Delicious peanut butter and chocolate
Rice Crispy treats are a classic snack! Sadly though, they’re not very good for you, and marshmallows aren’t vegan. However, a few years ago I saw Ellie Krieger make a healthier update to these using peanut butter. I was hooked…what a great solution! I, of course, can never leave a recipe alone, so I’ve added in melted dark chocolate…a no brainer to pair with peanut butter!
I should tell you that these are not gooey like traditional rice crispy treats, and they don’t stick together quite as well, so they’re best eaten at a table so you don’t have run away rice crispies. The flavor makes up for this minor inconvenience! Also, in light of the new findings on rice, you could make these with any small cereal. I normally make these with plain crisped brown rice cereal, but the other night Whole Foods was out and the only ones they had were cocoa rice crisps….I know, tragic.
Make these this weekend!
Chocolate Peanut Butter Rice Crispy Treats
½ c peanut butter
1/2 cup maple syrup
¼ c non-dairy chocolate chips
½ c non-dairy chocolate chips
1 c dried cherries, cranberries, or raisins
6 cups crisped brown rice cereal
Melt peanut butter, maple syrup, and ¼ c chocolate chips in a heavy bottomed pot on the stove over medium heat. Once combined, add crisped rice cereal, raisins, and remaining chocolate chips. Mix well, making sure to coat thoroughly.
You can just grab a spoon and dig in at this point!
You can make individual servings in cupcake liners or a large pan of these in a glass dish. Either way, you will need to use the back of a spoon to press the mixture down, helping it to stick together.
Pack them down to get them to stick together
I find that it is a bit tedious to fill the cupcake liners, but it is so much easier to serve, as they are already in individual portions and you don’t need to worry about cutting them (which can be kind of crumbly). Once pressed into cupcake tray or pan, place in refrigerator to firm up. If in cupcake papers, transfer to a sealed container once they are set. They are great right away, but I kind of like the way the rice crispies get a bit chewy after a few days. Lucky for me, I made a batch on Monday and totally forgot to serve them at our play date lunch, so I’ve been able to eat almost an entire batch, getting chewier each day….yum!
Cute, but don’t fool yourself…you’ll never be able to eat just one!
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