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vegan, brownies & bars, chocolate, gluten-free, easy, fruit-sweetened, no-bake, snacks, oil-free, sweet · May 24, 2021

Healthy Chocolate Rice Crispy Treats

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Your favorite sticky cereal snack but CHOCOLATE, and made with Medjool Dates instead of marshmallows for a healthier rice crispy treat!

Healthy Chocolate Rice Crispy Treats

SPONSORED BY NATURAL DELIGHTS


The best part about subtracting marshmallows from the rice crispy recipe equation is that it gives you lots of wiggle room to add a delicious amount of chocolate and still stay safely in the healthy-ish snack/dessert category. Not that there are any official category rules or anything, its more of just a this-feels-wholesome-enough-to-eat-at-any-hour intuitive feeling, ya know?

But even minus the marshmallows, these Healthy Chocolate Rice Crispy Treats still bring abundant sticky sweet childhood energy thanks to Medjool Dates! I promise they won’t ruin the crispy cereal crunch. I promise they will add a gooey caramel-y element you’re gonna love. I promise this will be your new favorite way to rice crispy treat.

Healthy Chocolate Rice Crispy Treats

How To Make Medjool Date Rice Crispy Treats

Here’s the simple secret to avoiding soggy fruit-sweetened cereal treats: don’t add water (or almond milk or applesauce or any water based ingredients). So that means we can’t blend up date paste as usual, we have to get a little more creative…

Chocolate Rice Crispy Treat Ingredients

  • Medjool Dates. Our “marshmallows” so to speak, but MUCH more healthy and wholesome than that. With only natural sugars, lots of fiber, extra potassium, and of course their delicious gooey sweet flavor. Natural Delights is my go-to brand, has been for forever, their quality and taste never let me down no matter what I’m making.
  • Almond butter. And that is how you make date paste without water and rice crispy treats without refined sugar that are still CRISPY. Other nut or seed butters will be fine too, a natural runny variety is best (if its too thick try 1/2 cup nut butter + 1/4 cup coconut oil)
  • Brown rice cereal. Or regular rice cereal, just make sure its TOASTED not puffed.
  • Cocoa powder. Annnnnnnd things start getting decadent, fam.
  • Vanilla extract and salt.
  • Dark chocolate chips. Can you simply make the bars, press into a pan, freeze, and eat? Yes. But is it more delicious to melt down dark chocolate chips, stir some into the cereal mix, spread the rest on top of the bars, and make this a much much more chocolatey rice crispy treat situation? Big time YES.
Healthy Chocolate Rice Crispy Treats

Step By Cereal Treat Step

Step 1: Blend pitted (or buy them that way!) Medjool Dates, almond butter, and vanilla. I recommend a food processor, but a blender will work too as long as you stop and scrape down the sides frequently. You want it to be mostly smooth, a few small chunks are okay.

Step 2: Mix the cereal with the cocoa powder and salt. Add the sticky paste to the chocolatey cereal and mix. Hands are highly recommended for this part.

Healthy Chocolate Rice Crispy Treats
Healthy Chocolate Rice Crispy Treats
Healthy Chocolate Rice Crispy Treats

Step 3: Melt the chocolate and mix half with the cereal. Press this sticky stuff into a pan, REALLY pack it in firmly.

Step 4: Spread the remaining chocolate in a thin dainty little layer on top of the bars. Refrigerate 4-6 hours if you’re patient, freeze for 2-3 hours if you’re not.

Step 5: Eat. Enjoy. Fall in love.

Healthy Chocolate Rice Crispy Treats
Healthy Chocolate Rice Crispy Treats
Healthy Chocolate Rice Crispy Treats

More Medjool Date Recipes You’ll Love

  • Chocolate Chia Pudding Pops
  • Chocolate Caramel Crunch Cups
  • 3 Ingredient Vegan Chocolate Pots
  • Salted Chocolate Truffle Bars
  • Healthy Chocolate Fudge
Healthy Chocolate Rice Crispy Treats
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Healthy Chocolate Rice Crispy Treats

★★★★★ 5 from 2 reviews
  • Author: Natalie
  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 3 hours (chilling time)
  • Total Time: 3 hours 20 minutes
  • Yield: 12 bars 1x
  • Category: chocolate
  • Method: no bake
  • Cuisine: american
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Description

Your favorite sticky cereal snack but CHOCOLATE, and made with Medjool Dates instead of marshmallows for a healthier rice crispy treat!


Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 cups (70g) toasted brown rice cereal
  • 1/4 cup (25g) cocoa powder
  • 1 cup (200g) Natural Delights Pitted Medjool Dates*
  • 3/4 cup (192g) almond butter (or any nut/seed butter)
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/8 tsp salt
  • 1 cup (180g) dark chocolate chips

Instructions

  1. In a food processor, combine Natural Delights Pitted Medjool Dates, almond butter, and vanilla. Process to a smooth paste.
  2. In a mixing bowl, stir together rice cereal, cocoa powder, date paste, and salt (it’s messy but hands works best!)
  3. Melt the dark chocolate chips.
  4. Add half to the cereal mixture and mix to evenly coat.
  5. Press into a lined 8×8″ pan, top with remaining melted chocolate.
  6. Freeze 2-3 hours until firm.
  7. Slice and eat! Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Notes

*Use code 20feasting for 20% off Natural Delights Medjool Dates on Amazon!


Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 bar
  • Calories: 263
  • Sugar: 19g
  • Sodium: 57mg
  • Fat: 17g
  • Saturated Fat: 5g
  • Carbohydrates: 32g
  • Fiber: 6g
  • Protein: 5g

Keywords: healthy, snack, dessert, kid friendly, no bake, easy, marshmallow free, cereal, bars, gluten free

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In: vegan, brownies & bars, chocolate, gluten-free, easy, fruit-sweetened, no-bake, snacks, oil-free, sweet · Tagged: bars, cereal, dessert, easy, gluten free, snack, healthy, no bake, kid friendly, marshmallow free

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Comments

  1. Malia Qury says

    May 25, 2021 at 3:30 pm

    healthy chocolate-rice crispy treats is my favorite recipe. Thanks for share recipe how to make it.

    Reply
  2. Ellie says

    May 26, 2021 at 9:01 pm

    Looks amazing! Why do you need toasted rice and not puffed rice?

    Reply
  3. Ellie says

    May 26, 2021 at 9:02 pm

    Looks amazing! Why do you need toasted rice and not puffed rice? Whoops, I hit submit before rating the recipe, sorry!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Natalie says

      May 27, 2021 at 10:58 am

      Puffed rice will turn out chewy instead of crispy and crunchy like a classic rice crispy treat. You can use it but you will get more of a granola bar texture 🙂

      Reply
      • Ellie says

        May 27, 2021 at 1:50 pm

        Good to know, thanks!

        Reply
  4. Mandy says

    July 28, 2021 at 11:55 am

    Natalieeeee!!! I keep meaning to come back here to leave a review…because the other day I made these for the SECOND time 🙂 I haven’t had rice crispy treats made with marshmallows in years, and now I see zero need to ever make them because these are waaaaaaay better!!! This combo will be hard to beat – the gooey dates + creamy nut butter + melted CHOCOLATE. Amazing. I love how the texture was very reminiscent of regular old rice crispy treats, but the flavor elements took this way over the top. We did a mix of PB and almond butter and that turned out really well. In the end we all had sticky chocolate covered fingers and happy bellies! Chocolate craving was satisfied 🙂 These will definitely be made again and again!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Natalie says

      July 29, 2021 at 1:04 pm

      Oh this makes me so so happy🤗🤗 Chocolatey and messy is the best snack situation, there is no such thing as neat and tidy rice crispy treat making haha. As much as i love marshmallows, I agree the gooey dates + nut butter + chocolate trio is too good. Appreciate your feedback and smiling to know that you guys loved them too❤️

      Reply

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