Peanut Butter Pecan Crunch Bars

stacked crunch bars with peanut butter drizzle.

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5 from 5 votes

Your favorite chocolate crunch candy, but with peanut butter, pecans, and a sweet peanut butter drizzle on top!

Course Candy

Cuisine American

Diet Vegetarian

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 5

Freezing Time 30

Total Time 40

Servings bars

Calories 181kcal

Author Tracy

Equipment

Loaf Pan
parchment paper

Ingredients

Crunch Bars

1/4 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter 2.5 oz
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/3 cup pure maple syrup
1 cup puffed rice cereal
1/4 cup pecans

Peanut Butter Drizzle

2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
1/2 teaspoon coconut oil
1 teaspoon confectioner's sugar

Instructions

Line a loaf pan with parchment paper and set aside.
Add puffed rice cereal and chopped pecans to a medium-sized bowl, mix well and set aside.
In a small saucepan, add coconut oil, 1/4 cup of peanut butter, maple syrup, and cocoa powder and heat over medium. Whisk continuously to incorporate all of the cocoa powder and melt peanut butter, approximately 2 minutes.
Pour the chocolate mixture over the rice cereal and pecans and gently mix to coat all of the cereal.
Pour coated cereal into the loaf pan and spread to an even layer.
Add loaf pan to freezer to set for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, create the peanut butter drizzle by adding the peanut butter, oil, and confectioner's sugar to a small bowl and whisking until creamy.
After at least 30 minutes, remove the loaf pan from the freezer and pull out parchment paper, and place set crunch bars on a cutting board. Use a knife to cut into 9 bars.
With a spoon, drizzle the peanut butter mixture over the top of the crunch bars.
Store in the fridge and enjoy!

Notes

The nutritional value is approximately per bar.

Storage

Fridge: Store in an airtight container for up to two weeks.

Freezer: Store in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months.

Substitutions

Coconut Oil: Unrefined vs. refined? For this recipe, that's up to you and your taste, either will work. Unrefined has a stronger coconut flavor while refined has a much more neutral flavor.

Butter is another great option.

Puffed Rice Cereal: To make these gluten-free, use a gluten-free rice cereal, but Rice Krispies is what we usually use.

Cocoa Powder: Unsweetened dutch-processed cocoa powder is what we use. Cacao can also be used, but I wouldn't use all cacao since it is slightly more bitter in flavor, a mix of both is fine.

Maple Syrup: Use your favorite natural sweetener like honey or agave.

Pecans: These can be totally optional if they're not your thing. You can also use hazelnuts or walnuts.

Nutrition