Brown Butter Maple Nut & Thyme Crunch Bara
A cozy, woodland-inspired twist on classic marshmallow crunch bars—deeply nutty brown butter, fragrant thyme, maple sweetness, and toasted grains for a rustic holiday bite.
Servings: 6 bars
Equipment
- Oven
- Baking Sheet
- Parchment Paper
- medium sized saucepan or pot
- wooden spoon
- measuring cups & spoons
- small baking dish
Ingredients
Toasted Crunch Mix
- 2 cup rice krispies
- ¼ cup rolled oats
- ½ cup mixed nuts I used pecans and almonds, roughly chopped
Brown Butter Thyme Base
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
- 2-3 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 pinch sea salt
Marshmallow Mixture
- 1 cup mini mashmallows around half of a 5 oz bag
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 pinch cinnamon and nutmeg optional
Instructions
- Preheat convection oven to 300°F (150°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment.
- Spread Rice Krispies, oats, and nuts in separate thin layers. Toast for 6–8 minutes, stirring halfway, until lightly golden and fragrant. Watch closely—Rice Krispies brown quickly. Cool completely.
- In a medium pot over medium heat, melt the butter. Add thyme sprigs and cook until the butter turns golden brown and smells nutty, 4–6 minutes.
- Remove thyme sprigs (a few loose leaves are fine). Stir in a pinch of salt.
- Reduce heat to medium-low. Add marshmallows, vanilla, maple syrup, and optional spices. Stir gently until smooth and glossy.
- Remove from heat and gently fold in the toasted Rice Krispies, oats, and nuts until evenly coated.
- Line a small pan with parchment. Transfer mixture and press lightly with a spatula or buttered hands—do not compact or bars will be dense.
- Sprinkle with flaky sea salt, extra candied pecans, and a pinch of thyme leaves. Let cool for 30 minutes, then slice into bars.