Rice Krispie Treats

Method

1. prep2 min
   butter an 8x8 pan or a loaf pan and set it next to the stove — once the cereal goes in you have well under a minute of working time, so nothing can be fetched later
2. cook2 min
   low heat
   butter, melted just until it stops foaming; keep the flame low from here to the end, because marshmallow is sugar held soft by trapped water and any real heat drives that water off and sets the whole batch hard as candy
3. cook4 min
   low heat, stirring constantly
   + marshmallows + salt, stirring until the mass is glossy and pourable with maybe a few lumps left — pull it the instant it looks smooth, since past that it turns dull and grainy and the treats crack rather than tear
4. fold1 min
   off heat
   + vanilla + crisped rice cereal, folding from the bottom up until every grain is coated and no dry pockets remain; vanilla goes in off the heat because the alcohol carries the aroma straight off a hot pan
5. prep2 min
   scrape into the pan and press level with buttered parchment or damp hands, using only enough pressure to close the gaps — compacting it hard collapses the air between the grains and gives you a dense brick instead of something that snaps
6. rest30 min
   room temperature, uncovered
   until set enough to lift and cut into squares; do not chill, because the fridge both firms the sugar past chewy and pulls moisture into the cereal, so a cold treat is simultaneously hard and soggy