Toasted Coconut Rice Krispies Treats

Come down from the coconut tree—it's snack time.

Last Saturday, I went for a swim. Some of my best ideas emerge when I’m in water. Doing laps without headphones is boring, but it’s also meditation. Recipe ideas bounce around my head while I’m in the pool. This swim brought me a vision: Toasted Coconut Rice Krispies Treats.

Can’t stop, won’t stop.

I’m rarely a semi-homemade baker. But everyone loves a Rice Krispies Treat, so I make an exception. Bring them to a fancy, gourmet party, and watch even the snootiest of foodies devour them. Usually, I conjure a salty brown-butter version, which I have been making since way before it was trendy. They are everything you want—light, crunchy, just sweet enough, with a kiss of salt.

The goods.

As a kid, my grandma occasionally bought marshmallows covered in toasted coconut. They would emerge a few times a year when we stayed at their lake cottage. The comfy flavor of that roasty-tropical coconut paired with the springy, sugary marshmallow tasted like a pillow of sweet sunshine. We’d only be allowed one or two at a time, and I cherished every one. That memory of being at the lake with Grandma inspired me while I was swimming.

I came home and told Jason about my idea. As a certified Krispies Treat Enthusiast, he got excited, so we popped over to the store and secured the ingredients. Late Sunday morning, we whipped up a batch. (It’s one of the few foods that I allow Jason to assist with.) Just as we noshed on them, some news dropped.

Did I manifest something? Who knows. But these treats taste scrumptious.

Want to know how to make them?

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Toasted Coconut Rice Krispies Treats

I prefer the unsweetened large-flake coconut for this recipe. Do not use refined coconut oil here—you want that tropical coconut flavor of unrefined coconut oil. Tahitian vanilla extract amplifies the coconut flavor, but if you only have regular vanilla, that works, too.

120 g (about 2 cups) unsweetened coconut flakes (see note)

50 g (3 generous Tablespoons) organic unrefined (virgin) coconut oil, plus more for greasing the pan

1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

1 Tablespoon coconut rum (optional, but great)

1 teaspoon Tahitian vanilla extract

250 g (about 4 heaping cups) mini marshmallows

120 g (4 cups) puffed rice cereal

Heat the oven to 300F with a rack on the middle. If you have a convection setting, that works best. Spread the coconut on a half-sheet pan, and bake for 8-14 minutes, stirring once after 6 minutes. After 8 minutes, watch the coconut like a hawk. Get it out of the oven when it’s fragrant and toasty. The coconut can go from undercooked to perfectly toasted to overcooked in an instant. Remove the pan from the oven and set it aside. (No need to let it cool all the way.)

Perfectly toasted coconut.

Rub a 9-inch square pan (metal, glass, ceramic, it doesn't matter) with some coconut oil.

Meanwhile, add the coconut oil, salt, and rum to a large pot. Melt the coconut oil over medium heat for a couple of minutes. If you're using the rum, let it sizzle and evaporate for a minute. Once the oil has melted, turn the heat to low and add the marshmallows and stir until they've just melted. You don't want the marshmallows to boil, or the finished product will be hard and crunchy. (Trust me.) Turn off the heat and stir in the vanilla extract then add the puffed rice and toasted coconut, then stir to combine. Dump the mixture into the greased pan. Set a piece of parchment paper over the treats and gently press them into the pan

Let it cool completely, then remove it from the pan (or not) and cut into slices.

Enjoy. These will not last long.

Happy Baking,
Martin

*Before anyone tells me to stay in my lane: I have a master’s degree in public policy and economic development.