If chocolate were a food group…
We could eat brownies for breakfast, cookies for lunch, hot fudge sundaes for dinner. And dark chocolate crunch bars all day long.
Yes, that would be a nice life.
Nestlé doesn’t currently offer a darker variety of their popular Crunch bars, which means they are missing out. This dark-chocolate version is richer and more delicious than any milk-chocolate candy bar could ever dream to be.
Dark Chocolate Crunch Bars
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup rice crispies (brown or white, or gf) (30g)
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder (50g)
- 1/4 cup virgin coconut oil (60g) (See nutrition link below, for substitutions)
- Sweetener to taste (options include: pure maple syrup, NuNaturals alcohol-free vanilla stevia drops, or agave. I haven’t tried granulated sugar or powdered stevia in this recipe.)
- tiny dash salt (makes the flavor pop)
Instructions
Combine coconut oil and sweetener. Stir, then add cocoa powder and rice crispies (If needed, add 3 tbsp water or milk of choice, only if using stevia.). Stir until it gets thick. Pour into any flat container (or candy molds, or smush between layers of wax paper or in ziploc bags). Freeze until solid, and store in the freezer.
What’s your favorite candy of all time?
We didn’t often eat candy at home when I was growing up, but I always got candy bars at the movies. I’d go through phases– one year it was Twix bars, one year was Milky Ways, another year was Raisinettes. And I never tired of Mounds bars or M&Ms. For sure, my choice was always chocolate. Didn’t even want to know about the Sour Patch Kids or Shock Tarts.
Link of the Day:
Copycat Reeses Peanut Butter Eggs
Next up: healthy Butterfingers??
Katy says
Could you use crumbled up rice crackers instead?
Julie says
All of your recipes look amazing! Unfortunately I have several food allergies and intolerances so I cannot try most of them. I would really like to try your 5 min. dark chocolate crunch bars though. I am allergic to coconut is there something else I can sub for it? I don’t think vegetable oil would work because I am assuming the coconut oil is used because it stays solid at room temperature. Any suggestions?
Unofficial CCK Helper says
Maybe try either palm oil or cacao butter.
Punkarella says
I am new to cooking with coconut oil. I bought some Spectrum medium heat coconut oil. It is very thick (looks like lard). Do you heat it on low to melt it before adding sweetener and cocoa powder?
Unofficial CCK Helper says
Yes, heat it very gently.
Beth says
Made these tonight for our treat. LOVE IT!!!!! My girls devoured them. So good. Thank you.
Molly says
Question – when using coconut oil, it often is so flaky and lumpy (i store in cupboard). Do you heat it up first? Any tips would be appreciated. Im having troubles getting mine to stir in correctly.
Unofficial CCK Helper says
Yes, heat it gently.
Saira says
Hi Katie! Looks delicious. How much and which sweetener did you use for the nutrition breakdown? Thanks!
Michelle Yin says
Hi, I may use this recipe for a girl’s summer camp me and my friends are running, but I don’t know how long it will take for freezing. I know prep time is maybe 10 mins, but for those who have made it, how long did it take you to completely freeze?
Unofficial CCK Helper says
Takes about 10 minutes to freeze but must be kept frozen, not at room temp.
Rowan says
Ok. These look amazing! I am soon making a batch! But what did you use for sweetener?
Cynthia says
I understand why you freeze this mix in order to make the chocolate, but after it’s ready, I’m just wondering why you store it in the freezer instead of in the fridge? Since this is essentially a chocolate bar and chocolate bars keep well in the fridge, why couldn’t this be stored in the fridge once it’s done?
Susan says
When I was younger, Nestle Crunch was my favorite candy bar, but now I no longer like milk chocolate (except for a Hershey’s Kiss now and then), so I’m delighted to see that you have come up with a dark chocolate version. It’ll be fun to make these because my husband has also liked the original but he, too, now far prefers dark chocolate. BTW, any sane look at the food groups would make chocolate its own group…
nancy says
I made this a few times and made the mistake of using unrefined coconut oil so I bought coconut oil and used it for this reicpes. No matter what I do even though I follow your recipes the coco powder tastes soo strong and bitter. I use unsweetened Hershey. I don’t know what I am doing wrong 🙁
Tina says
Katie, I just made these last night and used what I had in the pantry – Fiber One Original cereal and they turned out amazingly well! Thank you for all your hard work in creating healthy and delicious recipes. I’m pregnant and trying to sustain a healthy diet even when the cravings hit. Congratulations on all your success with your cookbook – it is much deserved!
Dani says
How many drops of stevia should I add? Will it turn out if I just use unflavored liquid stevia drops? Should I add vanilla extract?