Chocolate Crispy Rice Squares

As I was preparing to write this post about everyone’s favourite dessert, I decided to do a search on the ingredients of conventional marshmallows.
In to google went the words “marshmallow ingredients”. Out of google came the word “hooves”. (I seriously couldn’t make this stuff up!) I don’t know for sure if there are hooves in the gelatin that are used in marshmallows but what I can say is that marshmallows most often contain a variety of artificial colour, artificial flavour, corn syrup, dextrose, gelatin, modified corn starch, natural flavour, sugar, tetrasodium pyrophosphate and water.
The only ingredient in those that I like to consume is water and a glass of water is not a marshmallow. Marshmallows were, at one time, my favourites. As if I am the only one who ever had a contest to see how many I could jam into my mouth at any one time. I would eat them straight from the bag until I was nauseous. My brother, long ago before he was a dad, enlightened me with his secret recipe for a single serving of rice krispie squares and I would eat this daily! Please, please, please don’t attempt this at home. Nothing good comes from putting marshmallows into a microwave, pushing the on button and watching them blow up and expand like a balloon. The next step was to remove this burning hot bowl of marshmallow-toxic-waste-substance from the microwave and mix in some rice krispies. Done and done. It’s no wonder I wound up with Crohn’s disease. Sheesh. I’m lucky I didn’t grow a third eye and second right arm.
It has been roughly six years since I dug my teeth into a sweet ooey gooey crispy, crunchy rice krispie square and so the time had come. Here you are, my first attempt at mostly healthy, chocolate crispy brown rice squares that are, of course, amazing! They contain superfoods. They are high in protein and fibre. They are vegan. And did I mention amazing?
As always, this recipe is open to your interpretation and creativity.

Chocolate Crispy Rice Squares
Ingredients
- 4 cups crispy brown rice cereal, puffed quinoa, puffed amaranth or other dry cereal of choice
- 1/3 cup chopped nuts/seeds (I used part almonds and part pumpkin seeds, lightly toasted)
- 1/2 cup almond butter
- 3 Tbs coconut oil
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup honey
- 1 Tbs maple syrup (optional)
- 1/3 cup bitter-sweet dairy free dark chocolate (optional- though without- use an additional 1/4 cup almond butter)
- 1/4 cup cacao nibs (optional)
- 3 Tbs ground flax
- pinch of cinnamon
- pinch of sea salt
Instructions
You could also add in coconut flakes, goji berries, golden berries or other dried fruit of choice
- In a large pot on medium heat, melt together the almond butter, honey, coconut oil, vanilla extract, maple syrup, chocolate, cinnamon and sea salt.
- Once melted together, stir in the cereal, nuts, flax and optional dried fruit. Stir until thoroughly mixed
- Lightly oil a glass dish with coconut oil and spread mixture out evenly
- Press down with the back of a spatula until firmly pressed together
- Refrigerate for 30-40 minutes until hardened and then cut into squares.
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