almond joy crispies

Oh, YUM.

Yes, it is my second time making rice crispy treats inside a week (ok, inside of 3 days). I honestly couldn't help myself. The first ones were so good. And gone. And I've been thinking about this almond variation since I made the first peanut buttery batch...

They turned out even better than I had imagined. You simply must try one.

Almond Joy Crispies

Makes 36 1" squares

3/4 c. almond butter

3/4 c. maple syrup

2 Tbsp. agar flakes

1/2 tsp. coconut extract (optional)

1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

1/2 tsp. sea salt

3 c. unsweetened crisp brown rice cereal

3/4 c. unsweetened shredded coconut

1/2 c. toasted almonds, coarsely chopped

3 oz. bittersweet chocolate, roughly chopped*

*I used E. Guittard bittersweet chocolate wafers.

Line an 8x8 baking pan with parchment paper. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine cereal, coconut, almonds, and chocolate. Set aside.

In a large pot, combine almond butter, maple syrup, agar flakes, salt, and extracts. Heat over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is hot, smooth, and bubbly. Mix in dry ingredients.

Press mixture into parchment lined baking pan. Refrigerate until cool (at least 30 minutes) and cut into small squares with a sharp knife. (These are a bit richer than the peanut butter version due to the chocolate, so I cut them even smaller. Also, that way you can eat more!)

To ensure my 3-day sugar high doesn't expand to 4, most of these will be accompanying me to work tomorrow to spread the almond joy. Though I may allow myself to steal one on the drive into work. After all, this does contain cereal, so that means it's technically a breakfast food, right?

:-)

One year ago: rutabaga 3 ways