On Saturday, we had a mini early birthday celebration for one of our sweet little friends. She is turning five, and treats were in order, but she’s lactose-intolerant so I searched for some dessert options that wouldn’t involve any dairy. I could have gone for vegan cupcakes, but how could I pass up a chance to make healthier rice crispy treats? And how cute are they stacked high with candles on top? I love that she’s trying to blow out the candles from as far away as possible.
I used this recipe, and it came together in a jiffy. It requires only rice crispy cereal, brown rice syrup, cashew butter and maple syrup. I already had the syrups, so all I needed were the cereal and cashew butter. I bought this brand of “veganic sprouted brown rice crisps”, and the treats came out a million times better than expected.
They got a seal of approval from the kiddos, and just like the recipe states, the flavor has a caramel undertone. The cashew butter lends a milder nutty flavor, and I was pleased that they’re less sweet than your average rice crispy treat, but still very satisfying as a dessert.
K was initially disappointed that no marshmallows were used, but she loves them so much that she’s been begging to eat one at every opportunity. Here, she’s enjoying one during our impromptu picnic in the backyard when there was a brief window of sunniness on Sunday (the sky ballooned with ominous-looking storm clouds shortly after).
Some words of caution: unless stored in an airtight container, these get gushy. I left them in the muffin tin with the plastic lid that it comes with, but it’s not completely airtight. I took a little bite this morning, and they’re not so yummy anymore….still, this recipe’s a keeper and I’ll be making this again for sure!
I’m not sure if I can forgive you for having green grass… ours is still buried under 2 feet of snow! Though if I held a grudge I’d miss the next awesome thing you make, so I guess you’re forgiven 😉
Ha, thanks Kathryn! I’m buried in deadlines this week, so creations have been few and far between, but next week I’ll be back on track!!
Adorbs–they look like little muffins!
I know, right? Love the muffin tin trick! 🙂
Oh my god… I miss Rice Crispy treats like crazy since I cut out sugars! I lose my head when I see them. I may need to make some of these.
I think you’ll really like these, Morgan! The kids said they really tasted like rice crispy treats and brown rice syrup is supposed to low glycemic index and such so not as evil as processed sugar 🙂
it’s nice to find treat recipes that aren’t horrible for you AND taste good! I noticed the lack of sugar in the ingredients . . . good job with sticking to your decreased sugar consumption!
I’m trying, Lucinda! It’s hard work, avoiding sugar for this sweet tooth…it’s funny, we had a lot of rice crispies left over and we’ve had a bunch of kids coming through the house these past few days. They’ve all LOVED it.