Sunflower Butter Rice Crispies with Chocolate Espresso Layer

sunflower butter rice krispies with chocolate espresso layer

I have nothing to complain about.

After getting a pregnancy massage on Tuesday, my days have been so wonderful. I have LOTS of energy and I have been able to sleep pretty well. I also have been working on a yoga ball during my 8 hour shift. Yes, working from home and sitting for multiple hours HAD been a pain until I discovered I could work from my T.V. tray and on a yoga ball.

Yes, I must look silly but it is doing the trick. I feel and work comfortably until baby girl arrives.

I wanted to get in one post before the weekend. I figure with being out of town and with a concert in the works, I probably will not have time to post so I wanted to leave you with a delicious recipe I made last night.

I could see in Ryan’s eyes last night that he wanted a sweet treat but he had rehearsal and I promised that when he returned from it, there would be something special waiting.

One of Ryan’s favorite desserts to choose at our favorite coffee shop are the Scotcheroos. I looked up a recipe and noticed that they have butterscotch chips and corn syrup, ingredients I do not use or keep in the house. I could easily veganize the recipe but I decided to go another route and see how Ryan would like a different version.

I was inspired by Katie’s post for her homemade Luna bars that I created some bars somewhat like hers and like the Scotcheroos with a little twist.

I recently bought, finally, a bottle of sunflower butter that I had been wanting to try. I am such an Earth Balance Crunchy Peanut Butter fan that I just forgot I wanted to try an alternative. You know what the pros are when eating sunflower butter?

With one-third less saturated fat and 27 percent of a day’s recommended allowance of vitamin E in one serving, these products fit well into a healthy lifestyle and diet. Plus, SunButter^® products have a much higher iron and fiber content than peanut butter and are a great source of protein.

I was really floored! If you are allergic to tree-nuts then this is the butter for you. It is gluten-free and peanut-free. I really liked using it in the crispie recipe.

I did trick Ryan though. He did think they were the perfect sweetness. He is always telling me my desserts are not sweet enough, even though they ARE, but I was glad to hear that he enjoyed this recipe. He could not quite pinpoint the sweetener I used but he was also surprised that I used brown rice syrup.

Well, we had our one slice last night and sent the rest to the grad students. I am in no way trying to fatten anyone up but I am continuing to enjoy cooking around here until I get my hands full taking care of my little angel!

There is so much cleaning I can do you know. LOL Enjoy this recipe and play around with it!

Sunflower Butter Rice Crispies

makes 9 bars

3 cups puffed brown rice cereal

1/2 cup smooth sunflower butter

1/2 cup brown rice syrup

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon espresso granules

Chocolate Espresso Layer

6 ounces dark chocolate ( I use Ghiradelli)

1 teaspoon espresso granules

Line a 9×9 glass pan with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, melt the sunflower butter and brown rice syrup in the microwave. Add the vanilla, salt and espresso granules to the mix and stir well until combined.

Add the 3 cups of puffed cereal to the butter mixture and stir until well combined. Ad the mixture to the 9×9 dish and press the rice mixture firmly with a spatula until spread evenly.

Melt the chocolate in the microwave. Add the espresso granules and mix well.

Spread the chocolate over the rice and spread evenly.

Place the dish in the freezer for 30 minutes to an hour. Slice into bars when ready to eat.