Brown Butter Rice Krispy Treats

With Portland becoming increasingly overcast each day and fall being right around the corner, I've been wanting to make these rice krispy treats all week. I've been thinking of these as an unofficial fall snack because while it is not yet fall, this treat certainly tastes like it with the flavor that the brown butter gives this ever popular sweet snack.

What You Need

- 1 stick unsalted butter

- 1/4 teaspoon salt

- 10 oz. package marshmallows

- 6 cups puffed rice cereal

What You Do

1. Grease an 8-inch square cake pan, set aside.

2. Heat the butter (1stick) in a large pot over medium-low heat until the butter turns brown and smells nutty. During this time, make sure you stir the butter frequently.

3. Right when the butter turns brown, turn off the heat, sprinkle in the salt and add the marshmallows in. The heat from the butter should melt the marshmallows, but you may need to turn the stove back on a low heat until the marshmallows are nice and smooth.

4. Remove the pot from the stove and fold in the cereal until it's evenly coated with the marshmallow mixture. Spread into the prepared pan and press down using greased wax paper, until the mixture is evenly spread throughout.

5. Let cool completely, cut into squares, turn on your favorite TV show, and enjoy every bite!

Blueberry Cornmeal Coffee Cake

Happy September! Along with spending an afternoon in the park, having fun at the Oregon State Fair, and going on an awesome bike ride with my main squeeze and some friends, I took full advantage of baking this past Labor Day weekend. Because it's technically still summer, I'm not ready to break out my fall treats just yet (believe me...I've got a lot since Fall is my favorite season!). So, because I'm (as well as the weather) still in summer mode, I decided to make a coffee cake that is jam-packed with the ever popular blueberries that has just a hint of lemon to celebrate these last few weeks of summer.

What You Need

Cake
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup cornmeal
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 stick unsalted butter
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1/3 cup sour cream
- 2 cups fresh blueberries

Topping
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 6 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons cornmeal
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- Pinch salt
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces

What You Do

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8-inch square pan.

2. Whisk together the flour (1cup), cornmeal (1/2cup), baking powder (2tsp), and salt (1/2tsp) in a medium bowl. Set aside.

3. In a large bowl, mix the butter (1stick) and sugar (1cup) until fluffy. Beat in the eggs (2) one at a time, then add the vanilla (1/4tsp) and lemon zest (1/4tsp).

4. Add a third of the flour mixture, all of the sour cream (1/3cup), and another third of the flour mixture, beating until just blended after each addition. Mix the remaining flour mixture with the blueberries, and then gently fold the blueberry-flour mixture into the batter.

5. For the topping, combine all of the dry ingredients: sugar, flour, cornmeal, cinnamon, and salt in a small-sized bowl. Mash in the butter with a fork.

6. Spread the batter into the prepared pan, and sprinkle the streusel topping evenly on top.

7. Bake the cake until the top is golden brown, about 35 minutes. Let cool completely. Then, cut yo' self a piece and enjoy!

Original recipe by Smitten Kitchen