When Mother Nature gives you a rainy, dreary weekend in October, I say dive into Halloween prep. Look online for costume ideas, troll the dollarstore aisles for decorations, buy a massive pumpkin, and make candy bars. You’ll be feeling better in no time!
As a kid, I always loved Crunch Bars. There’s just something about crispy rice cereal wrapped in chocolate that is so much fun to eat. Luckily, it’s really easy to make a vegan version of the popular candy at home. Unlike the store bought bar, my version is free of dairy, soy, and artificial flavour.
To take this bar to the next level, I drizzled on a peanut butter shell made with all-natural peanut butter, a bit of coconut oil (to help solidify the drizzle when chilled) and sweetener. For shizzle, my drizzle. As always, the chocolate PB combo was a match made in heaven. If you’d like a nut-free version, feel free to swap out the PB for sunflower seed butter (like Sunbutter) or you can just skip it entirely. Either way, this mini bar is an easy way to get your chocolate fix and it would make a fun treat to serve for Halloween too!
Mini Crunch Bars with Peanut Butter Shell Drizzle
Yield
12 mini bars
Prep time
Cook time
0 minutes
Chill time
15
Total time
Like the store bought candy bar, only much tastier and better for you! This dark chocolate bar comes together in about about 15 minutes flat. Try serving it at a Halloween party, but make sure to keep the bars in the freezer until just before serving. They will get soft at room temperature so you can try serving them on a chilled plate. One thing is for sure, they won't last long!
Ingredients
Crunch Bar
- 1/2 cup coconut oil
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 5 tablespoons liquid sweetener (maple syrup, agave, etc.), or to taste
- pinch of fine grain sea salt, to taste
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup rice crisp cereal
Peanut Butter Shell Drizzle
- 2 tablespoons all-natural peanut butter (or any nut/seed butter of choice)
- 1.5-2 teaspoons coconut oil, as needed to thin out
- 1 teaspoon liquid sweetener (maple syrup, agave, etc.)
Directions
- For the crunch bar: Line a 9x5 inch loaf pan with two pieces of parchment paper, one going each way. In a pot over low heat, gently melt the coconut oil and then whisk in the rest of the crunch bar ingredients (except the rice crisp) to taste. Once the mixture is smooth remove from heat and stir in the rice crisp cereal. Pour mixture into prepared pan, smooth out, and then freeze for 10-15 minutes, or until the chocolate is solid.
- For the PB drizzle: Melt the coconut oil and then whisk in the peanut butter and liquid sweetener. Adjust to taste if desired. Scoop into a plastic baggie.
- Remove crunch bar from freezer and cut into 12 small bars. Snip a tiny hole in the baggie and drizzle the PB mixture onto the bar (you can also try drizzling it with a spoon, if desired).
- Return bars to the freezer until the PB drizzle is solid, about 5 minutes.
- Serve straight from the freezer or fridge. Bars will melt slightly at room temperature so I don't suggest keeping them out long. Store leftovers in the fridge or freezer.
Tip:
Note: To make these bars nut-free, use sunflower seed butter (I like Sunbutter brand) in place of the peanut butter.
Nutrition Information
(click to expand)Cookbook Giveaway Winner!
The winner of a signed copy of my cookbook goes to: Beth S.!
Congrats Beth!! I’ll shoot you an email this morning to collect your info. A BIG thank you to everyone who participated in the What Did U Do? Farm Sanctuary campaign! I just found out the fundraiser is extended until October 9th, so there is still time to donate if you still want to help out. hugs!
These look delicious! I love the addition of the peanut butter drizzle, I can think of quite a few things I’d like to add that to…
Looks so yummy. Too bad the cereal has 25g of carbohydrates, boo hoo. Oh well, the kids will love it.
Just made these… delicious!
I understand the consistancy issue of using coconut oil, but I can’t handle the flavor. Do you think using earth balance butter as a sub would work?
These look UNreal. I love how clean the edges are [such a nerd]. And the contrast of the chocolate and PB. Lovely photos!!
Love the pics! Gorgeous! Can’t wait to try these! My guy LOVES choco/peanut butter combo!
I don’t know what to say aside from holy bad word, I cannot wait to make these.
Could eat one right now. Will definitely try these.
These for sure take away the dreary weather blues!!! I love this idea and actually have some rice puffs. Convenient timing?
Mmmm these sound so GOOD =)
These are not only gorgeous, but they sound so great. Perfect for healthy halloween treats ;)
I made these yesterday – super easy and fast, and my 3 yr old and 5 yr old loved them! I’m really excited to have a treat they love that’s not full of junk :) Thank you so much!
You should know this:
When I am reading through my very long blog-roll or checking out recipes online, YOUR recipes are the only ones where I get up right away and make them. No, “Oh, I’ll bookmark this for later.” I make them straight away. This one included.
Multiple recipes of yours are my go-to sweet snacks! (Frosty glo-cakes made in muffin tins and your “rolos” are a very frequent presence in my house.)
Thank you Jen, that’s awesome to hear! :)
Wow, I just made these to take to a dinner party tonight, and yeah, I have already eaten one for breakfast (what? it has cereal in it!), and they are super delicious. Took all of ten minutes not counting the freezing time. Thanks for yet another amazing recipe!
I did something wrong…they were soft and dripping in oil. I used exact measurements.
Just amazing! My wife and I just made these and they’re delicious. We’re a big fan of your site. Keep the recipes coming!
Thanks!
Hey Mark, I’m happy to hear that! Thanks for letting me know. :)
I love these! I added about double the rice crispies though as I felt the mix was a little too wet. I also threw in some shredded coconut. Next time I’ll add cherries too bu they are so yummy and dark chocolatey!
How about substituting with raw carob powder instead of cocoa?
Hey Andrea, If you love the flavour of carob you can certainly give it a shot. I find the flavour of it is a bit overpowering in large quantities, so I might only sub half for half. Let me know how it works out if you give it a go!
Made these today…YUM! Had to move to dairy-free with new baby, so I was excited to make a simple-to-make sweet treat. Delicious! Thanks.
I can’t wait to try these on cheat day! I also have a food blog, gluten and sugar free, so desserts are limited. Check out my page for your “entree” before having these for dessert :-) slowcarbsnacktime.com