Triple Almond Krispy Bars
I hope everyone had a blessed Easter! Chris and I enjoyed our time with his dad’s family in Big Sky. Plus, the weather was beautiful, Kassi (our dog) and I got to stretch our legs on a nice walk and I baked a flourless, sugar free cake (to be posted soon)!
But now onto today’s recipe 🙂
Rice krispy treats bring me back to the days of sack lunches in grade school. Those little squares wrapped in shiny blue wrappers were a hot commodity at the lunch table amongst my friends. I remember trying to trade my Goldfish or pretzels a few times without any luck…
Looking back, I am not sure what the big deal was since I recall them tasting a little bit like cardboard. Is that still the case? In my opinion, the homemade versions far surpass the packaged ones.
I hadn’t eaten a rice krispy treat in years and for some reason after seeing one commercial, I couldn’t get my mind off those crunchy little bars. Instead of using marshmallows, I opted for a healthier option by combing almond butter and honey as the binder and it worked nicely! I added sliced almonds for extra nuttiness along with almond extract (mmmm so good!) for the triple almond punch.
These bars are adaptable; change up the nut butter or seed butter, add your favorite mix-ins and/or extracts and make it your own! I was aiming for a peanut butter version but my pantry stash was running low (gasp!) so I opted for the almond butter. Dried cherries and mini chocolate chips with peanut butter will be my next batch!
Triple Almond Krispy Bars
Triple Almond Krispy Bars
Ingredients
- 2 cups gluten free crispy rice cereal (I used Enjoy Life crunchy brown rice)
- 1/3 cup sliced almonds (or other nuts or seeds for a different variation)
- 3 Tbsp flaxseed meal (almond meal would work too I bet - you could omit but will need more rice cereal)
- 1/2 cup creamy unsalted almond butter (or other nut or seed butter)
- 1/4 cup honey or brown rice syrup (I used honey but use brown rice for vegan)
- a few drops or a pinch of stevia to taste, optional for sweeter bars
- pinch of sea salt
- 1/4 tsp almond extract (if you don't have it, can omit but I like the additional almond flavor)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon (if you don't like cinnamon, feel free to omit)
Instructions
- Line a large loaf pan (or 8X8 pan but will be thinner) with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine cereal, almonds and flax meal.
- In a large saucepan, combine almond butter and honey/syrup over medium heat, stirring often until melted. Remove from heat and stir in the salt, extracts and cinnamon until smooth.
- Add in the cereal/almond/flax mixture to the liquid ingredients and stir until well coated.
- Spoon the sticky mixture into prepared pan and spread evenly (I greased my fingers with coconut oil to avoid sticking) and let chill for an hour. Cut into bars and enjoy!
Notes
