Healthy Coco-Peanut-Almond Brown Rice Krispie Treats!

by Arielle J on August 30, 2011

Been craving Rice Krispie treats and ever since I saw Alicia Silverstone’s Crispy Peanut Butter Treats in her book, The Kind Life (p.184), I’ve been craving making them. So, a day of rain + waiting for Hurricane Irene = laundry + cleaning + LOTS of cooking and baking!

Be Well with Arielle's Healthy Coco-Peanut-Almond Brown Rice Krispie Treats!

My twist on her version includes coconut oil which I subsituted for Earth Balance (dairy-free alternative to butter). Also, I used a mixture of almond butter and peanut butter. I also used Coconut Palm Sugar in replace of Brown Rice Syrup (which she used) because its all I had in my cupboard at the time but raw agave, maple syrup or honey could work too. They came out delish!

BROWN RICE KRISPIES-

Ingredients:
4 cups Crisp Brown Rice Cereal (unsweetened or lightly sweetened)
2 Tbs Coconut Oil/Butter/Earth Balance/Agar Agar
3/4 cups Coconut Palm Sugar/Raw agave/Maple syrup/Honey/Brown Rice Syrup
3/4 cups Peanut Butter/Almond butter/Cashew Butter
1/4 cups Chocolate Chips/Pistachios/Nuts of choice/Coconut Flakes/Peanut Butter Chips
1 tbs Vanilla Extract
1 tsp Sea Salt

1. Combine the nut butter, sweetener of your choice, salt, and coconut oil in a large saucepan over low heat and stir constantly until smooth, hot, melted, and bubbling just a bit.
2. Add the cereal (and 1/2 cup of the nuts) and stir until well coated.
3. Spoon two heaping tablespoons of the mixture into each muffin wrapper and press into place with the back of a spoon. Alternately, if you want krispy squares, you can transfer it to an 8 by 8-inch baking dish.
4. Sprinkle with chocolate chips or nut/topping of your choice.
5. Refrigerate until completely cool (this also helps the coconut oil set).

Makes about 1 1/2 dozen treats.

Step #1- Mix and heat all "wet" ingredients

Step #2- Mix in the Brown Rice Krispies

Step #3- Transfer to muffin pan or baking dish or container and let cool. Voila!

By the way- my boyfriend said they tasted like Reeses Peanut Butter Cups…so I say “SCORE!”

*Side note- Alicia Silverstone’s book,The Kind Life book is one of my fave recipe books..and its vegan.

*Side note- Coconut Palm Sugar tastes like brown sugar and comes from the juices of blossoms that grow on top of coconut palm trees. The nectar is harvested, boiled and ground into fine crystals. Just make sure it is pure coconut palm sugar since most “palm sugar” is blended with fillers. For more ideas for sugar alternatives, click here for my article from TheBeautyBean.com.