Sunday, February 6, 2011

Crispy Peanut Butter Treats with Chocolate Chips

This is my new favorite dessert because it's super easy to make and it totally hits the spot.  They're like rice crispy treats.  It comes from The Kind Diet cookbook.  It's vegan, and it's also considered macro if you leave out the chocolate chips (although I do have some issues with eating something with this much sweetener in it, even though it is the good kind of sweetener).  If you're trying to go macro, I suggest eating it only once or twice a week.

Before I get on with the recipe, I just want to add my 2 cents about grain-sweetened chocolate chips.  As I mentioned in one of my earlier posts, I don't usually like things that try to disguise themselves as other things.  If I want to eat chocolate, I'm going to eat chocolate.  But then I tried grain-sweetened vegan chocolate chips.  You can usually find Sunspire brand at natural food stores, and Jimbo's sells them in bulk.  They are usually sweetened with barley and corn, but you honestly don't taste any weirdness when you eat them.  I try, for the most part, to avoid sugar because I would rather not have headaches, puffiness and lethargy.  But that's just me.  So next time you go shopping for chocolate chips, give these little morsels a shot!

I'll get into other sweeteners, like brown rice syrup, next time.  For now, you're just going to have to trust me...Everyone I make these for loves them.  Even my sister-in-law, who swears she hates peanut butter.

Crispy Peanut Butter Treats with Chocolate Chips


Makes 9 to 12 squares


1 box brown rice crisps cereal (I usually find the Erewhon brand at Henry's)
1 3/4 cups brown rice syrup
Fine sea salt
3/4 cup peanut butter or almond butter (preferably unsweetened and unsalted)
1/2 cup grain-sweetened, non-dairy chocolate chips

Pour the rice cereal into a large bowl.  Heat the syrup with a pinch of salt in a saucepan over low heat.  When the rice syrup liquefies, add the peanut butter and stir until well combined.  Pour over the rice cereal.  Mix well with a wooden spoon.

Once thoroughly mixed and cooled to room temperature, stir in the chocolate chips.  Make sure the mixture is cool, or you will end up with melted chocolate instead of chocolate chips in your treats.

Turn the mixture out into an 8"x8" or 9"x13" baking dish.  Wet your wooden spoon lightly and press the mixture evenly into the pan.  Let cool for 1 hour in the fridge.  I like to scoop out a bowl-full for snacking on while waiting for the rest to cool.  It's so good when it's still warm!

1 comment:

  1. ahhh i have a very similar recipe! it's so addicting. i like to freeze and eat them :) http://juniakk.blogspot.com/2010/09/snap-crackle-pop.html

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