Salted Caramel Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Treats

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Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Treats pack all of your favorite indulgences into one bar! Salted caramel and creamy peanut butter are added to brown rice cereal bars to make this delicious, gluten free dessert recipe. NO refined sugar!

Happy Day After Valentine’s Day! If you have kids in school, they had a party, right?? And brought home cards and treats and stuff? Yeah, mine, too. Filled with lollipops and Twizzlers. Here’s the thing – my son is 21 months old, in a class with 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 year olds. Ummm, choking hazard, maybe? And a whole lotta sugar that my already very energetic toddler does not need.

But, truthfully, I am of that “all things in moderation” school of thought. I have seen way too many kids who are denied all access to anything containing a speck of sugar, then you put them at a birthday party or family gathering, and they go nuts, and gorge themselves to the point of sickness. I’d rather give my kid a treat on occasion, so that it does not become the forbidden fruit that is so tempting. So last night, he did get half of the Valentine cupcake they sent home from school. But the lollipops and Twizzlers – well those are in the trash.

Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Treats Ingredients

And I like to make sweet treats, and I am happier giving those to The Bug (and myself and The Hubby), when I know what went into it (even if it is lots of white flour and white sugar). But in this case, I tried to make healthier peanut butter rice krispie treats. For ingredients, I used:

• unrefined sweeteners (brown rice syrup)
• a little bit of nutrition in the form of Brown Rice Krispies (OK, OK, commercial, processed food, but brown rice instead of white, and gluten-free for those with celiac or wheat sensitivities, like me)
• natural peanut butter (protein)
• chocolate (ahh, the antioxidants)

I am not saying salted caramel peanut butter rice krispie treats are a low calorie health food, but when you want a treat that you won’t feel as guilty about, then give them a try. The Bug, The Hubby, and all of the Administrative Associates that work on his floor loved them. Even a woman on Weight Watchers broke down. And almost had two!

If you can’t find [amazon_textlink asin=’B007GODUO6′ text=’Brown Rice Krispies’ template=’ProductLink’ store=’cupkalchi-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’8c574f23-39a1-11e8-8857-238f3f0c1de3′], regular Rice Krispies would work fine, too. Or if you want to stick with the whole grains, I am sure you could even substitute puffed rice in this recipe. And I am betting corn syrup could be used in place of the brown rice syrup.

And about those Valentine’s Day party goody bags:

Since I am new to having a kid in school, and unfortunately most places seem to want packaged food now, due to all of the kids with allergies, let me know (in the comments, below) if you have any recommendations for good treats to send in for holiday parties.

How to Make Salted Caramel Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Treats:

Salted Caramel Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Treats

Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Treats pack all of your favorite indulgences into one bar! Salted caramel and creamy peanut butter are added to brown rice cereal bars to make this delicious, gluten free dessert recipe with NO refined sugar!

Prep: 10 mins

Cook: 10 mins

chill time 1 hr

Total: 20 mins

Servings: 16 bars

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Ingredients

• 1/2 cup brown rice syrup
• 1 Tbsp butter
• 1 Tbsp heavy cream
• 1/4 tsp sea salt if you only have fine salt or kosher salt, you may want to try a little less
• 3 cups Brown Rice Krispies or regular ones or puffed rice
• 3/4 cup natural peanut butter or almond butter or cashew butter or sunflower seed butter
• 6 oz dark chocolate I used Ghirardelli 60% chocolate chips. These are larger than regular chocolate chocolate chips, so it was about 1 cup
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 tsp sea salt for sprinkling on top

Instructions

Crust and Peanut Butter Layers

• Line an 8 inch square pan with plastic wrap (trust me, it will be much easier to get the Krispie treats out)
• In a medium pot, heat the brown rice syrup over low to medium heat until it is bubbling, about 5 minutes..
• Add the butter, 1 T heavy cream, and sea salt. Stir until the butter melts and everything is incorporated.
• Stir in the Rice Krispies until they are fully covered, and press into the pan.
• Spread peanut butter over the top of the Rice Krispie layer, and keep the pan in the refrigerator while you make the ganache.

Chocolate Ganache Layer

• Chop up the chocolate into small pieces and put in a bowl.
• Heat the heavy cream in a small pot over low to medium heat until it comes to a simmer, about 5 minutes.
• Pout the hot cream over the chocolate, let sit for a few seconds, then stir until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth. If you forget to chop your chocolate, and it doesn't melt all the way, just put it back on a low heat for a few seconds to get it all melty.
• Stir in the vanilla.
• Pull the pan out of the fridge and spread the ganache over the top. Sprinkle with the sea salt.
• Put it back in the fridge until the ganache sets, then remove from the pan using the plastic wrap, and cut into squares.

Nutrition Facts

Salted Caramel Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Treats

Amount Per Serving (1 bar)

Calories 219 Calories from Fat 126

% Daily Value*

Fat 14g22%

Saturated Fat 5g25%

Cholesterol 13mg4%

Sodium 120mg5%

Potassium 175mg5%

Carbohydrates 19g6%

Fiber 2g8%

Sugar 9g10%

Protein 4g8%

Vitamin A 500IU10%

Vitamin C 3.3mg4%

Calcium 60mg6%

Iron 3.3mg18%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Author: Brianne @ Cupcakes & Kale Chips

Course: Bars, Dessert

Cuisine: American

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Enjoy!