Recipe: Peanut Butter Rice Crispy Bars

As a child, I never had a rice crispy treat. You see, in Australia, rice crispy treats were never too popular. Sure, we had LCM bars and copha-filled chocolate crackles - but even then, chocolate crackles made my throat tickle and LCM's never made it into our shopping trolley. 

It wasn't until our last trip to Disneyland that I truly discovered Rice Crispy treats. I'd had a bite of my sister's Mickey shaped treat and as I'd just found my passion for baking, I knew once I got home I needed to try them out for myself. 

So when we got home, my fourteen year old self set out to make the original Rice Krispie Treats recipe. Butter, marshmallows, rice bubbles cereal - three ingredients and so much sticky mess. 

After they had set, I then remembered why I'd only taken a small bite of my sister's Mickey shaped rice crispy treat - the sweetness made my cheeks ache. 

So this recipe is quite a bit different from the original. It still only requires a few ingredients, however, this version has no refined sugars, won't give you a sugar rush and is also gluten free, dairy free and vegan.

Peanut Butter Rice Crispy Bars makes 12 small squares

 Gluten free, vegan, dairy free, refined sugar free - no bake recipe

Adapted from CCK's Rice Crispy Treat Babies

3 cup rice crispy cereal (check it's GF)

1/2 cup peanut butter

1/2 cup rice syrup (any other sticky sweetener such as honey or agave would work too)

1 tsp vanilla extract

Line a 9x9 baking pan with baking paper/wax paper.

In a large bowl, measure out cereal, set aside.

In a small saucepan over a medium heat melt peanut butter, rice syrup and vanilla.

Pour the peanut butter mixture over the cereal and mix until all of the rice crispies are coated.

Pour out the combined mixture into the baking pan. Using a small sheet of baking paper, press down the mixture firmly into the pan.

Place the pan into the freezer for half an hour or chill in the fridge until set before cutting.

Store bars in the fridge or freezer or in an airtight container in a cool cupboard.

So tell me, what was your childhood favourite treat?

I have always been a fan of banana bread and carrot cake so if they were on offer, I would happily partake! I was also a big fan of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies - they had to be warm and melty though!