Who doesn’t have memories of making and eating rice crispy treats as a kid? Let’s take a look at the ingredients in the store bought version taken off their website. I couldn’t find the peanut butter ingredients, but here is everything in the original flavor:
TOASTED RICE CEREAL (RICE, SUGAR, SALT, MALT FLAVORING, NIACINAMIDE, REDUCED IRON, RIBOFLAVIN [VITAMIN B2], FOLIC ACID), MARSHMALLOW (CORN SYRUP, SUGAR, GELATIN, NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR), FRUCTOSE, MARGARINE (VEGETABLE OIL [SOYBEAN AND PALM OIL WITH TBHQ FOR FRESHNESS], WATER, NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL BUTTER FLAVOR [CONTAINS MILK], DATEM, ACETYLATED MONOGLYCERIDES, BHT FOR FRESHNESS, VITAMIN A PALMITATE, VITAMIN D), CORN SYRUP SOLIDS, CONTAINS TWO PERCENT OR LESS OF DEXTROSE, GLYCERIN, SALT, NIACINAMIDE, PYRIDOXINE HYDROCHLORIDE (VITAMIN B6), THIAMIN HYDROCHLORIDE (VITAMIN B1), RIBOFLAVIN (VITAMIN B2), SOY LECITHIN.
Wow! That’s a lot of ingredients! Plus a lot of things I try to avoid. My recipe contains just 4 ingredients.
I wanted to create a healthier version for my kids. It took me 3 tries to get it right, but the end product is really good with no added sugar.
Peanut Butter Rice Krispy Treats
Healthier Peanut Butter Rice Krispy Treats
Ingredients
- 4 cups rice cereal (I used Barbara's Brown Rice Crisps)
- 3/4 cup peanut butter
- 12 medjool dates (pits removed)
- 3 T coconut oil (measure after melting)
- water
Instructions
- In a food processor , mix the dates with enough water so a syrup starts to form.
- The syrup should be thicker, almost like a caramel. I used about 1/4 cup water.
- Once the dates are in a syrup, transfer them to a saucepan with the peanut butter and coconut oil.
- Stir on medium heat just enough to soften the peanut butter and combine all the ingredients.
- Once that is done, add them to a bowl with the cereal and mix until everything is well combined.
- Line an 8×8 pan with parchment paper, leaving enough paper to stick out the sides.
- Pack the mixture down tight and stick it in the fridge to set.
- Once it’s set, pull the bars out using the parchment paper and cut into squares with a pizza cutter .
Recipe Notes
My bars were thick. If you want a thinner bar, use a slightly bigger pan. I got 9 squares out of my batch. They should last a couple weeks in the fridge. Enjoy!