Pumpkin spice rice krispie treats are ooey gooey, soft brown butter rice krispie treats that have a subtle pumpkin spice flavor (but can be stronger if you want it to be). Add some chocolate spiders or white chocolate ghosts for the cutest and spookiest Halloween rice krispie treats!
Prep a 8x8" or 9x9" baking pan with parchment paper so that the edges hang over the sides of the pan, and then spray with nonstick spray. Set aside.
Measure out 1 cup mini marshmallows and set aside.
16 ounces mini marshmallows
In a large saucepan, melt butter over low heat. Once melted, continue to heat the butter, stirring constantly, until it just starts to turn golden brown.
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
Immediately add all but your 1 cup reserved mini marshmallows and heat, stirring frequently, until melted and combined.
16 ounces mini marshmallows
Remove from heat, add pumpkin pie spice, vanilla extract and salt and give it a quick stir again to combine.
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice, 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, pinch salt
Add cereal and remaining 1 cup mini marshmallows and stir to coat and combine.
6 cups Rice Krispies cereal, 16 ounces mini marshmallows
Turn out into prepared baking dish and lightly press down into an even layer. You don't want to pack it down tightly, as your resulting bars will be dense and tough, and won't be as light and chewy.Tip: You can spray your hands with a little nonstick spray and use your palms to gently press it down, or place another piece of parchment paper on top before using your hands to press it down.
Let set for at least 15 minutes, and then slice into 9 large bars or 16 smaller bars. Serve and enjoy!
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Notes
You can store them at room temperature between layers of parchment paper in an airtight container for up to 3 days.Pumpkin pie spice: If you want a subtle flavor, I recommend using 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice. If you want it to really kick you in the face, add 2 teaspoons!Type of saucepan to use: I would normally recommend using a large nonstick pan or pot, but because we're browning the butter you want to be able to clearly see when it changes colorful. Nonstick pans are usually darker and would make that harder to see. Instead, use a normal, lighter colored large saucepan that's at least 3 QT. A Le Creuset dutch oven also works great because of the light colored interior to make it really easy to see - plus, it's easy to clean!To make in a 9"x13" pan, double the recipe - they'll have a different thickness than they would in a square pan, but it won't affect the flavor.
To make these Halloween rice krispie treats:
Chocolate spiders: Melt some chocolate wafers, add them to a piping bag fitted with a small round tip, and decorate the tops of the bars with little chocolate spiders! For mine, I used white sprinkles as little eyes on some of them.White chocolate ghosts: You could also melt while chocolate and pipe out little ghosts, and add little eyes with melted dark chocolate or dark-colored sprinkles.