Chocolate Rice Crispy Treats

Crayons!

I used to love crayons. A lot.

I’d entertain myself for hours with a pad of paper and box of Crayolas. My favorite part was probably the built-in pencil sharpener; but I liked the funny color names too. Did you know there was once a color called “Dirty Sneakers”? Or “Dingy Dungeon”?

Sometime around the years of fourth or fifth grade, crayons stepped aside to make room for markers, and later gelly roll pens. (Anyone remember those?) But on my first day of college, we were asked to make name tags… and they gave us crayons!

Everyone was so excited; you would’ve thought they were handing out candy. Or money.

Yeah, that would’ve been nice.

None of this has much to do with rice crispy treats, except that I was at the store a few days ago and spotted crayons on sale for 25 cents. So I bought a pack and threw them into the photoshoot.

The following is based on my Rice Crispy Treat Babies. I thought the chocolate version deserved its own post. Chocolate should never be just a side note. (By the way, don’t you think Crayola is long overdue for the creation of a “chocolate” crayon? Preferably a scented one. Then again… if they came out with something like that, it could be dangerous; I’d want to eat it! They’re probably better off sticking with the aforementioned dirty sneakers.)

Cocoa Crispy Treats

(can be gluten-free!)

Recipe inspired by these babies.

• 3 cups rice crispies (I used gf brown rice crispies)
• 2 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp salt (I used salted pb, too)
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp nut butter of choice (For lower-cal option, see calorie link below.)
• 1/2 cup sticky sweetener ( (I used agave. For low-sugar options, see calorie link below.)
• optional: 1/4 cup cocoa powder (or your favorite chocolate protein powder)
• optional: melted chocolate to drizzle over the top

Mix your pb (or other nut butter of choice), sweetener, vanilla, cocoa, and salt. Melt (either in the microwave or stove), then pour over the cereal and stir very well, making sure to coat all the crispies. (For a richer chocolate taste, try subbing chocolate chips for some of the cocoa powder.)  Form into balls or line a pan with wax paper and spread the mixture evenly into the pan. Place a sheet of wax paper on top of the mixture, then press down as firmly as you can. Really press it down! Freeze for at least a half hour before slicing.

See: Lower-Calorie Options

These treats can be stored in the freezer, in the fridge, or loosely covered in a cool, dry place. But, as with the non-chocolate version, the best place to store them is in your tummy.

Question of the Day:

Did you like crayons when you were little?

Honestly, I think my mom liked crayons even more than I did. Before discovering them, I had a love affair with smelly markers, and I’d always come home from preschool with dots all over my nose. Switching to Crayolas saved quite a bit of scrubbing my face :).

Also: I’m amazed so many people want to be CCK taste-testers!!!

Amazed and excited! But obviously the email idea is not going to work, and there’s no way I’m turning willing volunteers away. So I’m trying to find an easier way to share the recipes. Stay tuned. After figuring it out, I’ll post more info later this week. Thank you so so much to all the volunteers!