Toasted Coconut Rice Crispy Treats

 A brown butter rice crispy treat meets warm, tropical toasted coconut. An already delicious, caramely, sweet rice crispy treat is taken to the next level with just a simple step.

A brown butter rice crispy treat will always be a fantastic choice, but what if toasted coconut joined in on the fun? It becomes even more delicious. One of the things I love most about a brown butter rice crispy treat is how caramely and brown sugary it tastes, while it contains neither. Just the one additional step of browning the butter adds so much more flavor than you'd imagine.

Pro Tip: Just add a drizzle of dark chocolate, and this rice crispy treat would taste just like the iconic Girl Scout Cookie the "Samoa" (also called Caramel De-lites.)

The toasted coconut adds such a delicious flavor. Even if you're not a fan of the texture of coconut, I'm pretty sure you'd enjoy these. When unsweetened coconut is toasted, it goes from chewy to crunchy. So, when golden brown & toasted coconut is tossed in with the rice crispy cereal, they join forces to add a crunchy and delicious texture to this treat.

Although it's still technically winter here in North Carolina, these Toasted Coconut Rice Cereal Treats are a taste of summer. and, who isn't craving a taste of summer sunshine during winter?

What is Brown Butter?

Brown butter, sometimes called "browned butter," is just regular butter that is melted in a sauce pan and slowly cooked until the milk solids begin to caramelize and toast, bringing out nutty, bold, and delicious flavors from the butter without adding anything to it.

It truly is a one ingredient wonder, and it can be used for so many things. It adds so much flavor to even the simplest of things and can transform a dish from basic to mind-blowing.

It is especially popular in French cuisine, and in French it is "beurre noisette." It is used a lot in savory dishes along with being cooled, whipped, and spread on a fresh & crusty baguette. Yum, and YUM!

The step of browning butter only takes about 3-5 minutes, typically. Melting the butter, allowing the butter to foam, bubble, and brown, caramelizing the milk solids. Your kitchen is bound to smell delicious.

If you need additional instruction on how to brown butter, check out Sally's post here. 

Ingredients for Toasted Coconut Rice Krispie Treats

- Unsweetened Shredded Coconut: You can use sweetened shredded coconut, but the rice crispy treats will end up a bit sweeter than normal. I prefer to use unsweetened shredded coconut because it toasts a bit more evenly and doesn't make these treats even more sweet. 

- Unsalted Butter: I know it seems a bit crazy to use unsalted butter, only to add salt right back in. But, I like being able to control how much salt goes into each recipe. 

Each butter company uses a slightly different amount of salt in their butter, so it makes it really hard to make a consistent end product for everyone - no matter where you live and what kind of butter you are using. I’ve found this to be the easiest way. 

That being said, if you typically only buy salted butter - that is okay! Just use salted butter as normal, and add an extra pinch of salt.

- Salt

- Mini Marshmallows: You can use the standard size, but I find that the mini marshmallows melt a bit easier & more evenly.

Pro tip: make sure that the marshmallows aren't old. If they have been in your pantry for awhile and are old and dry, you'll really struggle to get them to melt. I may speak from experience. *cough cough* They will probably still work, but you'll have to work a little harder for them to melt and smooth out.

- Vanilla Extract

- Rice Cereal: You can use any kind and any brand.

I love using brown rice crispy cereal if I can find it. Usually it’s found at more health-food stores like Whole Foods, Sprouts, etc. It’s also on Amazon. I love it, and the texture it has. Plus, the brown rice crisps have a bit more nutrition & fiber.

How to Make Toasted Coconut Rice Crispy Treats:

1. Preheat oven to 325°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Evenly spread coconut on the parchment and place in the oven to toast. Keep an eye on it and don’t walk away while it’s in the oven. Bake for 8-10 minutes, stirring every 2-3 minutes until it’s golden. Remove from the oven immediately and let cool.

2. Spray an 8 x 8 pan with cooking spray and line with parchment paper. Set aside.
In a large pot over medium-low heat, combine the butter and salt. Heat until fully melted and starting to bubble.

3. 
Let the butter bubble for about 3-5 minutes, or until it starts to develop a deeper golden color and starts to smell toasted. That’s how you know it’s ready. If there are little brown bits in your butter, those are bits of milk protein from the butter caramelizing.

4. Add the marshmallows and vanilla and stir with a rubber spatula until all the marshmallows have melted. This might take a minute or two. 

5. Add the rice cereal and toasted coconut and stir carefully to fully coat in the marshmallow mixture.

6. Transfer the mixture into your prepared pan, and using a rubber spatula coated in cooking spray, press the marshmallow cereal mixture into an even layer. Sprinkle with even more toasted coconut, if desired.

7. Allow to cool for 1-2 hours before removing the treats from the pan and slicing into 9-12 rice crispy treats. Enjoy!

Tools for Making Rice Crispy Treats

a rubber spatula: here's my very favorite one. I have it in many colors, and I've never found a better spatula. Worth. Every. Penny.

- all of the GIR spatulas are my go-to kitchen tool

- favorite 8x8 baking pans

- small sheet pans 

- parchment paper sheets

Shop all of my favorites for making desserts & meals here on Amazon.

Shop my must have ingredients here on Amazon.

Shop my must have kitchen gadgets & tools here on Amazon.

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Looking for other treats? Look no further.

- The classic, the queen rice crispy treat - Brown Butter Rice Crispy Treats

- The tropical, beach loving version of a rice crispy treat - Toasted Coconut Rice Crispy Treats

- The bougie, big sister of rice crispy treats - Strawberry Shortcake Rice Crispy Treats

- The summery, fruity, & fun rice crispy treat - Blueberry Cobbler Rice Crispy Treats

- The chocolate packed, not too sweet rice crispy treat - Double Chocolate Rice Crispy Treats

- Delicious Coffee Cake Cookies that can be made gluten free, or regular. They are perfectly spiced, tender, buttery, and highly addictive. 

- A morning breakfast that is wholesome and satisfying - Better-for-You Banana Streusel Muffins are ridiculously delicious. Top 5 muffins of alllll time. No joke.

- Feeling fruity? This Spiced Apple Crisp is fantastic at any time of the year. It's so delectable that there's no need to wait until fall. Add a dollop of yogurt to make this a breakfast, or add a scoop of ice cream to make it dessert.

- All the sweet, salty, crunchy, and chewy cravings can be solved in one bite of this Ultimate Kitchen Sink Cookie that can easily be made gluten free.

- Wanting something savory? These Ham and Cheese muffins are the perfect blend of herbs, cheese, and smoky ham. All you need is one bowl and a handful of ingredients to whip these together. That's all. 


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