Chocolate Rice Crispy Treats: Gluten, Dairy, & Refined Sugar Free

Green Talk® –

You might wonder–what is like being a blogger? I spending an inordinate amount of my day researching, writing and connecting with others on social media. Truth be told, life on the web can be quite lonely. But, luckily I have a wonderful group of friends that I met when my children were young. We meet once a month for lunch to gab about our children, our lives, and celebrate our 29th birthdays over and over again.

Well, March is special month since it is my friend’s birthday. She is gluten and dairy sensitive but loves chocolate, so I always bake her a chocolate dessert. (We are both in the same camp.) This year I decided to make her a treat for the week rather just for her birthday. Hello, chocolate rice crispy treats: refined sugar, dairy and gluten free. And yes, she was smacking her lips as she munched on them during lunch.

Anna, chocolate rice crispy treats for her birthday?

I know. This wasn’t my intention. Read on why.

In years past, I have made her buckwheat chocolate chips cookies. It is one her favorite desserts! But this year I wanted to make her something different and was ready to make her a flour-less chocolate tort. I bought the chocolate and was ready to make the cake. Unfortunately, the deer jumped my garden fence and nipped my apple trees. Being the mama bear that I am about my garden, Hubs and I spent the weekend fixing the fence. So, I needed a quick Plan B.

I decided to make her a healthy chocolate rice crispy treat so she could munch on them during the day without feeling guilty. Think of it as birthday extension for a few days.

She loved them so much that she ate most of the treats during our lunch! (And she took the rest home.) So, if you are looking for a quick treat for your kids or yourself, try my chocolate rice crispy treats. Even son #4 who hates everything liked them.

This recipe was adapted from Chocolate Covered Katie.

Chocolate Rice Crispy Treats:

The Ingredients:

3 cups puffed rice cereal. I used Nature Path’s Gluten Free Puffed Rice Cereal

2 1/2 teaspoon organic vanilla (I make my own but your can buy it here.)

1/2 cup nut butter. I used organic peanut butter but you can use whatever you want.

1/2 cup of Grade B organic maple syrup

1/4 cup of fair trade, organic cocoa

Optional:

1/4 cup of chocolate chips. I use Enjoy Dairy-free chocolate chips

1/2 teaspoon of salt if you like your peanut butter salty.

The Instructions:

1. Add 3 cups of puffed rice to a bowl.

2. Add peanut butter. Be sure the peanut butter that you are using is creamy and not dry. I prefer an already mixed peanut butter like MaraNatha’s no stir organic peanut butter. It just makes life easier.

3. Add the maple syrup, cocoa, and then the chips.

4. Stir together. If you find the mixture isn’t sticking together add a little bit more maple syrup.

5. Press it down into a 8 by 8 glass pan.

6. If you like your nuggets to be pretty and uniform, run a knife through the mixture as to pre-cut the chunks; otherwise, they will break in jagged pieces when you try and cut them after they cool. If you are a run with the wind type of person, cut them after they cool and let the jagged edges rule.

7. Place it in the oven at 300 degrees for 15 minutes. Many people use a sauce pan to melt their ingredients. I don’t since I find that the ingredients stick to the pan. Why lose any of the chocolate or peanut butter?

8. Let it cool and then put it in the refrigerator to solidify more. It should be ready in an hour. If you didn’t follow step 6 above, then cut the rice crispy treats after the dish has cooled.

Enjoy!

And wish my friend, Ms. A, a happy birthday. I am so glad she is my life.