Healthy Rice Crispy Treats with Dark Chocolate and Sea Salt
Aren’t you guys tired of Christmas cookies?
I mean really, who wants to look at cute little gingerbread men and sugar cookies shaped like trees for an entire month? Lame.
What you really want are healthy rice crispy treats, am I right?
Probably not. But I’m hoping you’ll humor me for just a few minutes…or at least long enough to see what a mess I made with the chocolate? :)
I had originally planned on making these treats with vegan marshmallows from Whole Foods but then I remembered the last time I had them in my hot chocolate, my stomach felt awful from all of the processed sugar. So I decided to try out a healthier version that I saw on Amanda’s lovely blog a while back and guess what? They turned out even better than original rice crispy treats!
The ingredients are incredibly simple too. All you need is your favorite nut butter (I used cashew because it’s what I had on hand) a little honey (or brown rice syrup if you’re vegan), a touch of vanilla extract and a pinch of salt.
Heat the honey and the nut butter on the stove until melted, add the crispies and the vanilla, stir together and then smooth it down into a baking dish lined with parchment paper. Pop it in the refrigerator for an hour or so (or the freezer if you’re impatient) and that’s it!
Crunchy, crispy, sweet buttery treats are at your fingertips.
It was all I could do not to eat the whole batch at that point so you could even stop there if you want to. But I couldn’t resist the thought of dripping chocolate over the top of each little square.
Some of that chocolate actually ended-up smeared across my abdomen but I can’t even begin to tell you how it happened. What do they call that? Chocolate wasted?
It’s easy to do with these. They look so little and innocent then before you know it you’ve had four and the bartender is taking your keys away from you.
The sea salt makes for an addicting sweet and salty combo but if you want to make them festive for the holidays then feel free to switch it up with red and green sprinkles. Or white chocolate instead of dark!
That ought to give those little gingerbread men a run for their money.
Ingredients
3 and 1/2 cups brown rice cereal*
1/2 cup honey**
1/2 cup unsalted cashew butter***
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
9 ounces dark chocolate chips
1 tablespoon coconut oil
sea salt or sprinkles for topping
Instructions
- Start by lining an 8 x 8” baking dish with parchment paper and then grab a medium size pot. Combine the cashew butter and honey in the pot and warm over medium heat. Once they are melted and mixed together, add the rice cereal, vanilla extract and sea salt to the pot, then stir until the rice cereal is evenly coated.
- Transfer the rice cereal to the lined baking dish and then place another piece of parchment paper on top. Use your hands to press the cereal down and out until the top surface is even.
- Next, melt the chocolate with the coconut oil in a small pot over low heat. Continue to stir until smooth.
- Pour the melted chocolate on top of the rice cereal in the baking dish and use a spatula to smooth it out to the sides. Sprinkle with sea salt then transfer to the refrigerator to set for at least one hour.
- Once the chocolate has set, use the parchment paper to lift it out of the baking dish. Grab a large knife and slice them into 16 squares. Serve immediately or store covered in the refrigerator until ready to eat.
Notes
Adapted from running with spoons
*can also use regular rice cereal **use brown rice syrup for vegan option ***substitute your favorite nut butter or sunflower butter for nut allergies
Hi Sarah! Nice, these look quite yummy. You know, I’ve never made rice krispy treats before? I guess if I’m going to try, this should be my recipe of choice. Happy Friday!
yum! i like the idea of using cashew butter. i once made a similar recipe here: http://www.nutritionnutontherun.com/2011/06/03/almond-butter-dark-chocolate-crispy-rice-treats/
I love that you used dark chocolate and sea salt — such a killer combo! I’ve been baking up a storm with cookies and brownies, but I need some rice crispy treats in my life. I don’t know what it is, but there’s something about their simplicity that I’ve been in love with since I was a little kid. They may very well be one of my favourite things to snack on.
Ahhhh these sound so good! Rice Crispy treats are usually an “I can take them or leave them” kinda thing for me but with dark chocolate and sea salt?! Sounds perfect.
These are awesome, Sarah! I’d happily eat a few of them. Love that last picture, too.
Yum, I love healthy rice crispy treats!!
I was never a huge rice crispy treat person but I LOVE chocolate and sea salt together so I’d probably eat this whole tray by myself ;)
Yum!! These look amazing!! I love how you’ve decorated them!
Yumm! These look delicious. Riley loves rice crispy treats so I may need to make these for him!
Oh my lanta…I ate a healthy-ish chocolate pot de creme like 5 days ago, and I’m JUST NOW feeling better…my stomach hurt like a bitch and I was buh-loated for daaaaaayz! Whenever I eat sugar I think, “this time it’ll be different…” and then I end up kicking myself for days. Anyhoo, your rice crispy treats are looking mighty fine and won’t send my body into the fiery depths of hell. I want to crunch on them all day long!! Still want to see pictures of the chocolate shmear!! ;)
Sweet and salty, you’ve picked the perfect combination and then added that to one of my favorite childhood treats. Um, THANK YOU! I like this idea!
ohhh salty sweet combinations are my favorite!
These look amazing!! I want to make them for our Christmas Eve party.
My family is crazy about rice crisy treats and I always loved making them because they were so quick and made them so happy. But, I stopped because they were not a very healthy choice. But, I can’t wait to try this version! Thanks so much. You made my family very, very happy!
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These are AMAZING!!!! Seriously, I expected them to be good but I was blown away by how good they were. Thank you so so much for sharing them with the rest of the world, they are my new favourite dessert.
Awesome! I’m so glad you liked them, Jennifer!
Hello! I’m keen to make these but free. What would be a good replacement for the cashew butter?
Hi Jo! You can use sunflower seed butter in place of the cashew butter. :)
Thank you so much for yet another great recipe!! These are AMAZING!!
I’m so glad you enjoyed them! Thank you for the review, Alejandra.