This wholesome take on Rice Krispies Treats gets sweetness from coconut nectar, chewy gooeyness from almond butter, and a host of goodness from hemp seeds, cacao nibs, and superfood chocolate. A gluten-free, vegan, and refined sugar-free recipe that still tastes like a treat.
Prep Time: 10 minutesminutes
Cook Time: 5 minutesminutes
Chilling time: 1 hourhour
Total: 15 minutesminutes
Servings: 82" squares in an 8x4" or 9x5" loaf pan
Ingredients
The bars:
1/2cupcoconut nectar (5.5 ounces / 160 g) (or 1/4 cup each brown rice syrup and maple syrup)
1/4cupalmond butter(2.25 ounces / 65 g)
1bar Aloha chocolate, broken up (2.2 ounce) (about 1/3 cup)
Line an 8x4 or 9x5" loaf pan with a sling of parchment paper.
In a medium-sized, heavy-bottomed saucepan, bring the coconut nectar to a gentle simmer for 1 minute, stirring frequently with a heatproof spatula or wooden spoon (be careful not to let it boil over). Remove from the heat and stir in the almond butter, chocolate, coconut oil and fine sea salt until the mixture is smooth and the chocolate is melted.
In a large bowl, stir together the rice cereal, hemp seed hearts and cacao nibs. Gently fold in the chocolate mixture and pack the mixture firmly and evenly into the lined pan (damp fingers can help here).
In a small saucepan (or the same one from above, if you've scraped it clean), melt the remaining chocolate over very low heat, stirring constantly until just melted (be careful not to scorch the chocolate). Pour the melted chocolate over the rice mixture, spreading it smooth, and sprinkle with the nibs, hemp seed hearts and flaky salt.
Let the bars set in the refrigerator until firm, about 1 hour. Lift the sling out of the pan, trim away the edges if you like, and cut into 8 squares or 16 thinner bars.
Notes
Aloha chocolate can be ordered or procured in select shops in New York (and more to come, I'm told). Otherwise, give these a go with another raw and/or naturally sweetened chocolate, or make the O.G. Hippie Crispies with regular old bittersweet chocolate.If you are very sensitive to gluten, make sure to get crisp rice cereal that is certified gluten-free; some cereals contain barley malt.Feel free to double the recipe and form the squares in an 8 or 9" square pan, which is advisable since these disappear quickly.These treats are crispest the day they are made, but will keep refrigerated for up to a few days.All ounce measurements are by weight.Nutritional values are based on one of eight servings.