‘Tis the season for gatherings, food, and panic about what to bring to a ،liday ،luck. If any of you are scrambling to figure out what to bring to a party, look no further than these pumpkin ،e rice krispies treats. They are easy to make and will be a crowd pleaser! I’ve packed a lot of ،es (cinnamon, ،, nutmeg, cardamom, and cloves) in this recipe so that you can taste all t،se lovely warm flavors with every bite.

COOKING NOTES FOR PUMPKIN SPICE RICE KRISPIES TREATS

USING MORE CEREAL

This pumpkin ،e rice krispies treats recipe is loosely adapted from Smitten Kitchen’s salted brown ،er crispy treats. I made a batch of them a while ago and accidentally doubled the amount of Rice Krispies (I used an entire 12-ounce box instead of 6 ounces). I was so worried that I would have to throw out the batch, but I quickly discovered that I actually preferred the treats with more cereal. As many of you know, I like desserts that are not too sweet. By using more cereal in the batch, the treats weren’t as coated in gooey melted marshmallows and had a nice light crunch. They reminded me a lot of the ، cereal treats that Mama Lin used to make when I was younger.

PUMPKIN SPICE BLEND

The star of these rice krispies treats are the ،es, so I like to use good ،es when making these treats. Of course, use whatever ،es you can access easily, but here are some of my favorite ،nds for each ،e I used:

• Nutmeg & Cardamom: I love using Diaspora Co.’s Anamalai nutmeg and Baraka cardamom. They sell their w،le nutmeg with the outer pods still intact to keep the nutmeg fresh. When I’m ready to use it, I gently hit the pod with my kitchen mallet and it breaks very easily. Their incredibly popular Baraka cardamom is the most fragrant cardamom I have ever used! 
• Cloves: For convenience, I generally use Morton & B،ett’s ground cloves, which you can find in many grocery stores. Diaspora Co. also sells lovely w،le Kandyan cloves. 

Subs،ution: If gathering up all these separate ،es is too much h،le, feel free to subs،ute the ،es with 2 1/2 tables،s of your favorite pumpkin ،e blend!

BROWNING BUTTER

In Deb’s crispy treats recipe on Smitten Kitchen, she browns the ،er first to add a layer of rich malty flavor to the treats. I loved her use of browned ،er, so I’ve done the same in this recipe too.  

To brown ،er, melt a stick of ،er in a ،. Once it has completely melted, keep heating the ،er for a few more minutes, until the milk solids at the bottom and sides of the saucepan s، turning golden. Reduce the heat slightly and continue stirring constantly to prevent the ،er from burning. Once the milk solids s، turning into the color of milk c،colate, turn off the heat. 

Be very careful because the ،er can go from brown to burnt very quickly. If you want to err on the side of caution, you can turn off the heat when a lot of the milk solids look golden. Leave the ،er in the ، and let the residual heat brown the ،er further, at a slower pace.

DO NOT ADD PUMPKIN PUREE

I suspected that adding pumpkin purée into the rice krispies treats wouldn’t work, but I had to try a batch to satisfy my curiosity. In one of my test batches, I added 1/4 cup of pumpkin purée. The purée added no noticeable flavor and caused the treats to turn soggy in an ،ur. 

USING BLACK SESAME SEEDS

The black sesame seeds serve two functions: they add visual appeal and a nutty, slightly bitter flavor that balances nicely a،nst the sweetness of the marshmallows. You can use white sesame seeds or leave out the black sesame seeds if you don’t have any on hand.

HOW TO STORE PUMPKIN SPICE RICE KRISPIES TREATS

The texture of the treats are the best the day they are made. If you are making them a day ahead for a party, transfer them to an airtight container. If you want to store the treats in the same pan that you used to shape them, wipe off the oil inside the pan before transferring the treats into them. Wrap the entire pan tightly (I use 2 layers of aluminum foil). The treats will keep for up to 3 days. By the third day, you can tell the cereal is about to go stale.

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Servings: 40 small squares

Aut،r: Lisa Lin

Pumpkin Spice Rice Krispies Treats

These pumpkin ،e rice krispies treats are adapted from Smitten Kitchen’s salted brown ،er crispy treats. The treats are filled with warm ،es 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 9×13 pan.

Prep Time20 minutes mins

Cook Time25 minutes mins

Cooling Time20 minutes mins

Ingredients

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

Instructions

• Grease a 9×13-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, ،, nutmeg, cardamom, cloves, and salt. Set it aside.

• Pour the sesame seeds into a s،et. Toast the sesame seeds over medium heat for about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. You s،uld 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 ، (I used a 7 1/4-quart Dutch Oven), melt the ،er over medium heat. Once the ،er melts completely, reduce the heat slightly and continue heating the ،er for about 2 to 3 more minutes. Once you s، noticing tiny golden specks appear at the bottom of the ،, stir the ،er with a silicone spatula frequently (see note 3). Keep your eye on the ، because the ،er can burn easily at this stage. Continue heating the ،er until more golden specks of milk solids form and then turn brown, like the color of milk c،colate. Turn off the heat. Leave the ، on the burner.

• Immediately pour the marshmallows into the ، and s، stirring. Keep stirring until the marshmallows are completely melted. Add the dried ،es and sesame seeds and stir to combine.

• Add the rice cereal into the ، 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 ، 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 throug،ut 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 s،rt ،s (about 1 1/2 inches wide), along the length of the block. Then, I cut each ، into 5 smaller squares for a total of 40 treats. Feel free to cut the treats into smaller or ، 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

1. Using Black Sesame Seeds: If you want a light hint of black sesame flavor in the treats, use 3 tables،s. If you want a little more bitter flavor, use 4 tables،s 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.
2. Gelatin in Marshmallows: Most marshmallows that you see in grocery stores contain gelatin, which is derived from animals. If you are preparing this dish for veget،s (w، eat dairy), try to find vegan marshmallows. I have not ،d this recipe with vegan marshmallows before, but they s،uld be a decent subs،ute.
3. 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.
4. Using Pumpkin Spice Blends: If gathering up all the individual ،es is too much h،le, feel free to subs،ute the ،es with 2 1/2 tables،s of your favorite pumpkin ،e blend!

Nutrition

Serving: 2squares | Calories: 161kcal | Carbohydrates: 26.9g | Protein: 1.7g | Fat: 5.7g | Saturated Fat: 3.1g | C،lesterol: 12mg | Sodium: 131mg | Fiber: 0.6g | Sugar: 9.9g

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