Chocolate Peanut Butter Rice Squares

I feel like its been a while since I’ve posted something sweet… Allow me to break that silence with these – totally SWOON worthy – chocolate peanut butter rice squares. Remember the rice crispy squares you ate as a kid? Well they just got a makeover… Plus, these are vegan! With only 5-ingredients! No marshmallows required. By the way, have you read the ingredients in marshmallows? Allow me; high fructose corn syrup… sugar… dextrose (basically more sugar)… gelatin (a by-product made from animal skin and bones)… artificial flavors… artificial colors… plus some chemical whipping agents I won’t even try to pronounce. Yeah… no thanks!

So not only did these get a makeover flavor wise, but ingredient and nutrition wise as well. 5-ingredients, seriously, that’s it! They taste so good, they put any candy bar to shame.

But here are the reasons why I love them:

1. Chocolate and Peanut Butter! Personally, I feel like the list could stop there, but in case you need more convincing…
2. 5-ingredients, all easy to find at your local supermarket or health food store.
3. 20 minutes to make. In less than a half hour you could be eating these yourself!
4. No baking. One pot and one bowl and you’re good to go. No oven required.
5. Gluten-Free & Vegan. They’re made with brown rice cereal, that means I can eat them for breakfast, right?
6. Chocolate-Peanut Butter (to be forever known as CPB). I know that’s on here twice, but I felt it bares repeating.

I made a batch of these and brought them to the office, and let me tell you they disappeared faster than anything I’ve brought in the past. If only they knew how insanely easy they are to make… maybe its best they don’t, they’ll want them every week… I might be able to live with that…

5 from 1 reviews

Chocolate Peanut Butter Rice Squares

 

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Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

10 mins

Total time

20 mins

 

Vegan, gluten-free, refined sugar-free, rice crispy squares. One bowl, no baking, and made with chocolate and peanut butter, need I say more?

Author: David James Di Pardo

Recipe type: Dessert, Snacks

Cuisine: Vegan, Gluten-Free, Refined Sugar-Free

Serves: 24 squares

Ingredients

• 1 cup unsweetened natural peanut butter (preferably crunchy) *See notes
• 1 cup brown rice syrup
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil
• Pinch of kosher salt
• 6 cups brown rice cereal

Chocolate Topping:

• 1 12-ounce bag semi-sweet chocolate chips
• ½ cup unsweetened natural peanut butter (preferably crunchy)
• Flaked salt

Instructions

1. Line a 9x13-inch baking pan with parchment paper and set aside.
2. In a small pot combine the peanut butter, brown rice syrup, salt, and coconut oil.
3. Stir over medium heat until smooth and heated through.
4. Add the rice cereal to a large bowl and top with the hot peanut butter mixture.
5. Stir until all the cereal is coated with the peanut butter mixture and is beginning to get sticky.
6. Transfer to the prepared pan and spread evenly with the back of a spatula, or your hands (carefully, its still warm).
7. In the same pot over low heat or a double boiler, add the peanut butter, followed by the chocolate chips.
8. Stir until the chocolate is completely melted.
9. Spread evenly over the top of the cereal mixture, and sprinkle lightly with salt.
10. Set aside to cool at room temperature or in the fridge if you're short on time.
11. Store in an airtight container for up to 4 days.

Notes

*I like to make these with homemade peanut butter, only because I despise stirring the store bought stuff to incorporate the oil. If you want to make peanut butter yourself, just add dry roasted unsalted peanuts to a food processor or high-speed blender and process until smooth. I like to add a handful of peanuts at the very end to get the perfect combo of smooth and crunchy.
If using store bought, the only ingredients that should be on the label are peanuts and perhaps salt.

Nutrition Information

Serving size: 1 square Calories: 247 Fat: 13 g Saturated fat: 5 g Trans fat: 0 g Carbohydrates: 27 g Sugar: 8 g Sodium: 27 mg Fiber: 2 g Protein: 6 g Cholesterol: 0 mg

3.5.3226

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