It’s easier than you think to make your own Chocolate Crunch Bars at home. They’re just as delicious and they’re even 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!
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Ingredients
- 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 One Degree makes a gluten free option!
- pinch of salt
Instructions
- 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.
omg i cant wait to try this but with peanuts 😍
thank you❤
Peanuts! What a great idea! Let me know how they turn out! 😀
I’ve been making this recipe since I found it about a year ago. I now have to make big batches because my family can’t stop eating it all as soon as it’s made. It is not too sweet and goes well with fruit and yoghurt which is how we like to eat it
Deb! I LOVE that! Thank you so much for sharing! So glad you and your family enjoy it!
I got a bunch of rice cereal and this is calling my name!
I have all the ingredients except for the pure maple syrup could I substitute with molasses?
Hi Donna, I’ve never tried this with molasses but because it’s so much thicker and isn’t quite as sweet, I think it’ll change the bar quite a bit. But if you do try it, let me know how it goes!
I love crunchy chocolate bars. These would be perfect for our afternoon snack with a big cup of tea!
Definitely!
Oh this just reminded me of these chocolate rice crisps I used to get for Saturday candy when I was a kid – sooo yummy and so addictive! And now I’m seriusly craving them so I’ll give your vegan kind a test! Looks absolutely yummy!
Thanks, Emmeline!
This was super easy and quick to make as well as yummy to eat. I added loads more Rice Krispies. There was no room in the freezer so I put it in the fridge and it still solidified so I could cut it into bars. They were all gone by the next day!
That’s great to hear, Veronica! We never have them around much longer than a day!
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!
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!
😀
These look great! Any suggestions for a substitute for maple syrup ?
Agave or any other natural sweetner would be great!
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
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!
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?
Can you use honey instead of the syrup?
I don’t see why not! Let me know how it turns out!
Does this use regular or unsweetened cocoa powder? Thanks!
Regular! 😀
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.
Looks so easy? Can’t wait to make them, thanks??