Chocolate Rice Crispy Treats!

This past labor day my friend Danny had another rooftop party on his lovely roof in Asbury Park. The weekend, as you all know, was a gorgeous one. He was grilling up some fresh veggies and had prepared his delicious roasted red pepper hummus, roasted lemon garlic hummus and fresh salsa for all who came to party. I brought a batch of chocolate rice crispy treats for everyone and they were a total hit! SO easy to make, so delicious and so little sugar!

Lauren's Chocolate Rice Crispy Treats

Ingredients:
1 cup brown rice syrup
½ cup almond butter
½ cup barley malt sweetened chocolate chips
3 cups brown rice crispies cereal
1/2 banana

Directions:
Heat brown rice syrup and almond butter in a large skillet, over low heat until creamy. Stir in the chips until they melt. Remove from the heat and stir in rice crispies. Gently press into a baking dish. Slice thin banana rings and press gently on top of mixture. Sprinkle with a dash of raw sugar on top (optional). Allow mixture to set until firm, about 30 minutes. Cut into squares and enjoy. As you can see from the pictures, Danny sure did!!!

About Brown Rice Syrup
Brown rice syrup is a natural sweetener produced from fermented cooked rice by treating it naturally with enzymes from sprouted barley.

Brown rice syrup has a low glycemic value, which means it does not cause a sugar rush or a sudden spike in blood sugar after consuming it. This is because the sugar profile in this syrup is 50% soluble carbohydrates, 45% maltose and 3% glucose. The glucose is immediately absorbed and metabolized, maltose takes from an hour to an hour and a half, and soluble carbohydrates take 2-3 hours to be metabolized and energy released. This results in constant supply of energy spread over a long time rather than a sudden rush.

Brown rice syrup is a good source of minerals, magnesium, potassium and iron! How do you like that?! As this is completely natural and has a lot of minor nutrients unlike refined sugars, snack manufacturers are using brown rice syrup more and more for making granola bars, muffins, cookies, etc.

Lundberg makes an organic, non-GMO and gluten free brown rice syrup called Sweet Dreams that is available at any health food store. This is what I used for this recipe! I got a good two batches out of one bottle.