Much like these BBQ Tilapia and Sweet Potato Tacos, these Healthier Peanut Butter Chocolate Rice Krispies came as a result of needing to use up some ingredients before our move, and as a last-minute treat to feed our moving helpers! Our poor friends, are likely going to forevermore be busy any time we move in the future. Who knew we had so much STUFF?! The pictures I posted of the house here, truly reflect the way our house looked 95% of the time. Everything sorta had its own place. We don’t have sweet little ones running around yet, and Josh and I are relatively neat people, thus making it fairly easy to keep an orderly house. Now, I wouldn’t say the floors were always dirt-free, nor the toilets scrubbed, but essentially, if we unexpectedly invited someone for dinner {which unfortunately rarely happened}, the house was presentable.
I say all of this because, while the house never felt cluttered, at least to me, there was an embarrassing amount of STUFF to move. Box after box of accessories, dishes, kitchen gadgets, books…thing continued to pile up. I guess that’s what happens when an interior designer no longer has room for more accessories, thus she starts a food blog and buys food props…oops.
Let’s just say, Josh and I see a garage sale in the near future. But let’s get back to these Peanut Butter Chocolate Rice Krispie Treats! I posted this picture on Instagram a few weekends ago of the granola bars I made for my dad’s lunches. This is my Mama’s recipe and for the past several years {before she got sick} she would make these weekly to send along with Dad to work. So we’ve tried to keep that tradition going and my sister, cousin, or I make them every few weeks. They call for Rice Krispies, and I had half a box left over. I wouldn’t say Rice Krispies offer just a whole lot of nutrition, but they are at least fairly low in sugar and are quite often gluten-free {regular Rice Krispies often contain malt and/or barley as a flavor enhancer – therefore making them not gluten-free}, so I thought I’d see if I could use them to make a slightly healthier rice krispie treat, without the use of processed sugar, marshmallows, etc.
I ended up replacing the butter with peanut butter for some added protein, and the marshmallows with honey. Growing up, my mom always added peanut butter to our rice krispie treats, so that was an obvious swap, and while the honey doesn’t hold it all together quite as well as the marshmallows, it’s worth the added effort! The dark chocolate on top not only delivers some antioxidants, my favorite excuse to eat chocolate, but perfectly complements the nutty peanut flavor, sweetness from the honey, and lovely crunch from the crisp rice cereal.
After our never-ending day of moving, the plate was nearly empty. I wouldn’t say these tasty treats compensated our friends and all their hard work, but hopefully it was a start!
Healthier Peanut Butter Chocolate Rice Krispies
Ingredients
- 4 cups Crisp Rice Cereal {Gluten-free if desired}
- 6 tbsp peanut butter
- 4 tbsp PB2 Powder
- 2 tbsp water
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp cocoa powder
- 1/3 cup chocolate granola of choice {OPTIONAL I used Trader Joe's Clusters Chocolate Almond Granola Cereal}
- 1/2 cup dark chocolate chopped
Instructions
- Line a 9x13 baking pan with wax paper, spray wax paper with coconut oil cooking spray and set aside.
- In a small bowl, mix PB2 with water. Add PB2 mixture, peanut butter, honey, vanilla, and cocoa powder to medium pan over medium-low heat, stir until mixture has melted and creates a smooth creamy texture, careful not to burn.
- Remove from heat and add the crispy rice cereal and granola, stir well until everything is fully combined.
- Pour into wax lined baking pan and use a spatula to spread the mixture evenly, pressing down firmly to ensure treats are tightly packed {this helps hold it together}.
- Meanwhile, place chopped chocolate into small pan and heat on medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until chocolate is melted.
- Once fully melted, drizzle chocolate over the top of the packed rice krispie treats using a spoon.
- Place pan into fridge and allow to cool for 30-40 minutes before cutting into squares.
Nutrition
