Well, my fave snacks as a kid are coming full circle.
When I was younger, one of the healthier packaged ‘treats’ my parents would buy was Rice Krispie Squares. I use the term ‘healthier’ very lightly here, but in comparison to Joe Louis, Half Moons, and Twinkies, Rice Krispies seemed to be the better option.
I haven’t had one in years, but when Sienna pulled a box of the Made Good Crispy Squares off the shelf at the local health store, I got a little giddy. I shouldn’t admit this, but I was itching to try them (after a weekend of birthday celebrations and slices of birthday cake, the sugar cravings were real).
I bought them ‘for her’.
I had a bite.
I couldn’t think about anything else that day!
I became obsessed with finding my own version of a Healthy Rice Krispie Square.
I wanted a Rice Krispie treat that had protein (because it subdues the blood sugar spike from the sweeteners). One that would be perfect for the odd school snack (no nuts), and ideal for picky eaters (the crunch factor goes a long way for kids – here are some other healthy crunchy food ideas).
Turns out this recipe is quicker and waaaay less messier than it’s traditional counterpart.
If you have brown rice syrup it will hold a little nicer, but the honey worked well enough over here! It’s just a little more crumblier than the original version.
My obsession ended with this new school-safe snack for my girls and yours too!
Healthy Rice Krispie Square
Health-ified Rice Crispy Treats
A simple school-safe snack and a healthier twist on an old favourite.
- 3 cups crispy rice cereal (I used Nature’s Path)
- 1/2 cup honey or brown rice syrup
- 1/2 cup sunflower seed butter
- 1 Tbsp organic butter
- pinch sea salt
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- Add the honey/syrup, sunflower seed butter, butter and vanilla to a warm pot.
- Stir until well melted.
- Mix in crispy rice cereal.
- Press into parchment lined pan and put into fridge or freezer until well formed.
Want more snack ideas? Here are a slew of recipes and snack ideas to try. The chart also makes it easy to scan through the list based on dietary or cooking preferences. Enjoy!
How do you think a nut butter would work in this instead?
Definitely! I chose sunflower seed butter to make it nut-free.
My girls need to be dairy-free. What do you recommend as a substitute to the butter?
Try coconut oil!
What brand of sunflower butter do you use
Hi Kirsten! Any one that is sugar-free and ideally in glass jars 🙂 I like Nuts to You Nut Butter.
Nuts to You brand is unsafe for school. All products have a may contain warning for peanuts and treenuts which should be taken seriously as equipment cannot be properly cleaned between runs.
Thank you for flagging this Avigayil!
What size pan do you use with this recipe?
Good question! I used a 9×9 tray
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Just made them today with almond butter and they turned out great!
This is on my list to make today (having saved the page when you first posted it). I’ll store them in the fridge but how long do you think they’ll be good for?