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All you’ll need is 5 ingredients, and 15 minutes to make these Chocolate Peanut Butter Crunch Bars. Enjoy them as a healthy snack or dessert.
Yep, you’ve heard that right, these Chocolate Peanut Butter Crunch Bars are healthy! They are a cross between Rice Krispie Treats and Nutty Buddy Bars, but you can eat these without the guilt. And who doesn’t love chocolate and peanut butter together? Especially with crispy rice cereal!
I definitely love to overindulge indulge, so I try to make treats as healthy as possible while making them taste good, too. You’ll get all the crunchy, nut buttery goodness of a store-bought treat, but without heaps of sugar, fat, and additives. Plus, these treats are gluten-free, unrefined sugar-free, and most importantly, they’re vegan.
No-Bake
It’s summertime, so who the heck wants to turn on their oven? Not me! I still use my oven, but a lot less during hotter months. I like to stay cool and soak up the lazy days of summer.
Instead, I go for the no-bake treats like these Chewy No-Bake Granola Bars and Mocha Cheesecake Bites, and of course, these Chocolate Peanut Butter Crunch Bars. Makes life easy!
5 ingredients
That’s it! You probably have everything in your pantry right now, too. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Rice cereal
- Peanut butter
- Cocoa powder
- Maple syrup
- Vanilla extract
15 minutes or less
This batch of goodness is ridiculously quick and easy to make. You can whip it up in minutes and have it chilling in no time. It takes about 15-20 minutes in the freezer to firm up.
Here’s what you’ll need to do:
- Line a baking dish
- Pour cereal in a large bowl
- Warm peanut butter, maple syrup, vanilla and cocoa powder
- Pour over cereal and combine
- Pour into baking dish
- Pop in the freezer for
- Enjoy!
I’d love to hear from you
If you make these Chocolate Peanut Butter Crunch Bars, I’d love to hear what you think in the comment section below. It would really make my day. You can also follow me on Instagram and share your creation with me. Just tag me @veganhuggs and hashtag #veganhuggs so I don’t miss it.
Chocolate Peanut Butter Crunch Bars
Ingredients
- 3 cups rice cereal
- 3/4 cup peanut butter , creamy
- 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoon maple syrup , pure (sub coconut nectar or brown rice syrup)
- 1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon cocoa powder (sub raw cacao powder)
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Line an 8 x 8-inch baking dish with 2 sheets of parchment paper. One going in each direction. Set aside.
- Pour 3 cups of rice cereal in a large bowl and set aside.
- In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, add the peanut butter, maple syrup, and vanilla extract (*see note). Using a heat-safe spatula, stir until softened and completely combined.
- Remove from heat and add the cocoa powder and stir gently to combine. It will take 1-2 minutes to fully incorporate.
- Pour mixture on top of the rice cereal. Using a spatula, gently stir to combine. Stir until the cereal is evenly coated. The mixture will be thick and may seem like it won't cover the cereal, but just keep stirring, it will be enough.
- Pour and spread mixture into prepared baking dish. Press down with a spatula to make it even all around. This helps everything stick together better too.
- Place in the freezer for 20 minutes. When finished, pull up by each side of the parchment paper. Place on cutting board and cut into squares. Store in an airtight container at room temp for 4-5 days. You can also freeze them for 1-2 months.
Notes
Nutrition
Gloria Moffit
August 26, 2017 at 6:30 amThanks Melissa! …all I need is the rice cereal, my Saturday movie nights looking even better now. Who needs popcorn? X
Melissa Huggins
August 26, 2017 at 9:42 amYou’re welcome, Gloria! I love Saturday night movie snacks. Have a great time! Thank you for stopping by 🙂