Chocolate Peanut Butter Brown Rice Crispy Squares [vegan, gf]

Hi friends!

Long time no talk. I’m home from my vacation – what an awesome time it was! – so I’m back to normal life at home in SoCal for a few weeks before my next trip (Vegas for work). I’ll be recapping my wine country vacay soon on the blog, but today? Let’s talk chocolate peanut butter treats!

Since we were going to be in the car traveling a lot on vacation, I made sure to pack lots of snacks. I always pack some sort of snacks on trips, but between the long drive from the San Diego area up to San Francisco, then heading up to Sonoma, then driving around wine country vino tasting for a bunch of days, then lastly making the trip back home, I knew that snacks would be a necessity. And today’s recipe made the cut to travel with us in my bag of goodies!

I also just made another batch of these rice crispy snacks when my father-in-law was recently in town staying with us, and I got a big thumbs up from his sweet tooth lovin’ self. I mean can we really go wrong with chocolate + peanut butter, aka the best food combination ever?! Not in my book. 

This recipe is not only a crowd pleaser, it’s definitely healthier for you than those popular blue wrapper Rice Krispy Treats that contain ingredients like margarine, gelatin and corn syrup solids.

We start off with brown rice crisps cereal – Barbara’s Bakery is my go-to. Melt some natural smooth peanut butter, brown rice syrup (I use Lundberg Farms), and a pinch of sea salt  together in a saucepan, then pour it over the cereal.

Once that’s evenly pressed into a pan, we melt dark chocolate chips, some more PB, a bit of almond milk, and a touch of vanilla extract together until smooth. Pour the chocolate evenly on top of the cereal mixture, then throw it into the fridge for awhile until they harden up.

Cut them into squares, and enjoy as a snack or dessert all week long! They’ve been a hit with the adults in my life that I’ve shared them with, and I think that kiddos are bound to love em too. Just make sure to store them in a cool place so that the chocolate layer doesn’t soften too much.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Brown Rice Crispy Squares [vegan, gf]

Foodie Loves Fitness

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Prep Time 2 hours hrs

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Total Time 2 hours hrs 10 minutes mins

Servings 16 squares

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 3 cups brown rice crisps cereal
• 1/2 cup brown rice syrup
• 3/4 cup smooth peanut butter - divided into 1/4 cup and 1/2 cup
• 1/2 cup vegan dark chocolate chips
• 2 TBSP almond milk or other type of non-dairy milk
• 1/2 TSP vanilla extract
• 1/8 TSP sea salt

Instructions

 

• In a small saucepan, combine brown rice syrup, 1/4 cup peanut butter and pinch of sea salt over low heat. Allow mixture to melt, stirring often.
• Pour cereal into a large bowl. Once brown rice syrup mixture is smooth and warm, remove it from heat and pour on top of the cereal. Stir with a wooden spoon until evenly combined.
• Line a square 8x8 pan with tin foil. Pour the cereal into the pan, pressing down firmly.
• Combine the dark chocolate chips, remaining peanut butter, milk, and vanilla in the same small saucepan. Warm over low heat, stirring often until melted and smooth.
• Pour the chocolate mixture evenly over the brown rice crisps cereal.
• Refrigerate the brown rice crispy treats until the chocolate is firm and hardened (at least 90 minutes).
• Cut the treats into squares, and keep in a cool place until ready to be enjoyed.

Notes

To keep the chocolate layer firm, store the treats in a cool place.

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Tell me… What’s your favorite food combo? 

Chocolate + PB always has my heart, but I also love chocolate + mint and apple + almond butter.