Cocoa Hazelnut Rice Crispy Treats

What started out as cocoa rice crispy cereal turned into cocoa hazelnut rice crispy treats. I love both, but then again I love almost anything involving chocolate.

This is another variation on rice crispy treats, and there's no marshmallows here. The hazelnuts are optional, but they go great with the cocoa flavor. I know you might be thinking that's not the rice crispy treats you know and love, but consider that they're sweet, sugarless, with a great cocoa taste, and a light crunch.

Pressed together in a baking dish of some kind, they become treats, or if you were hoping for a cocoa crispy cereal, that's another route to take.

To have a bowl of cocoa rice crispy cereal, you could just use this recipe and spread the rice mixture out on a cookie sheet to cool. Or, follow the directions after the first recipe for cocoa rice crispy cereal for a less sticky version of this cereal. The treat recipe is sweeter than the cereal recipe, so I prefer the cereal recipe when making a cereal to crunch on.

 

Toasted Hazelnuts

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F/175°C.
2. Spread the hazelnuts on a cookie sheet and toast in the oven for about 6 minutes, or until the skins begin to brown.
3. Cool for a few minutes.
4. Place the hazelnuts in a towel and rub to remove the skins.
5. Chop the nuts into small pieces by hand in a towel using a hammer or firm object, or pulse in a food processor.

Cocoa Hazelnut Rice Crispy Treats

Updated this recipe on 5/26/2014. For reference, the old recipe is: ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons of maple syrup (or honey), 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter (or oil), ¼ teaspoon of salt, 1 tablespoon of unsweetened cocoa powder, 3 cups of puffed brown rice (I use Nature's Path), ¼ cup of toasted hazelnuts, chopped into small pieces (optional)

 

Ingredients

• 3 cups of puffed brown rice (I use Nature's Path)
• ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons honey or maple syrup
• ¼ cup water
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa
• ¼ cup toasted hazelnuts (optional)

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C or gas mark 4).
2. Spread the rice on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes.
3. Add the honey, water, and salt to a saucepan and bring the honey mixture to a boil. Lower the heat until the mixture has a bubbly boil. Cook for about 10 minutes, without burning it.
4. Add the the rice, cocoa and hazelnuts to a bowl and then add the honey mixture. Blend until well-coated.
5. Line a baking dish or rectangular container with parchment paper and scoop the warm mixture into the dish. I use an 8 inch x 10 inch baking dish (20 cm x 25 cm).
6. Using another piece of parchment paper and your hands, press down on the mixture to make it compact and uniform.
7. Let it cool for at least 15 minutes and then slice into squares or rectangles.
8. Store in a sealed container or wrap well to seal out air.
9. Snack accordingly.

Makes 8 bars

Makes 8 to 10 bars

 

 

Cocoa Rice Crispy Cereal

Updated on 7/5/2012. This recipe is easy to double, or even triple.

Ingredients

• ⅓ cup of maple syrup (or honey)
• 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter, ghee, or oil
• ⅛ teaspoon of salt
• 1 tablespoon of cocoa powder (unsweetened)
• 3 cups of puffed brown rice (I use Nature's Path)

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F/175°C.
2. Add the maple syrup, butter, cocoa powder, and salt to a large saucepan (big enough to also hold the rice), and simmer until the salt is dissolved and the cocoa is blended in.
3. Cool the maple syrup mixture for a minute or so and then blend the puffed rice. Blend until well-coated.
4. Spread the mixture across a cookie sheet and place it in an oven preheated to 350°F/175°C. Bake for about 10 minutes, or until it is crunchy when cooled. To test for crunchiness, take out a small amount from the oven to cool for a moment.
5. Cool and store in a sealed container.