Make your own Chocolate Crunch Bars at home that are gluten free and vegan friendly!
It’s November! Which means it’s my birthday month! With this birthday coming up, I’ve been thinking of my dad a lot. Halloween brought back a lot of great memories of him taking my brother and I out trick-or-treating around our neighborhood while my mom stayed at the house giving out candy. It also made me think of one of his favorite Halloween candy, the Crunch Bar. Which then made me want crunch bars, and even though I could have walked down the street to Walgreens and bought a gazillion post Halloween candy for 75% off, that’s not how we roll around here. I made them from scratch. That’s right, Chocolate Crunch Bars from scratch.
I found a Vegan recipe which I was psyched about. Ok, clearly we are not a vegan household. I cannot imagine my life without eggs and cheese. But, I have to say that for desserts, I really like vegan recipes. There’s something really refreshing about using natural sweeteners like maple syrup and coconut oil instead of butter.
For rice cereal, I used this awesome stuff. Veganic… I know. But how cool is it that you can scan the code at the bottle and find the exact source of every ingredient down to the grain?! Super cool.
Have I mentioned yet how easy these crunch bars are? They’re stupid easy. I just melted coconut oil with the cacao powder and maple syrup…
…then added the vanilla extract and gave it a good mix.
Then added to the rice cereal…
…yummm.
Gave it a good mix,
And then I poured it into a parchment paper lined 9X5 bread pan.
A nice even layer, popped into the freezer.
15 minutes later, it was set.
And done. So easy!
Cut into bars…
And we had ourselves some homemade Chocolate Crunch Bars!
My dad would have loved these!
Want to make some other Candy From Scratch? Try some Inside Out Peanut Butter Cups (also vegan!) or some Peppermint Patties!
Want to see more? Be sure to follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest for more From Scratch recipes and inspiration!
- 1/2 cup of cocoa powder
- 1/2 cup of coconut oil
- 5 tablespoons of pure maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup of rice cereal
- pinch of salt
- Melt coconut oil with cacao powder in small saucepan on low heat. Add maple syrup, vanilla, and a pinch of salt and mix well.
- In a bowl, mix rice cereal and chocolate mixture so rice cereal is completely covered and mixed well.
- Line a 9X5 bread pan with parchment paper. Pour in rice cereal and chocolate mixture. Level into a even layer.
- Place in freezer for 15 minutes until completely set.
- Lift parchment paper out of pan and separate the bar from paper. Cut into bars and enjoy! Keep in freezer so chocolate stays set.
- Keep in freezer or fridge until ready to serve.
Yum! These chocolate bars are, like, my IDEAL snack!! 🙂
XOXO,
<3 Isabella
Oooh Isabella they’re an amazing snack- and not nearly as bad as the “real” thing! Thanks for stopping by! 🙂
These look amazing!!! <3 Happy birthday in advance!
Aw thank you!! 😀
These look decadent. I am almost afraid to make them—because I know I won’t be able to stop eating them 🙂
Haha! We’re having the same problem! 😉
I’d choose these any day over something that comes pre-packaged – so easy to make too
Thanks! They’re super easy and so much better for you 🙂
These are one of my favorite candy bars to buy. I can’t believe how easy they are to make. So impressive! I never would have guessed you could just combine such a small amount of ingredients to make these. Thanks for sharing this. I hope you have a great birthday, Tracy!
Oh wow! These look amazing! Thanks for sharing 🙂
mmmh! a great classic! I often make a cake with rice and chocolate instead of the bars … but also these are so cute 🙂
Thanks!! And what a great idea for cake!!
My Husband will be begging me for these on a regular basis! Yum. and good for you! Pinned
Made these today – they are delicious (and SUPER easy to make)!! Definitely saving this recipe and making it often. The only thing I changed was I added way more rice crispies (like roughly 1-2 more cups) as I found the mixture too runny. Evidently it took longer to set in the freezer because it was thicker so I might use a different pan (like an 8×8) next time. Thank you!
That’s so great to hear, Anisa!! That’s a GREAT idea adding more rice crispies – I bet they added a super delicious extra crunch! 😀
Do you think these would work if I added natural peanut butter?
Oh totally! It’ll still freeze the same and I think it’ll add a nice flavor!! Let me know how they turn out!
These look so good. Do you think I could double the recipe and put it in 9 x13 pan?
Totally! They may be a little bit thicker, but they’ll still be just as delicious!
Made these today, they’re great! My son gobbled them up 🙂
Oh yay!! Aren’t they super fun?!
Freezer definitely seems faster– but could you also put them in the fridge (if you don’t have a freezer)? If so, do you have a guess for how long for them to set?
Thanks! These look awesome!
Hi! Hmmm I’d guess maybe an hour? You really just want to set the chocolate so an hour should be plenty! Let me know how it goes!
I would use next time milk chocolate instead of cocoa. My preference. It was too bitter for my taste.
Great tip, Adisa! I use that when I don’t want it to be vegan 🙂
EnjSuoy Life makes a rice milk chocolate that is sweet and not bitter at all. It may work for you if you want the candy to remain vegan. Susan
These are GREAT. I used Kashi Vanila Pepita cereal and it was amazing. Gives you that chocolate fix when you need one.
Oooh Kashi vanilla pepita sounds AWESOME – I’ll have to try that in my next batch! Thanks for the tip, Kathy! 😀
My son is allergic to coconut any substitute you think I could use?
If you don’t need to keep it vegan, you could use butter. Or vegetable oil would probably work as well!
I can’t have fat of any kind, how would this be without the coconut oil?? I want to try them, they sound so good
Hi Kristin, hmmm I’m sure they’ll work, but “won’t” quite taste the same. Also, cocoa powder still has a little fat in it too, so be careful there! Good luck!
The ingredient list says cocoa powder but the instructions say cacao powder. Which one should I use?
Hi Keisha- thanks for letting me know about the typo! You can use either- they’re interchangeable. Cocao is healthier, but more expensive. Totally up to you!
I wonder if there is a way to add almond butter or peanut butter to these so there is some protein. Maybe melting a little less chocolate and putting nut butter in?
That’s a great idea, Laura! Adding in some nut butter to the mixture would definitely work and be delicious. I’ll have to experiment with that next time I make them 🙂
I just made these and totally wish I had seen this recipe sooner! I have been making chocolate with the same ingredients for a year or so and never though to add the veganic rice krispies! My 4 year old and I loved them. I could have eaten the whole pan if I didn’t force myself to stop. Next time I am going to double or tripe the recipe. That’s probably not a good idea… :-0
Hi Brianna! That’s so great!! The best part about these crunch bars- they’re not full of all that other junk so doubling or tripling the recipe- no problem! 😉 So glad you enjoyed them!
Looks so easy? Can’t wait to make them, thanks??
Wow! these chocolate bars look incredibly delicious, I made chocolate walnut fudge the other day and now I am going to make these bars next time. Thanks for sharing.
Does this use regular or unsweetened cocoa powder? Thanks!
Regular! 😀
Can you use honey instead of the syrup?
I don’t see why not! Let me know how it turns out!
It tastes great, I can’t stop eating it! Only, Rice cereal turns chewy after a day or two and actually it never was crispy.. Maybe I should have cooled the cocoa-coconut mixture before combining it with cereal? What’s Your experience with crispiness?
Hi Sylvia! That’s a really good point. I’ve thought about maybe toasting the cereal before to help it maintain it’s crunch. I haven’t tried it yet, but it’s on my list for the next batch; I’ll let you know how it works out!
I had the same question, mine were soggy right out of the freezer (I added them in untoasted when it was hot). Did you find a way to keep it crunchy?
Although yummy these bars melted and smooshed when combined in a cookie gift package with other cookies. Serve alone and keep frozen until ready to serve.
Oooh yes, I’m sorry, they’re not a good one for cookie gift bags / packages! I’ll make a note in the recipe now!
Would like to know the carb and sodium counts of vegan brown rice cereal
Hi Madeleine, here’s a website that has the nutritional value of the cereal. Thanks for visiting! http://www.vitacost.com/one-degree-organic-foods-sprouted-brown-rice-crisps-cereal-8-oz
These look great! Any suggestions for a substitute for maple syrup ?
Agave or any other natural sweetner would be great!
I hope it’s not too late to ask a question about this recipe! I saw that someone asked a question about the cocoa, but I don’t understand. If this doesn’t mean unsweetened baking cocoa, what does it mean? I already bought the GF cereal, and I can’t currently eat sugar, so I’m hoping to still be able to make them!
Hi Jill! Not too late at all, sorry I missed this a couple of days ago! Basically you can use whatever you’d like – cacao or cocoa, sweetended or un. It depends on your taste. I like cacao because it’s richer and healthier, or an unsweetened cocoa because it’s sweetened by the maple syrup. Using sweetened would make a much sweeter bar, but if you like sweet, go for it! 😀 Let me know how they turn out!
I’m so impressed that you answered! I’ll try to let you know how they turn out! Thanks!
😀
Oh my…
These remind me of those Crunch chocolate bars, which I used to LOVE, but haven’t had in, like, forever. These are seriously perfect, and I am going to the store RIGHT NOW, so I can make them!