Healthy Sunflower Butter Rice Krispie Treats

My kids love a Rice Krispie treat and everytime I try to buy or make a healthier version, they just aren’t into it. But, I was determined to make something they would like that didn’t have marshmallows and might actually provide something other than pure sugar. Nut butters are one of my favorite ingredients to add to basically everything because of their nutrition content (providing fiber, healthy fats, tons of minerals and protein) and the ease with which they can be mixed into so many foods. But, I’m also aware of the abundance of children with food allergies and the growing need to provide safe foods for my kids and their friends. Hence, the use of sunflower seed butter (if you don’t have any allergies, feel free to swap for almond or cashew butter which would be equally delicious and nutritious). My daughter went a little crazy with the toppings, which made for a delicious treat, but these are still great even with less toppings. I don’t usually provide the nutrition content of my recipes because I think with kids the focus should be on providing a healthy, well-balanced diet. But, I wanted to show how much nutrition you can get into a dessert by changing up the ingredients only slightly. Note: these are high in fat, primarily due to the healthy fats in sunflower seed butter, but if you are concerned, you can definitely cut back on the coconut oil.

Healthy Sunflower Butter Rice Krispie Treats

Makes 16 treats

Ingredients:

3/4 c sunflower seed butter

2 tbsp coconut oil

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

2 3/4 c rice krispie type cereal

Toppings:

chocolate chips

mini chocolate chips

chocolate covered sunflower seeds

Line an 8x8 pan with parchment paper. In small pot, combine sunflower seed butter, coconut oil and vanilla extract over low heat until smooth, about 30 seconds. Remove from heat. Mix in rice krispies until completely coated. Add small handful chocolate chips to rice krispies mixture if desired. Press into pan using slightly damp hands until even throughout pan. Decorate with toppings as desired. Refrigerate at least 1 - 2 hours. Slice when cold and hard. These are best stored in refrigerator in air tight container. Remove from fridge a few minutes prior to eating.

Nutritional info (approximations per bar without chocolate chips):

100 calories

7 grams fat

1.5 g sugar

3 g protein

1.6 g fiber

10% Vitamin A 20% Vitamin B6 8% Vitamin D 35% Vitamin E 10% Folate 8% Niacin

10% Iron 30% Magnesium 20% Manganese 20% Phosphorus 10% Zinc

(RDIs based on a child 4 - 8 years old)