Browned Butter Cereal Treats

Recently, my family and I were invited to a friend's house; she prepared a delicious dinner for our family and hers. After dinner, she announced that she made browned butter cereal treats. They were such a delicious surprise that everyone, toddlers and adults, enjoyed!

I was thinking about treats for the holiday season, that grown-ups and kids would enjoy. And, her "grown-up" cereal treats inspired this Fall version. Here's the recipe for my brown butter salted candy corn cereal treats.

Ingredients

1 stick (8 Tablespoons) unsalted butter

6 cups rice cereal

1, 10 ounce bag of mini marshmallows

1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

Food coloring (optional) - I used golden yellow and burgundy get food coloring.

Nonstick cooking spray

Wax paper

Measure all ingredients. Have them prepared and ready to go. This process is called "mis en place." It's super helpful for this recipe because you need every ready to go.

Prepare 2, 9-inch round baking pans by lining the bottom with waxed paper. Spray both pans with nonstick cooking spray. I used a canola oil spray.

Start by placing 1 stick (8 Tablespoons) butter into a large pot. Heat on medium heat. Stir the butter consistently until the color turns to a caramel color, and it smells nutty.

Add salt. Then, add all the mini marshmallows.  

Stir marshmallows until they are melted and smooth. Turn off heat.



Add cereal treats and stir until coated. Take two, 1/4 cup scoops from the mixture. Add one scoop to the middle of each pan.

Color the remaining cereal with yellow food coloring. Remove approximately 1 1/2 cups of the cereal treats from the pot to add to each pan in a larger ring around the white cereal treats. Note: If you spray your hands with the non-stick spray, it is easier to handle the sticky cereal treats.

Color the remaining cereal with red food coloring to change the color from yellow to orange. Divide the orange cereal between the two pans. Make a large ring round the yellow cereal treats to completely fill the bottom of the pan.

So, you should have three circles. The small white circle, the medium yellow ring, and the largest orange ring. These colors mimic the colors of candy corn.

Let the cereal treats set until cool. Turn treats out onto a cutting board covered with wax paper. Spray a knife with cooking spray, which helps cut the sticky treats more easily. Cut each round into eight piece. Enjoy!

I really enjoyed making and eating these browned butter treats. The browned butter gives a caramelized almost smoky taste, which offsets the sweetness of the treats. The saltiness cuts through and compliments the sweetness. To me, these taste like salted caramel cereal treats. I hope you enjoy this treat!

This is a quick and delicious sweet any time of the year. Feel free to omit the food coloring and serve plain.

For more recipes, encouragement, and tips for healthy eating, follow me on Pinterest, Instagram, and Twitter. 

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Healthy Snack Ideas

Healthier Halloween Snacks

We love celebrating holidays, but we can’t live on candy alone. Here are some ideas to make your Halloween a little healthier. Consider mixing up your candy bowl this Fall to include some non-food options:

• Colors
• Chalk
• Glow sticks or bracelets
• Stickers
• Sugar-free gum
• Temporary tattoos

These treats are also great options for party favors if you are having a Fall or Halloween party. Your friends who have kids will thank you that you gave them activities (side walk chalk for hop scotch) to burn off some of the energy from the extra treats. 
 
Speaking of parties, if you throw one, consider some of these fun treats. Here are my ideas for healthier snacks for celebrating Fall and Halloween.

Grape Worm

Thread grapes on a skewer or toothpick and glue edible eyes to make a worm. This a good activity for little cooks. Make sure to warn your family and guests about the toothpicks!

Candy-Corn Cereal Treats

Mix rice cereal with marshmallow. The recipe for these browned butter cereal treats is on the blog here!

Puddings in Costume

Cut paper to cover the top and circumference of your pudding cup. Use a white piece of paper and marker to create a ghost face. Use an orange paper and black marker to creat a jack-o-lantern. Add a green piece of paper to make the pumpkins stem on top of the pudding. Use colorful, patterned paper and edible eyes to create silly monsters.

 

Low fat string cheese Ghosts

Use a marker to add a ghost face to string cheese to make a boo-tiful ghost!

 

Mummy Turkey Dogs

Wrap bread dough or crescent rolls around turkey dogs to make a yummy mummy. Disclaimer my friend, Rachel, made these, but I did snap this picture.

Fruit Pumpkins

Peel cuties or tangerines and place a slice of celery in the middle of the orange. Disclaimer my friend, Rachel, made these, but I did snap this picture.

These are great ideas to add something sweet and something healthy for your Halloween party. They are great snacks to give your kids before Trick-or-treating. If your kids are full from a festive, healthier snack before trick-or-treating, there will be less desire to eat all the candy they are receiving.

As the parent, remember to set guidelines for health. It is a good idea to set boundaries for limiting dessert and candy intake. We want to fuel our kids in a healthy way to support adequate and appropriate growth and development.

If you end up with an abundance of candy, you might consider donating some of your Halloween candy to programs like Halloween Candy buyback program and OperationGratitude. Look for these programs in your area if you are interested in donating some of your Halloween candy.

For more of my tips for healthier Halloween and Fall activities, check out my post with four more practical tips for healthier trick-or-treating.

For more Fall and holiday recipes and tips for healthy eating, follow RDtipoftheday on Pinterest, Instagram, and Twitter. I provide different resources, tips, and recipes on each social media platform. So, make sure to follow me to get your #RDtipoftheday.

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