Peanut Butter Crispie Treats

I just finished making a pan of these, and got to thinking:  This is a really good recipe that has gotten rave review from friends and family (adults and kids alike).  I thought I'd share it.


First, I searched GENH to make sure I hadn't  posted this recipe before because, frankly, I was sure I must have.  Can you believe that I didn't know you could search my blog for a specific recipe?  I am sooooooooooo technologically backward!  Luckily, I manage to find my way around enough to post here.  The importan thing is that I managed to search the blog and discover that I had not, in fact, posted this.  Weird.  You should totally have this recipe.


This is one of my favourite quick, not too un-healthy treats.  I began my quest for a healthier version of the ubiquitous Rice Krispie Treat some years ago.  The problem with Rice Krispie Treats (for me) is that they contain marshmallows (which contain gelatin) and butter (which is a dairy product).  Now, those two problems could be fairly easily solved, I am guessing, by substituting vegan marshmallows (which are expensive, and not always very easy to find) and Earth Balance (or a similar vegan butter substitute).  That might be the best plan for the purists.  However, I saw this as an opportunity to make over the treats into something a bit less junky, something that I could feel good about giving my kids (in moderation, of course).


Now, I have to admit, I have always preferred the peanut butter Krispie Treats to the original.  I'm just not a marshmallow fan.  Peanut butter, or the other hand?  Well, I LOVE peanut butter.  So, with that decision made (peanut butter!  That adds protein, right?), I began with a standard peanut butter Krispie Treat recipe.  The recipes I found contained corn syrup and sugar.  Now, I am not against using sugar, but I thought I could find a more health-conscious option without losing the essence of the snack.  I decided on agave nectar.


We love agave nectar.  It has a lower glycemic index that sugar, is sweeter, so you can use less, and it works well in a variety of recipes.  The only problem is that it is sort of watery, and does not "set" the way that a mixture of sugar and corn syrup will when cooked.  So, I had to find a way to help my treats hold their shape.  I decided to give agar agar a shot.


According to Wikipedia, "Agar or agar-agar is a gelatinous substance derived by boiling^[1] from apolysaccharide in red algae, where it accumulates in the cell walls of agarophyte and serve as the primary structural support for the algae's cell walls."  

So, there you have it.  Sounds appetizing, doesn't it?  But it is cool stuff.  Agar agar can be to fruit juice to make a vegan "jello" type of dessert.  It can also be used for thickening, and I had a feeling it might do the trick in my recipe.  I hadn't worked with agar agar much in the past, so I did some reading up and experimenting to figure out how to make this work.

I also decided to add some ground flaxseeds.  You may notice that I add these to a number of recipes (granola bars and bread, for instance).  Being vegetarian, we don't get a lot of omega-fatty-acid-rich foods, so I like to throw in a little extra wherever I can manage (using eggs rich in omega-3 fatty acids, for instance, or fortified milk)  For more information about the health benefits of flaxseeds, check out this:  http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=81

While I was making over my treats, I decided I might as well use organic brown rice crispies, instead of the regular "Rice Krispie" cereal.  Now, the argument could be made for using the regular cereal, because it is fortified with all sorts of nutrients, so it might be more nutritious in some ways.  I was going for a whole foods approach to the treats, but you can decide what's most important to you.  The recipe works with whatever crisp rice cereal you choose.  (This time, I chose Nature's Path Organic Crispy Rice.)

Finally, after much experimentation and lots of taste-testing, I arrived at a recipe, and have used it ever since.  Now, you can use it, too.  Enjoy!

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Peanut Butter Crispie Treats

3 cups organic brown rice crisps cereal

1/2 cup organic peanut butter (no sugar)

1/2 cup agave nectar

2 tsp. agar agar flakes

2 TBS ground flax seeds

Grease an 8x8" square pan. Place cereal in a large bowl. In a small saucepan stir together agave nectar and peanut butter over low heat until hot and smooth. Stir in agar agar flakes. Quickly mix peanut butter mixture into cereal, sprinkling in flax seeds as you go and making sure all cereal is evenly coated. Press firmly into greased pan and let cool before cutting into squares or bars.

If you like, you can sprinkle the bottom of your pan with chocolate chips (or M&Ms-type candy) before you press in the cereal/peanut butter mixture.  This will give you a bar that is similar to the popular "Kudos" snack bars.  My kids like them with or without the chocolate, so, frankly, I usually leave it out, to save on added sugar.