Almond Butter Rice Crispy Treats (marshmallow and gluten-free)

November 11, 2013

The rice crispy treat is hands-down my favorite dessert. I could eat one every day. I love the crispy rice with the chewy marshmallow and the sound it makes when my teeth sink into one. A vegan friend recently made an awesome version of the classic treat using sunflower seed butter and dark chocolate ganache. She, in turn, learned of the recipe from the blog Healthful Pursuit. You can see the original recipe here.

I was intrigued by this take on the dessert that uses only 5 ingredients (not counting the chocolate ganache my friend so ingeniously added), none of which are marshmallow. Even though there are some great vegan marshmallows out there, it’s nice to try something different and replace the refined sugar with brown rice syrup.

Feel free to swap out the almond butter for the sunflower butter the original recipe calls for. We love sunflower butter in this house but I have a special affinity for all things almond so there you have it. These treats were a winner in our household as I’m sure they’ll be in yours. Kids love them but even adults appreciate the updated, more sophisticated characteristics of the almond butter and dark chocolate. I’ve also added toasted sesame seeds or chia seeds to my crispy treats before. Both would work well in this recipe. The possibilities are endless!

Here’s the lineup:

• 8 cups rice crispy cereal (brown rice crispy cereal will work too) I used Whole Foods 365 brand
• 1/4 cup ground flaxseed
• 1 cup brown rice syrup
• 2/3 cup unsweetened, smooth almond butter
• 1 tsp pure vanilla
• 1 cup vegan semi-sweet chocolate chips

Lightly oil a 9 x 13 pan and set aside. In a large bowl, combine the rice cereal and flaxseed.

In a medium saucepan, combine the brown rice syrup, almond butter and vanilla. Heat over medium heat until the mixture is smooth.

Pour the liquid mixture over the cereal mixture and toss to coat evenly. Spread it into your prepared pan and using parchment paper or a spatula (I find the former works best), push it down firmly until it sits as an even layer in the pan. Set aside to cool.

In a small saucepan, melt down your chocolate chips until smooth. Drizzle over the pan of crispy treats using a spoon.

Place the entire pan into the refrigerator for an hour then cut into squares and serve!

Happy eating!

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