Adorable Strawberry Rice Crispy Treats are the perfect sweet for your Valentine! Made healthier, without marshmallows, they are perfectly chewy. Absolute perfection drizzled with white chocolate and a dried strawberry!
*This post is sponsored by SunButter, a sunflower seed spread perfect for allergy-safe baking and cooking! Thanks for supporting the brands that keep Sunkissed Kitchen running.
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The Perfect Pink Treat for your Valentine!
These Strawberry Rice Crispy Treats are a grown-up remake of classic Rice Krispies Treats! This childhood favorite gets a grown-up twist.
Whether you’re making a sweet treat for a little Valentine or a fully grown one, they are sure to LOVE these.
Instead of marshmallows and butter, these get a healthy remake and use maple syrup and SunButter sunflower butter. The texture is just as chewy as the original rice krispie treats, and the flavor is slightly more like caramel, but just as delicious.
Freeze-dried strawberries add the perfect pink hue and berry flavor. If you were a fan of Red Berry Special K, then these will be right up your alley.
To give these an extra special touch, I drizzled them with white chocolate and added some additional crushed strawberries on top. Use dark chocolate if you prefer, or keep them simple and skip the topping.
What You’ll Need
- SunButter No Sugar Added
- Brown Rice Syrup (necessary to get the right texture!)
- Maple Syrup (or date syrup)
- Vanilla Extract
- Brown Rice Crisp Cereal (or any rice crispies you have on hand! I buy these at Whole Foods.)
- Freeze Dried Strawberries (reserve halves for decoration, and crush the rest into a strawberry powder).
- White Chocolate (I used ChocZero sugar free white chocolate, can sub dark chocolate if preferred!)
- Coconut Oil
SunButter is my favorite nut/seed butter! I use it as a topping for yogurt or smoothies, but also in lots of baking recipes. I adore these Vegan Oatmeal Cookies that use SunButter as the base.
Use is wherever you would use peanut butter, knowing the recipe is allergy-friendly!
Hop on over to SunButter’s website to see where you can buy it near you!
How to Make Strawberry Rice Crispy Treats
Step 1: Line an 8×8 or 9×9 baking dish with parchment paper.
Step 2: In a large pot, add the brown rice syrup, maple syrup, and SunButter. Stir together to form a very creamy sauce. Bring to a simmer, and allow to lightly boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat.
Step 3: Stir in the vanilla extract.
Step 4: Add the brown rice crisp cereal and crushed freeze dried strawberries. Stir to fully coat the cereal.
Step 5: Press the cereal mixture into the pan, forming an even layer. Refrigerate or freeze for 1 hour prior to adding the topping.
Step 6: Add the white chocolate chips and coconut oil to a microwave safe bowl or to the bowl of a double boiler. Gently melt the white chocolate, being sure not to burn. White chocolate scalds quicker than dark chocolate, so stir it and check more often. I turn off my double boiler when the white chocolate is about 1/2 melted, and then allow it to sit and continue to melt without added heat.
Step 7: Drizzle the the rice crispy treats with white chocolate. Add strawberry slices or additional crushed strawberries to the top.
Step 8: Allow the top to harden before slicing the treats into 16 squares.
How to Store Leftover Rice Krispies Treats
Once the treats have fully cooled and the white chocolate has solidified, cut the rice crispy treats with a sharp knife.
Cut squares can be added to an airtight container and refrigerated for up to a week, or kept in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Variations & Tips
Raspberry Rice Crispy Treats: Freeze dried raspberries are also delicious! Use them in place of the freeze dried strawberries. They will have a similar pink-ish hue!
Other Nut or Seed Butters: SunButter is one of my favorite spreads and I use it often in baking. If you don’t have it on hand, try cashew butter, almond butter, or even peanut butter to make these bars. Be sure to choose an option that is just nuts/seeds and salt. Added sugars or oils will change the texture of these bars and they will not “set.”
Other Gluten Free Desserts for Valentine’s Day
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Strawberry Rice Crispy Treats
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup brown rice syrup *do not sub this ingredient.
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1/3 cup SunButter No Sugar Added or favorite nut/seed butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 1/2 cups brown rice crisp cereal
- 1 cup freeze dried strawberries 3/4 cup crushed, reserve 16 strawberry slices for topping
- 1/3 cup white chocolate chips *I used ChocZero sugar free white chocolate
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
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