Rice Krispies I can eat.  As in, a whole pan.  And I'm not even saying that for comedic effect.  I could quite literally eat a pan of Rice Krispies if I could live with the guilt.  I know, it's a sexy quality for a woman to have.  Are you attracted to me now?  Well I have a boyfriend and you're making me uncomfortable.

He's a lucky guy, obviously.  Too bad I can't share my Rice Krispies with him.  

Here's the recipe!

Brown Butter Sea Salt Rice Krispies

Ingredients
1 stick unsalted butter
1 10.5 oz bag mini marshmallows
1/4 teaspoon sea salt, plus more for sprinkling
6 cups Rice Krispies cereal

Instructions:
1.  Spray or butter an 8x8 inch pan and set aside.
2.  In a lare pot, melt butter over medium-low heat.  It will melt, then foam, then turn clear-ish golden, and then begin to brown.  I begin swirling the pot when the foaming ends and keep a close eye on the bits that form at the bottom of the pan.  The butter should begin to take on a nutty aroma and the bits settling at the bottom will turn brown.  When you notice this, immediately take the butter off the heat. 
3.  Stir in the marshmallows.  There should be enough heat from the butter to melt the marshmallows but you can briefly put it back on the heat if necessary.  I melt the marshmallows so that they retain just a bit of their shape and volume but still mostly melted.  
4.  Remove from the stove and stir in the cereal and salt.  Working quickly, mix gently so cereal is evenly coated and transfer to prepared pan.  I dab my fingertips with cold water and use my hands to create an even layer and coax the mix into the corners.  (Optional: sprinkle just a bit more sea salt on the top of the bars to finish) 
5.  Let cool and cut into squares.  Eat them all yourself.  

Recipe barely adapted from Smitten Kitchen    

Coffee Toffee Brown Sugar Cookies

So I have this trusty brown sugar cookie recipe that's, well, trusty.  I always have the ingredients on hand, you don't need a mixer to make them and most importantly, they're super delicious.  I should have expected nothing less from an America's Test Kitchen recipe.  

And speaking of ATK (that's what I call America's Test Kitchen because we're totally on a nickname basis), it's sorta my dream to work there.  My life's dream, guys.   I would be paid to bake all day and not only that, you bake recipes over and over again until they're perfect.  It's quite literally a test kitchen.    So it's sorta like you're paid to mess up.  And if that's the case, I'd be super rich.    

I'll tell ya' what though.  I certainly did not mess up on these cookies.  I thought to myself, "I would like to add coffee to these cookies because I'm pretty sure coffee and sugar tastes great together.  And let's add toffee so it rhymes."  And so it was done.  

And if these are baked just right, the center will look deep and gooey while the edges have a crackly crust.  Sometimes the only thing better than puling a perfect tray of cookies out of the oven is finding out they have a deep gooey center with a crackly crust.  Am I right?  (I'm right)

Here's the recipe!

Ingredients:

14 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/4 cup granulated sugar

2 cups packed dark brown sugar

2 cups plus 2 Tbsp all purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp baking powder

4 Tbsp instant granulated coffee**

1/2 tsp table salt

1 large egg

1 large egg yolk

1 Tbsp vanilla extract

1/4 toffee bits

Instructions:

1.  Brown the butter: Heat the 10 tablespoons butter in a skillet over medium-high heat, about 2 mins.  Continue cooking and swirling the skillet until butter turns a golden brown color and has a nutty aroma, 1-3 minutes.   (Baker Girl has a great visual and description).  Transfer to a heatproof bowl and adding 4 remaining tablespoons of butter to melt.  Allow to cool. 

2.  Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat to 350 degrees.  Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment or Silpat.  In a shallow dish, mix granulated sugar with 1/4 cup packed brown sugar until well combined.  

3.  In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, and coffee.  Set aside. 

4. Add remaining 1 3/4 cups brown sugar and salt to bowl with cooled butter; mix until no sugar lumps remain, about 30 seconds. Scrape down sides of bowl with rubber spatula; add egg, yolk, and vanilla and mix until fully incorporated, about 30 seconds. Scrape down bowl. Add flour mixture and mix until just combined, about 1 minute (it may seem like too much flour at first but stick with it). Add toffee bits. Give dough final stir with rubber spatula to ensure that no flour pockets and toffee is fully incorporated and ingredients are evenly distributed.
5. Roll dough into balls, 2 Tbsp in size. Toss the balls into the reserved sugar mixture to coat and place on baking sheet about 2 inches apart.
6. Bake one sheet at a time until cookies are browned and still puffy and edges have begun to set but centers are still soft (cookies will look raw between cracks and seem underdone), 12 to 14 minutes, rotating baking sheet halfway through baking. Do not overbake. **


Notes

**I've used instant granulated coffee in other recipes and I always seem to add more than the recipe calls for because the coffee flavor seems lacking. I used 4 tablespoons in this recipe but it might be worth starting with 2 or 3 tablespoons and adjusting for your preferences.

**Baking sheets one at a time may seem unnecessary but I really recommend it. My oven can be finicky so I baked these cookies for 6 minutes and then rotated the pan and baked for 6 more minutes. They needed exactly 12 minutes. Don't be fooled if these cookies don't look quite set in the center. Allow them to cool on the sheet for a few minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack.

  

Recipe adapted from America's Test Kitchen