These healthy chocolate rice crispy treats (AKA Hippie Crispies) are made with just 8 ingredients in 10 minutes of active time. No marshmallows, no corn syrup, no butter! They're chewy, gooey, crispy, crunchy, not too sweet, and they're naturally gluten-free, vegan, and refined sugar-free too!
Prep Time: 10 minutesminutes
Chilling time: 30 minutesminutes
Total: 40 minutesminutes
Servings: 82-inch squares (one 8x4" or 9x5" loaf pan)
Line an 8x4 or 9x5" loaf pan with a sling of parchment paper.
In a large saucepan, bring the maple syrup and rice syrup to a rolling boil 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 nut butter, 1/4 cup chocolate, 1 tablespoon coconut oil and 1/8 teaspoon fine salt until smooth and the chocolate is melted. Fold in the rice cereal and pack the mixture firmly and evenly into the lined pan (damp fingers can help here).
In a small saucepan (or the same big one, if you've scraped it clean), melt the remaining 1/4 cup of chocolate and 1 tablespoon coconut oil together over very low heat, stirring constantly just until melted (be careful not to scorch the chocolate). Pour the chocolate mixture over the rice mixture, spreading to smooth. Sprinkle the nuts and flaky salt over the top.
Let the bars set at cool room temperature (about 1 hour) or in the fridge (about 1/2 hour) until firm. Lift the sling out of the pan, trim away the edges if you like, and cut into 8 squares.
These treats are best the day they are made. They will keep at room temperature for several days, though the cereal will soften slightly.
Notes
*Brown rice syrup is thicker and less sweet than other sweeteners and it's worth seeking out for this recipe. You can replace both the maple syrup and brown rice syrups with coconut nectar if you like. Experiment with other liquid sweeteners at your own risk! TBG tips:
If you are very sensitive to gluten, make sure to get crisp rice cereal that is certified gluten-free; some cereals contain barley malt. I've gotten the best results using Barbara's Bakery Crisp Brown Rice, which is fruit juice sweetened and seems to hold up the best and stay the crispiest.
Feel free to double the recipe and form the squares in an 8 or 9" square pan, which is advisable since these disappear quickly.
If you want more chocolate flavor, you can double the chocolate and coconut oil in the topping, and/or top the treats with cacao nibs in addition to the almonds.
Feel free to add other ingredients, such as 1/4 cup hemp seed hearts or toasted unsweetened shredded coconut, or 2 tablespoons cacao nibs to the bars.
These treats are crispest the day they are made, but will keep refrigerated or at room temperature for up to a few days.
All ounce measurements are by weight.
Nutritional values are based on one of eight servings.