This is one of the first recipes I learned to make as a kid in a Chinese household. They are like regular Rice Krispies but with a bunch of sesame seeds added. My parents are the ones who forced this idea on me, but they actually taste pretty good.
Growing up, I remember buying Rice Krispies from our school bake sales. I was absolutely obsessed with them so I learned how to make them at home. At one point, my parents started asking me to put sesame seeds in them, and so I did. They really liked them and then it just became a regular thing I would make.
Originally, I made this with raw white sesame seeds, but now I prefer them with roasted black sesame seeds. If your sesame seeds are raw, just toast them in a pan over medium heat for a couple of minutes.
Making browned butter
My favorite way to improve Rice Krispies is to make browned butter. If you are not familiar with browned butter, let me explain. Browned butter is just butter that has been gently cooked until the milk solids caramelize. The result is a more nutty and complex flavor.
To make browned butter, simply melt the butter in a pan over medium heat. Keep cooking it for 4-5 minutes until the foaming stops and the butter turns a golden color. You should also see many brown specks in the butter. This is the milk solids being caramelized. Be careful not to overcook the butter or it will taste bitter.
Once the butter is ready, you want to immediately add the marshmallows so that the temperature of the butter cools down and does not burn.
Shaping the Rice Krispies
The first time I did this, I forgot to grease the container and add parchment paper, and it was really hard to get the Rice Krispies out.
Make sure you grease the sides with a little oil and put a piece of parchment on the bottom. This will make it super easy to release once it has solidified. You will still have to slide a thin knife around the Rice Krispies to separate it from the glass.
Asian Rice Krispies
Ingredients
- ¼ cup black sesame seeds
- ⅓ cup unsalted butter
- one 10-ounce bag marshmallows (400g)
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- pinch salt
- 6 cups Rice Krispies cereal
Instructions
- Grease a rectangular baking dish (9x9 or 8x10) with oil then place a piece of parchment on the bottom.
- Use a mortar and pestle to crush the sesame seeds into a coarse grind. They do not have to be a fine powder. Just roughly pounded so that the seeds are cracked open so more of their flavor will be released. Set aside.
- Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Once the butter is melted, cook for another 4-5 minutes until the foaming stops, and the butter turns golden brown and there are many small brown specks in the butter. Add the marshmallows and stir constantly until they melt completely.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract, salt, and sesame seeds. Then add the Rice Krispies cereal and mix until combined. Transfer the mixture to the baking dish and flatten it with a rubber spatula. Let it rest for about 10 minutes to harden and then cut it into squares to eat.
Amanda Cruz
Making today. Am I just blind or does it not say when to add the sesame? I’ll probably just add them after I had melted the marshmallows🥴
Grumpy
You're not blind, i'm an idiot. Yeah just add it with the marshmallows or cereal 🙂
I just updated the recipe. Thanks for catching that