I make these Black Sesame-Brown Butter Rice Krispies Treats, excerpted from my book “108 Asian Cookies,” with my mother in mind.
Growing up, I ate my fair share of Rice Krispie Treats because they were one of the few Western sweets my mom made over and over again. Maybe it was because they were so easy to make and helped her feel a little closer to the typical mothers we saw on American sitcoms and primetime TV. Or maybe she just liked their chewiness.
But for whatever reason, my mom never gave her Rice Krispies Treats an Asian spin. She always followed the recipe directions on the cereal box to a T.
But she loves black sesame desserts, especially sweet black sesame soup. As a child, I remember her telling me how black sesame would keep our Chinese hair black and long. We both have short hair peppered with gray now, but we still have a thing for desserts that sport a lovely shade of gray or black.
Makes 12 to 16 Rice Krispie Treats
Start to Finish 55 minutes
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
One 12-ounce bag mini marshmallows
1/4 cup black sesame seeds
2 1/2 tablespoons black sesame paste
1 teaspoon red miso
6 cups Rice Krispies cereal
1/3 cup freeze-dried strawberry slices or haw flakes (optional)
1. Crumple, then uncrumple a large sheet of parchment paper and use it to line a 9-inch-square cake pan with some overhang. Smooth and press down the parchment paper with your hands. Alternatively, generously grease the baking dish with butter or toasted sesame oil.
2. To make the brown butter, melt the butter in a heavy saucepan or pot over medium heat while whisking continuously until the butter foams, the foam subsides, the butter is golden, and brown (not black) bits form on the bottom, at least 5 minutes. You’re looking for a nutty aroma and not a burnt smell. Reduce the heat to low and add the marshmallows. Stir until the marshmallows have melted into one thick fluff, like foamy, melty mozzarella cheese, a few minutes. There should be no lumps of marshmallow. Add the black sesame seeds, black sesame paste, and miso and mix to combine. Turn off the heat and dump in the cereal, about 2 cups at a time, while stirring; if you like, add the freeze-dried strawberries or haw flakes as well. Stir and mix with a spatula or wooden spoon until all the ingredients are thoroughly coated with gray-black melted marshmallows.
3. Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan and flatten into a leveled square. I find it easier to do this with a layer of parchment paper on top and pressing down with a fondant smoother. You can also use a greased spatula or your clean hands when the mixture is cool enough to touch.
4. Cover and let it rest on the counter at room temperature for about 30 minutes to let the mixture set. Then, use a sharp knife to cut into 12 to 16 equal pieces.
Kat Lieu is a food writer, recipe developer, content creator, and founder of the popular online group Subtle Asian Baking, which aims to spread the love of Asian baking and fundraises for Asian American and Native Hawaiian-Pacific Islander communities. She lives in Renton, Washington.
Excerpted from “108 Asian Cookies” by Kat Lieu. Copyright (copyright) 2025 by Kathleen Lieu. Used with permission of Voracious, an imprint of Little, Brown and Company. New York, NY. All rights reserved.
This cover image released by Voracious shows the cookbook "108 Asian Cookies" by Kat Lieu. (Voracious via AP)
This image released by Voracious shows a recipe for black sesame and brown butter rice krispie treats from the cookbook "108 Asian Cookies" by Kat Lieu. (Charity Burggraaf/Voracious via AP)
This image released by Voracious shows a recipe for black sesame and brown butter rice krispie treats from the cookbook "108 Asian Cookies" by Kat Lieu. (Charity Burggraaf/Voracious via AP)
LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jul 27, 2026--
Capstone Energy+, Inc.(NASDAQ: CEPL) (“Capstone” or the “Company”), a leading provider of resilient, behind-the-meter energy solutions for commercial, industrial, healthcare, and emerging data center applications, today announced the installation of two C1000 Signature Series microturbines at Scripps Mercy Hospital in San Diego, California. The project, delivered in partnership with BSD Builders, Inc., will provide 2 megawatts (MW) of highly efficient combined heat and power (CHP), strengthening the hospital’s operational continuity while supporting its long-term operational and sustainability objectives.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260727593921/en/
The CHP system will provide reliable on-site electricity while capturing waste heat to provide the majority of the facility’s heating and domestic hot water requirements, delivering an overall system efficiency of 75%. Once commissioning is complete, the system will also provide resilience through island-mode capability, enabling the facility to continue generating power during utility outages.
“Reliable energy has become a strategic asset for healthcare providers,” said Vince Canino, President and CEO of Capstone Energy+. “As healthcare systems modernize their facilities, they are increasingly investing in energy solutions that strengthen resilience, improve efficiency, and support long-term sustainability. Projects like this are made possible through trusted partnerships, and we’re proud to once again work alongside BSD Builders, Inc. to deliver an innovative combined heat and power solution for the Scripps Mercy Hospital facility, supporting a more resilient, affordable, and sustainable energy future. Healthcare organizations increasingly recognize that resilience and sustainability are not competing priorities; they are complementary objectives that together strengthen operational performance and help ensure uninterrupted patient care.”
“If there are natural disasters in the area that force the utility to disconnect service or there’s an interruption to the electrical grid, the facility is still producing two megawatts, keeping core operations running,” said Ryan Peña, Project Manager, Corporate Facilities at Scripps Health. “It’s another layer of protection and redundancy that helps us to provide uninterrupted care.”
The project is currently in the final stages of system integration, with commissioning expected in October 2026 and final startup activities continuing through year-end.
The project reflects growing demand for resilient behind-the-meter energy systems across healthcare and other mission-critical industries as organizations seek greater reliability, improved energy efficiency, lower operating costs, and long-term sustainability. Healthcare providers, in particular, continue investing in combined heat and power and distributed energy solutions that strengthen operational resilience and support uninterrupted patient care.
About Capstone Energy+
For nearly four decades, Capstone Energy+ has designed, developed, and delivered proven behind-the-meter, on-site energy solutions that help businesses operate with certainty in an increasingly constrained power environment. Our evolution from “Green” to “Plus” reflects who we are today, delivering clean, innovative energy solutions that go beyond electricity.
Capstone Energy+: On Site. On Demand. Always On.
With more than 10,800 units shipped across 89 countries through our global distributor network, Capstone provides highly reliable, low-maintenance, fuel-flexible power systems engineered for mission-critical operations. Built on our core 30kW, 65kW, and 200kW microturbine platforms, our scalable multi-megawatt solutions are designed for rapid deployment, continuous operation, and simplified maintenance.
Capstone Energy+ serves critical industries including data centers, hospitals, agriculture, and industrial facilities where uptime and energy certainty are essential. Beyond power generation, our solutions support the circular economy by converting waste streams into usable fuel and capturing waste heat to produce valuable thermal energy with a lower carbon footprint.
To support evolving customer needs, Capstone also offers flexible Energy as a Service solutions, including power purchase or energy service agreements (PPAs/ESAs), leasing, rentals, and embedded service contracts (ESCs) designed to reduce upfront costs, accelerate deployment, and provide life-cycle cost predictability.
Our modular plug-and-play architecture enables customers to scale quickly, reduce integration risk, and adapt to growing energy demands with resilient, always-available power solutions.
For more information about the Company, please visit www.CapstoneEnergyPlus.com
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Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This release contains forward-looking statements as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements regarding expectations for the Company’s the expected timing of commissioning and startup, anticipated system efficiency and performance, island-mode resilience capability, and expected demand for behind-the-meter and combined heat and power solutions. Actual results, performance and achievements could differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, these forward-looking statements due to a variety of risks, uncertainties and other factors. For a detailed discussion of factors that could affect the Company’s future operating results, please see the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Except as expressly required by the federal securities laws, the Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements.
Two Capstone Energy+ C1000S microturbines at Scripps Mercy Hospital San Diego deliver 2 MW of highly efficient combined heat and power (CHP), strengthening energy resilience, improving operational efficiency, and helping ensure uninterrupted patient care.
