Pumpkin Spice Rice Krispies Treats

5 from 3 votes

Servings: 40 small squares

Author: Lisa Lin

These pumpkin spice rice krispies treats are adapted from Smitten Kitchen’s salted brown butter crispy treats. The treats are filled with warm spices and have a lovely airy crunch. I used double the amount of cereal compared to many other rice krispies treats recipes. This makes the treats less gooey, more light and crunchy, and not too sweet. Toasted black sesame seeds add a hint of nutty and bitter flavor that balances the sweetness of marshmallows. This recipe makes enough treats to fill a 9x13-inch pan.

Prep Time20

Cook Time25

Cooling Time20

Ingredients

4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground ginger
3/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom, preferably freshly ground from about 7 cardamom pods
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon sea salt, or 1/2 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
3 tablespoons (30g) black sesame seeds, (see note 1)
1/2 cup (115g) unsalted butter
10 ounces (283g) mini marshmallows, (see note 2)
12 ounces (340g) crispy rice cereal

Instructions

Grease a 9x13-inch pan lightly with oil. Line a piece of parchment paper along the long side of the pan. Set it aside.
In a small bowl, whisk together the cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cardamom, cloves, and salt. Set it aside.
Pour the sesame seeds into a skillet. Toast the sesame seeds over medium heat for about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. You should be able to smell the toasty aroma of the seeds towards the end of toasting. Turn off the heat. Use a spatula to carefully guide the toasted seeds to a bowl.
In a large pot (I used a 7 1/4-quart Dutch Oven), melt the butter over medium heat. Once the butter melts completely, reduce the heat slightly and continue heating the butter for about 2 to 3 more minutes. Once you start noticing tiny golden specks appear at the bottom of the pot, stir the butter with a silicone spatula frequently (see note 3). Keep your eye on the pot because the butter can burn easily at this stage. Continue heating the butter until more golden specks of milk solids form and then turn brown, like the color of milk chocolate. Turn off the heat. Leave the pot on the burner.
Immediately pour the marshmallows into the pot and start stirring. Keep stirring until the marshmallows are completely melted. Add the dried spices and sesame seeds and stir to combine.
Add the rice cereal into the pot at once. Use your silicone spatula to mix the cereal and marshmallow mixture together. It may seem like a daunting task at the beginning because there’s so much cereal. Be patient and continue folding the marshmallow mixture from the bottom of the pot over any dry cereal.
Transfer the mixed cereal into the lined baking pan.
Place a small sheet of parchment paper over the cereal mixture and press down to pack down the mixture. Try to make sure the cereal mixture is evenly spread throughout the pan.
Let the rice krispies cool and set in the pan for 20 minutes. Cooling the treats will allow you to cut it into neater squares. Hold on to the parchment paper to remove the entire block of treats from the pan.
Using a sharp knife, cut the treats into squares. I like to slice the block of rice krispies treats into 8 short strips (about 1 1/2 inches wide), along the length of the block. Then, I cut each strip into 5 smaller squares for a total of 40 treats. Feel free to cut the treats into smaller or bigger pieces.
The texture of the treats are the best the day they are made. Store the treats in an airtight container. They will keep for up to 3 days.

Notes

Using Black Sesame Seeds: If you want a light hint of black sesame flavor in the treats, use 3 tablespoons. If you want a little more bitter flavor, use 4 tablespoons of black sesame seeds. You can use white sesame seeds or leave out the black sesame seeds if you don’t have any on hand.
Notes About Marshmallows: (1) Most marshmallows that you see in grocery stores contain gelatin, which is derived from animals. If you are preparing this dish for vegetarians (who eat dairy), try to find vegan marshmallows. I have not tested this recipe with vegan marshmallows before, but they should be a decent substitute. (2) I have made this recipe with generic store brand marshmallows and Jet-Puffed Marshmallows. Rice Krispies treats made with Jet-Puffed Marshmallows stay chewy for a longer period. (3) Mini marshmallows melt better than larger ones, so I recommend using the mini variety. (4) If you have a bag of marshmallows that you’ve opened months ago (over 3 months ago), those marshmallows likely will have turned stale and dried out. I recommend buying a new bag of marshmallows because dried out marshmallows don’t melt as well. As a result, your rice krispies treats will not be as chewy.
Using a Silicone Spatula: If possible, use a silicone spatula to make the treats because the marshmallow mixture won’t get stuck to the spatula. It stuck to every other type of utensil I tried to use.
Using Pumpkin Spice Blends: If gathering up all the individual spices is too much hassle, feel free to substitute the spices with 2 1/2 tablespoons of your favorite pumpkin spice blend!
Variation: Substitute 3 cups of crispy rice cereal with 3 cups of Corn Chex to switch up the flavors. It’s better to measure the cereal by volume for the substitution because the cereals weigh differently (e.g., 1 cup of crispy rice cereal weighs differently than 1 cup of Corn Chex).

Nutrition

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