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sea salt

Tahini Rice Crispy Treats (vegan, no bake)

August 24, 2020 by Dafna Leave a Comment

This past week has brought a doozy of a heat wave to Southern California. And while, admittedly, I do still turn on the oven from time to time even in the most blistering of heat. I really do try to save creating an extra warm kitchen only for the most important of baking occasions (ie. these cookies). So, the solution to maintaining a good supply of sweet treats, whilst avoiding having to standing near a hot oven (as much as possible), is to bust out those “no-bake” recipes! Plus, who doesn’t love a good no-bake treat?! A good bake-free dessert is usually quick, easy, and delicious in it’s simplicity. And in my opinion, Rice Krispies Treats, are the perfect embodiment of that sentiment. So, for today’s recipe, I’m taking inspiration from that classic dessert, but giving it a major upgrade and a healthier twist. I wanted to make my version of the classic Rice Krispies Treat, (typically made with crispy rice cereal, butter, and melted marshmallows) equally as simple and tasty, but just a wee bit grown up. Instead of the marshmallow binding, I use tahini and maple syrup to create some gooey goodness to keep the crispy rice cereal together. And then I top it off with a layer of dark chocolate and a smattering of sea salt. The outcome is a deliciously satisfying bar that hits all the good snacky spots – a dose of sweet (but not too much), crunchy (from the crispy cereal), chewy (that maple tahini binding), and just a touch of salty. Yep, these Tahini Rice Crispy Treats might just be the most perfect no-bake treat I’ve had in recent memory.
These rice crispy treats are made healthier by using a brown rice crispy cereal that contains just a few simple ingredients. The classic Kellogg’s version, contains malt flavor and a variety of other additives (mostly vitamins and minerals). I always prefer to buy products that contain as minimal ingredients as possible. I tested this recipe with two different types of comparable crispy rice cereals. One from Whole Food’s 365 brand called Brown Rice Crisps and another by One Degree Organics called Sprouted Brown Rice Crisps. Both of these cereals were organic, made with whole grain brown rice, contained only three/four total ingredients, and had less sugar than the conventional version. Both resulted in delicious rice crispy bars, but I preferred the Whole Food’s version. It was almost exactly like the classic blue box kind I ate, almost daily, as a kid and maintained it’s crunch just a little better in this recipe. Here’s a comparison of the ingredients:

Rice Krispies (by Kellogg’s): Rice, sugar, contains 2% or less of salt, malt flavor. Vitamins and Minerals: Iron (ferric phosphate), niacinamide, vitamin B6 (pyridoxine hydrochloride), vitamin B2 (riboflavin), vitamin B1 (thiamin hydrochloride), folic acid, vitamin D3, vitamin B12.

Brown Rice Crisps (365 by Whole Foods): Organic Whole Grain Brown Rice, Organic Cane Sugar, Sea Salt.

Sprouted Brown Rice Crisps (by One Degree Organics): Organic Brown Rice, Coconut Palm Sugar, Unrefined Salt, Tocopherols (vitamin E),

Instead of the original butter and marshmallow concoction, I use tahini to create a delicious sticky filling that keeps the cereal together in bar form. The tahini mixutre is sweetened with only maple syrup and finished with vanilla and a touch of salt that creates an almost caramely like taste and creaminess. To complement the tahini, I add 1/4 cup of sesame seeds to the rice cereal to add another dimension of texture. This is completely optional (but highly recommended). When selecting a tahini try to use one that is thin and not too paste-like. My favorite tahini for baking is the 365 brand by Whole Foods. If tahini isn’t your thing you can substitute with another thinner nut/seed butter you like, such as Sunbutter, almond butter, or even peanut butter. And feel free to use your favorite liquid sweetener instead of maple! Honey, agave, or coconut syrup are all good options.

And of course, the bars are finished off with a great layer of chocolate and sea salt. The chocolate layer is so simple to make, just melt your favorite chocolate chips, chunks, or bars, add some coconut oil and viola spreadable chocolate awaits! These bars are incredibly easy to make and whip up quick! If you are in a hurry to get these bars into hungry hands, just skip the chocolate layer and these can be done in under 15 minutes! And even though I believe adding chocolate is always a good idea, these rice crispy bars are equally as delicious even without the chocolate. And if that’s  not a testament to how truly delicious these Tahini Rice Crispy Treats are, well I just don’t know what is.

naturally sweetened, vegan, oil free, nut free

If you make this recipe, please feel free to leave a review or rating down below. And I’d LOVE to see your creation! Please tag me on Instagram @freshlydafna and use #freshlydafna.

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Tahini Rice Crispy Bars

Rice Crispy Treats with a major upgrade and a healthy twist! These are made with brown rice crispy cereal and bound together with a caramel-like tahini and maple syrup mixture. They are super easy to make and made with ingredients you can feel good about eating!

vegan, refined sugar free, oil free, nut free

Ingredients

  • 4 1/2 cups crispy rice cereal
  • 1/4 cup sesame seeds optional
  • 1 1/4 cup tahini, well stirred before measuring see notes for subs
  • 1/2 cup maple syrup see notes for subs
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1/4 tsp sea salt
  • 1 cup chocolate chips or chunks
  • 1 tsp coconut oil
  • flakey sea salt

Instructions

  1. Prepare an 8 or 9 inch square baking dish by lining with parchment paper and leaving a short overhang over the edges.

  2. Add the tahini and maple syrup to a small pot and heat over medium low heat. Stir often and cook until it starts to bubble slightly, about 2-3 minutes. The mixture should be smooth, slightly thick, and turn a slight golden brown. Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla and sea salt, set aside.

  3. In a large bowl mix together the rice cereal and sesame seeds, if using. Carefully pour the tahini mixture over the rice cereal and, using a rubber stapula, stir gently to coat.

  4. Once thoroughly mixed, pour the cereal mixture into the prepare dish and spread out into an even layer.

  5. Press the mixture down firmly into the dish by either using the heel of your palm or by placing another piece of parchment paper over the top and pressing down firmly all over. The more packed down, the better.

  6. If not adding the chocolate layer, set aside to harden for a few minutes. This can be eaten right away, but it will be easier to cut once it has time to set.

  7. If adding the chocolate, melt the chocolate by heating in short 5 second bursts in the microwave or over a double boiler. Once chocolate has completely melted, stir in the coconut oil until chocolate is shiny and smooth.

  8. Carefully pour the chocolate over the rice crispy mixture and spread into an even layer. Let set by keeping at room temperature for about 20-30 minutes or hasten this step by placing in the freezer for a few minutes.

  9. Once chocolate is set, sprinkle with flakey sea salt, slice, and enjoy!

Recipe Notes

Variations:

Tahini - Be sure to use a tahini that is thin and not too paste-like. Some alternatives to tahini are sunflower seed butter, almond butter, or peanut butter. Ideally use one with a thinner texture and only 1 ingredient. 

Maple Syrup - Any liquid sweetener will do. Honey, agave, or coconut syrup are all good options. 

Storage:

These will keep at room temperature for about a day or so, store in an airtight container. Afterwards, they can be moved to the freezer for longer storage. Unfortunately, they will lose just a little bit of their crunch once frozen. Although they will still be very good. 

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Filed Under: Brownies & Bars, Dessert, Raw/No-Bake, Vegan Tagged With: bar, chocolate, dairy free, dessert, gluten free, grain free, naturally sweetened, no bake, nut free, oil free, refined sugar free, rice, sea salt, sesame, snack, tahini, vegan

Sugar Free Double Chocolate Sea Salt Cookies (paleo)

July 11, 2019 by Dafna Leave a Comment

These Sugar Free Double Chocolate Sea Salt Cookies are sure to satisfy those intense chocolate cravings that not even straight up chocolate can satisfy! These cookies have that perfectly crisp outside, chewy inside, studded with ooey gooey chocolate chunks, and dusted with coarse sea salt.

The batter of these cookies is sugar free but I used a 95% dark chocolate bar for the chunks. This means that the cookies, with the chunks, do have a bit of added sugar in them, but it’s only a total of 3 grams in the entire batch, which is just fine by me. Feel free to use your favorite dark (or regular) chocolate bar chopped into chunks or sugar free chips to make this completely sugarless. I used Lakanto sugar free sweetener because it is one of the cheaper, more readily available options of natural sugar free/carb free sugar alternatives. However, you can use your favorite granular sweetener which should give similar result, I would recommend coconut sugar as a good alternative. The recipe, as written below, is paleo-friendly (gluten/grain free), dairy free, low carb, and keto. So…. basically guilt free too.

sugar free, paleo, gluten free, grain free, keto, dairy free

 

If you make these I’d love to see! Share a pic or comment below or tag a photo on instagram @freshlydafna with #freshlydafna

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Paleo Double Chocolate Sea Salt Cookies (Sugar Free)

sugar free, paleo, gluten free, grain free, keto, dairy free

These Double Chocolate Sea Salt Cookies are chocolate cookies with crispy edges and chewy insides, studded with super dark chocolate and topped with a dusting of sea salt. These are super easy to make and will satisfy even the most intense chocolate cravings without spiking your blood sugar!

freshlydafna.com

Course Dessert

Ingredients

Wet Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp nut butter of choice I used almond butter
  • 1/4 cup coconut oil melted and cooled
  • 2/3 cup Lakanto other sugar free sweetener, or coconut sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla

Dry Ingredients

  • 1 cup almond flour
  • 1/4 cup cacao flour
  • 1/4 cup tapioca flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp sea salt
  • 1/2 cup chocolate chips or chunks (about 3ish oz or 1 bar)
  • coarse sea salt (for dusting)

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare baking sheet by lining with parchment paper or silpat

  2. In a medium bowl sift almond flour, cacao flour, tapioca flour, baking powder, and 1/4 tsp sea salt together until well mixed, set aside

  3. In the bowl of a stand mixer or in a large bowl by hand, mix together well ingredients until light and fluffy

  4. Add dry ingredient mixture to wet ingredients and mix again until just well incorporated

  5. Scoop into balls and place about 2 inches apart on baking sheeta nd sprinkle tops with sea salt

  6. Bake for 11-12 minutes

Recipe Notes

I used 95% dark chocolate which does add a small amount of added sugar (only 3 grams in the entire batch) but feel free to use your favorite chocolate bar chopped into chunks or chips. 

Store in an airtight container for a few days then move to freezer. 

 

Filed Under: Cookies, Dessert, Sugar Free Tagged With: chocolate, cookie, dairy free, dessert, gluten free, grain free, keto, low carb, low sugar, paleo, refined sugar free, sea salt, sugar free

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Dafna Ben-Zeev

Dafna Ben-Zeev

Freshly Dafna
Hi there! I'm Dafna! I'm all about piles of veggies, healthified baking, breaking a sweat as often as possible, yoga, the beach, snacks, farmers markets, and dogs. And I'm so excited to share my recipes with you!Read more...

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