Salted Brown Butter Krispie Treats

Happy Valentine's Day! 

I know people have mixed feelings about the holiday, ranging from bitter to adoring. While it does seem trite to commercialize love with greeting cards and chocolate, I personally find it a fun day to celebrate the many people in my life that I love. 

So here is a big hug to some people who mean the world to me:

1. Steve - Uh, if I didn't put you first, that would be weird, right? You're pretty much my favorite. 
2. Aaron and Alex - How scruffy, booger-y kids manage to tire me out AND melt my heart, I don't even know.
3. My parents and parents-in-law - Thanks for being great. No weak links among you.
4. All my siblings - We have fun, and I wish we all lived together in one big hippie commune.
5. Our church family, especially our fellow Council leaders - You rock my faith. In a good way.
6. Chante - Thanks for being a good friend who laughs and cries with me, and always tells me the truth.
7. The Weekly Playdate Moms - I'm certain that without you by my side, I would have given up the parenting gig long ago.
8. Tracey - You're an incredible supervisor and friend. Please come with me wherever I go.
9. Our Corner Community - We share our house, stuff, and meals. You guys are also amazing babysitters to our children.
10. Lauren - Speaking of babysitters, you are fantastic. I got a billion things done this week because of you!

Speaking of love, I really love these salted brown butter krispie treats. The recipe comes from Smitten Kitchen, and was shared with me by sister-in-law Seisha (my favorite culinary co-conspirator). Rice krispie treats are usually just okay for me. But oh boy, are these delicious. The extra nutty brown butter plus some coarse sea salt make these truly amazing. 

Go give someone you love a hug today! And if you really care about them, you might consider skipping the CVS greeting card, and sharing some of these rice krispie treats with them.

Salted Brown Butter Krispie Treats (from Smitten Kitchen)

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Ingredients:

4 ounces (1/4 pound or 1 stick) unsalted butter, plus extra for the pan

1 10-ounce bag marshmallows

Heaping 1/4 teaspoon coarse sea salt

6 cups Rice Krispies cereal (about half a 12-ounce box)

Instructions:

Butter (or coat with non-stick spray) an 8-inch square cake pan with 2-inch sides.

In a large pot, melt butter over medium-low heat. It will melt, then foam, then turn clear golden and finally start to turn brown and smell nutty. Stir frequently, scraping up any bits from the bottom as you do. Don’t take your eyes off the pot as while you may be impatient for it to start browning, the period between the time the butter begins to take on color and the point where it burns is often less than a minute.

As soon as the butter takes on a nutty color, turn the heat off and stir in the marshmallows. The residual heat from the melted butter should be enough to melt them, but if it is not, turn it back on low until the marshmallows are smooth.

Remove the pot from the stove and stir in the salt and cereal together. Quickly spread into prepared pan. I liked to use a piece of waxed or parchment paper that I’ve sprayed with oil to press it firmly and evenly into the edges and corners, though a silicon spatula works almost as well.

Let cool, cut into squares and get ready to make new friends. Makes 16 2-inch squares or 32 1- x 2-inch small bars.