chocolate almond butter rice crispy squares

by Rachel MacKay

These little squares are a staple in the MacKay household. They’re my Momma’s signature dessert that she brings to every family gathering. Many moons ago I asked for the recipe in order to “healthify” it and was shocked to discover that there was **gasp** ….. corn syrup in the recipe.

 

Why is corn syrup bad?

You’ll find corn syrup (high fructose corn syrup, HFCS) hiding in many conventional packaged foods. Dr. Mark Hyman even says that seeing it in an ingredient list is a red flag that the product you’re looking at is poor quality. HFCS has been modified from corn to be sweeter and cheaper than the average sugar. Why we needed a sweetener made from corn I do not know (well I mean I do – it’s cause it’s cheap and the GMO corn crops grow in abundance in the US… what else are they gonna do with all that crap?). Aaanywho, if you want to find out more about why you may want to steer clear of corn syrup, check out this detailed article by Dr Hyman, “5 Reasons High Fructose Corn Syrup Will Kill You”. Ever so slightly alarmist title, but good info nonetheless.

Back to the squares!

This recipe is awesome because it’s so versatile and you can change up any allergens to suit your needs:

  • The rice puffs can be switched out with quinoa, kamut or millet puffs/crisps
  • The brown rice syrup can be switched out with honey or maple syrup.
  • The “fat” can be ghee, coconut oil/butter or grass fed butter.
  • And you can use just about any nut or seed butter you desire. Momma MacKay stuck with peanut butter, but I opted for my personal fav, almond butter.

Plus it’s super duper simple.

Melt the sugar and fat… mmm delicious.

Then add everything else and stir it up little darlin'.

While the mixture is still hot, add the chocolate chips and watch ’em melt.

Then let them set (in the fridge if you’re in a rush to have a wee taste).

 

chocolate and almond butter rice crispy squares

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup coconut sugar
  • 1/2 brown rice syrup
  • 1/4 cup ghee/coconut butter/grass fed butter
  • 1 cup almond butter (or PB or a seed butter if you have allergies)
  • 1 tsp good quality vanilla extract
  • 4 cups brown rice puffs (or alternative)
  • 1/4-1/2 cup chocolate chips (amount depends on how chocolatey you want them)

Directions:

Add sugar, rice syrup and ghee to a pot and heat on low.

Once the sugar and ghee have dissolved add all other ingredients (except chocolate) to the pot and stir until combined.

Cover a pan in parchment paper and plop in the mix, smooth it out with a spatula.

Pour chocolate chips on top to cover and they should start to melt. If not, you can pop them in the oven for a few seconds. Use a spatula to evenly coat the chocolate.

Put into the fridge to cool and slice.

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