i'm pretty sure i've spoken about my affinity for peanut butter, but when i looked in my blog archive and found only a single recipe highlighting one of my favorite things to enjoy, i knew i needed to fix that! my fondness for peanut butter is somewhat well-known to those who are around me often, i've even received a jar of peanut butter and a copy of E.T. as a birthday present one year because my friend knew how much i loved those 2 together. and when i'm hungry for a quick snack i'll grab a spoonful of peanut butter. then there are the days when i'm super lazy and needing that nut buttery fix and an apple and peanut butter is my lunch, or even my dinner. so when i saw these cereal bars on pinterest a few weeks ago, i had the biggest Oprah, aha (!!!) moment. i could combine my fave cereal and my fave nut butter to make the bars of my dreams!
these bars are the simplest and most rewarding snacks that come together and can be enjoyed in about 30 minutes (freezing the bars makes the set faster, which i'm a huge fan of!). there's no baking, or setting, and they're kind of on the healthy side. i used puffed varieties of brown rice and millet, which happen to be gluten free whole grains, plus, they have a super crunchy texture which gives them a rice crispy treat quality. there's also cacao nibs for crunch and some chocolate undertones, and chopped peanuts because that peanut flavor is so necessary ;) they're easy to store, portable, and somewhat filling - all wins in my book! i hope you enjoy them as much as i do :)
xo!
peanut butter + cacao nib cereal bars | v + gf
as i said above, i love peanut butter and really wanted a peanut buttery snack. but feel free to incorporate your preferred choice of nut butter and nuts here. you could also use another crunchy cereal of choice, or replace the brown rice syrup with honey. and if you're wanting more chocolatey flavor replace the cacao nibs with chocolate chips, or melt chocolate and drizzle on top of the bars.
| makes 16 square bars |
- coconut oil, for the pan
- 1 1/2 cups puffed brown rice
- 1 1/2 cups puffed millet
- 3/4 cup unsalted roughly chopped roasted peanuts
- 1/2 cup cacao nibs
- 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
- 1/2 cup brown rice syrup
- 1/2 cup unsalted peanut butter
method
- lightly grease an 8x8-inch square pan with coconut oil. line the bottom and sides of the pan with parchment paper and set aside.
- in a large bowl, mix together the brown rice puffs, millet puffs, chopped peanuts, cacao nibs, and salt.
- in a small saucepan over a medium-low heat, use a rubber spatula to combine the brown rice syrup and peanut butter. heat and stir the mixture until it's fluid and smooth, about 5 minutes. pour the syrup and peanut butter mixture over the puffed cereal mix and use the spatula to combine. mix for a few minutes, until each piece of the mixture is evenly coated.
- transfer the mixture to your prepared pan and use the back of the spatula (or, if the mixture isn't too hot, use your fingers) to press the bards firmly and evenly into the pan.
- let the bars sit at room temperature for 1 hour, or freeze for 20 minutes until firm. slice the bars into 16 squares with a sharp knife. bars can be kept in an air tight container at room temperature for 4-5 days.
similar recipes:
cacao nib + coconut macaroons
dark chocolate salted nut bars
ginger + lemon zest granola w/ puffed quinoa