Best Homemade Crunch Bars

Best Homemade Crunch Bars: No Bake homemade crunch bars using just one bowl, 5 ingredients and less than 2 minutes! This quick and easy snack or dessert is naturally gluten free, vegan, dairy free and can be made sugar free!

Servings: 20

Prep:2minutes mins

Cook:1minute min

Total:3minutes mins

HOW TO MAKE Best Homemade Crunch Bars

Start by pouring your cereal in a large mixing bowl, and setting it aside. To also save time, prepare your baking dish by adding parchment paper to it. 

In a microwave-safe bowl or in a saucepan, add all your ingredients, except for the cereal. Heat the mixture until the chocolate chip has melted. Whisk very well together, until you have silky, thick, and smooth chocolate.

Finally, pour the melted chocolate mixture over the crispy cereal, and mix very well, until all the cereal is coated in the chocolate. Transfer to the lined baking dish and refrigerate until firm. 

THE INGREDIENTS (and substitution tips!)

• Crispy Rice Cereal
• Peanut Butter
• Chocolate Chips
• Maple Syrup
• Coconut oil

The ‘crunch’ factor can come in two folds. The first and most dominant one is in the cereal used. The original recipe from the cookbook used cornflakes, but my preference lies in rice crispy treats, so I used gluten-free crispy rice cereal. It’s my favorite to use in these no bake bars and these no bake rice crispy cups. If you don’t have a gluten intolerance, any crispy rice cereal will work fine. 

The second part comes with using crunchy peanut butter. You are welcome to use smooth peanut butter if that is all you have on hand, but I love the added texture of the little pieces of peanuts throughout! 

Speaking of peanut butter, for those with peanut allergies, I’d recommend you use crunchy sunflower seed butter or soynut butter. You can also substitute the peanut butter for another nut butter, like almond or cashew. 

As these crunch bars are based around chocolate, PLEASE make sure you choose a high-quality chocolate bar (baking style or standard) or chocolate chips. I used my favorite dairy free chunks, which I regularly eat on its own. 

For those who want to keep this completely sugar-free, use your favorite sugar free BAKING bar or chips. Simply melting a generic sugar-free candy bar won’t yield the results you are after.

Also, for the maple syrup, swap it for this sugar-free alternative. While not as good as the original, it’s the best sugar-free syrup when used IN recipes.

Coconut oil is my preference, but butter or vegan butter works well too. 

Ingredients Best Homemade Crunch Bars

• 3 cups crispy rice cereal
• 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips
• 1 cup peanut butter can substitute any nut or seed butter
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 1/4 cup coconut oil can sub for grass fed butter

Instructions Best Homemade Crunch Bars

• Line an 8 x 8-inch baking dish or deep baking tray of choice with parchment paper and set aside.
• Add crispy rice cereal into a large mixing bowl and set aside. In a microwave safe bowl or stovetop, combine all your other ingredients and heat until melted. Remove from microwave/off stove and whisk until completely incorporated.
• Pour the chocolate/peanut butter mixture over the crispy rice cereal and mix until combined. Pour into the lined baking dish and refrigerate until firm (at least an hour).
• Remove and cut into bars.

Notes

TO STORE: Best Homemade Crunch Bars can be stored at room temperature, in a sealable container. They will keep fresh for up to 2 weeks.

TO FREEZE: Wrap individual bars in parchment paper and place them in ziplock bags. They will freeze well for up to 6 months.

Nutrition

Serving: 1bar,Calories: 142kcal,Carbohydrates: 16g,Protein: 4g,Fat: 10g,Sodium: 69mg,Potassium: 105mgFiber: 1g,Vitamin A: 30IU,Vitamin C: 1mg,Calcium: 30mg,Iron: 1mg,NET CARBS: 15g