Crunchy almond butter chocolate bars ~ Fitnessista

Tuesday, August 25, 2020

Crunchy almond butter chocolate bars

August 25, 2020 Pratik Bandagale

These crunchy almond butter chocolate bars are a quick and healthy dessert or treat idea. They’re gluten-free, only take 10 minutes of active prep, and can be easily tweaked for my vegan friends.

We could all go for a little sweet bite, right? To be honest, I just really needed something this weekend where I could leave half the mix or dough in the bowl just for myself and sit on the floor and eat it. Anyone else?

I used to bake and make kitchen creations all the time. Lately, I don’t know if it’s been the heat, the overwhelming feeling of everything going on, or what, but lately I just haven’t been into it. I’ve made muffins and banana bread with the girls, but haven’t felt that creative kitchen mojo lately. It’s the most I can do right now to just make sure everyone is fed – so.many.snacks – and the kitchen clean in between.

Needless to say, I found a random blast of inspiration this weekend. The girls were playing dolls together, I felt like I had caught up on chores, and I saw this box of puffed brown rice cereal in the pantry. I immediately thought of my beloved crunchy almond butter truffles and thought they’d be amazing in bar form.

I ask the girls if they wanted to help me make a tasty treat and they were immediately on board.

The best part is that this recipe makes a pretty large batch, so they’re perfect to store in the fridge or freezer when you need a sweet bite. I love a little chocolate or something sweet around 3pm, or while I’m watching a little mindless TV at night.

Here’s the quick and easy recipe if you want to make a little dessert with the kiddos or treat yourself this afternoon!

Crunchy almond butter chocolate bars

A delicious little sweet treat that’s gluten-free and easily made vegan. Make these to store in the freezer for a delicious healthy dessert!

Author: Gina Harney // The Fitnessista
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours 10 minutes
Yield: 24 bars

Ingredients

5 cups puffed brown rice cereal

1/3 cup coconut butter

2 tablespoons butter (or vegan butter)

1 tablespoon cocoa powder

2/3 cup smooth almond butter (or nut butter of choice)

1/2 cup maple syrup

1 teaspoon vanilla extra

Big pinch of sea salt

1/2 bag of chocolate chips for dipping

Instructions

Line a 9×13 inch baking dish with parchment paper. Pour the brown rice cereal into a large bowl.
In a small saucepan, heat the coconut butter, butter, cocoa powder, almond butter, maple syrup, vanilla, and salt on medium-low heat until smooth and creamy.
Pour the mixture onto the brown rice cereal and gently stir to coat.
Gently press the mixture into the baking dish and set in the fridge to harden, about 1 hour.
In a glass bowl, microwave the chocolate chips for 30-second intervals, stirring in between, until smooth and melted.
Remove the bars from the pan, using the parchment paper, and cut into 24 pieces. Dip each bar into the melted chocolate and place back on a parchment-lined serving platter or the baking dish to set in the fridge.
Serve and enjoy!