Make your favorite crispy chocolate candy bar at home! It's easier than you think to make your own Chocolate Crunch Bars - Vegan and gluten-free friendly, too!
Do you have a candy from your childhood? Crunch Bars are definitely one of mine as they were one of my dad's favorites and so when we started this blog it was one of the very first candies we ever made after being inspired by Oh She Glows. Since then it has been made and shared and tweaked and the Chocolate Crunch Bars - Vegan, are still one of our favorite candies to make and one of my favorites to make for my girls. Not only are they made with all natural sweeteners, but also super healthy coconut oil, and the superfood, cacao!
Ingredients Needed
- Rice Cereal - To make them gluten free, we love this cereal, but you could also use your favorite gluten filled crispy rice cereal, too.
- Coconut Oil - This keeps it's vegan, but you could use butter.
- Chocolate Powders - We prefer a mixture of Cocoa and Cacao because of the super food power of cacao, but without being too overwhelmingly rich.
- Maple Syrup - Our all natural sweetener of choice, but you could also use honey.
- Vanilla Extract - Have you made your own, yet?
- Salt - Just a pinch!
Tip: Control the crunch! We love these crunch bars packed with rice cereal, but if you want a lower to chocolate to crisp ratio and crunch, you can definitely reduce the amount.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Even better than the simple, healthy, ingredients - these bars are so easy to make!
Step 1: Heat everything in a saucepan.
Step 2: Add chocolate mixture to rice cereal.
Step 3: Give it all a good mix and then add it to a parchment-lined loaf pan, or baking pan.
Step 4: Spread it into an even layer and then pop in the freezer for about 20-30 minutes.
Step 5: Once it has all set, then thanks to the parchment paper all you need to do is lift it out of the pan (easy - cleany) and then slice!
How delicious do these look?? They are SO GOOD.
These are packed with rice cereal, just the way we like it! But you can definitely reduce the amount of rice cereal, too.
Hands down one of our favorite candies - and so healthy!
Other Favorite Candies
Copycat Butterfinger Candy Bites
These do not last long in our house!
FAQs
Yup! They of course won't be vegan, but also delicious!
No, you will need to use something that will solidify so vegetable oil and olive oil won't work.
In the fridge or freezer. At room temp / warm they will get a little melty and may melt a little in your hands if you take your time eating them. That's why sometimes we cut them into true little bite-sized pieces.
Yup! Honey or agave works great.
Enjoy! As always, if you make this recipe or any of my others, I love to hear what you think! Leave a comment below, email me, or you can find me on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest!
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Chocolate Crunch Bars - Vegan
Equipment
- loaf pan or baking pan
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup coconut oil
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1/4 cup cacao powder
- 1/3 cup maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cup gluten free rice cereal or regular if gluten free isn't needed
- 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.
- Add rice cereal to a bowl and then add the chocolate mixture and mix well so that the cereal is completely covered.
- Line a loaf pan or a square baking pan with parchment paper. Pour in rice cereal and chocolate mixture and flatten into an even level.
- Place in freezer for 20-30 minutes or until it is completely set.
- Lift parchment paper out of pan and separate the bar from paper. Cut into bars (of your choice of size) and enjoy!
- Keep in freezer or fridge until ready to serve.
Savannah
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!
Jill
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!
Tracy
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!
Jill
I'm so impressed that you answered! I'll try to let you know how they turn out! Thanks!
Tracy
😀
Jill
These look great! Any suggestions for a substitute for maple syrup ?
Tracy
Agave or any other natural sweetner would be great!
Madeleine
Would like to know the carb and sodium counts of vegan brown rice cereal
Tracy
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
Barbara
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.
Tracy
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!
Sylvia
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?
Tracy
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!
Christina
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?
Rhonda
Can you use honey instead of the syrup?
Tracy
I don't see why not! Let me know how it turns out!
Kristine
Does this use regular or unsweetened cocoa powder? Thanks!
Tracy
Regular! 😀
Dev
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.
Cheryl
Looks so easy? Can't wait to make them, thanks??