We’ve started social distancing with both of us in the house working from home. Unfortunately I realised mid last week that we didn’t have anything sweet in the house that I could eat. I’ve raided our cupboard basics to make something that’s both easy to make and satisfying for your sweet cravings – if not totally moreish!
If you’re looking for a kitchen activity that you can do with the kids to keep them entertained while at home then this is ideal. Its is really very simple, uses minimal equipment, and very forgiving if you don’t quite get the amounts right. There is some stove action and hot syrup involved so please do supervise kids closely at all times!
- Makes: 16 Squares
Ingredients
- 125ml (1/2 cup) Golden Syrup
- 125 ml (1/2 cup) Brown Rice Syrup*
- 45g Vegan Butter
- 130g (1/2 cup) Natural Crunchy Peanut butter **(see notes for my nut free suggestions)
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 150g Rice crispies
Topping
- 30g Vegan Butter
- 60ml (1/4 cup) Golden Syrup
- 1Tbsp Natural Crunchy Peanut Butter
Directions
Line an 8×8 container (a baking try or glass casserole dish works well here) with parchment or wax paper – if you want yours to be slightly thinner than mine then feel free to use a slightly bigger tin.
Place both the golden syrup and brown rice syrup in a small sauce pan over medium heat. Stirring regularly, bring the mix to a gentle boil, taking care not to burn. Cook for 4-5 minutes, until reduced by almost half. Mix in the peanut butter, butter and salt and cook until fully combined and smooth.
To make the mixing easier, at this point I like to pour the mix into a large bowl but if you want to make them in one pan then you might want to use a slightly large one! Add the rice crispies to your bowl gradually, stirring through each addition before adding the next. Once done there should be no liquid left at the bottom of the bowl , your cereal should all be fully coated and clumping together. Pour the cereal into your prepared container and gently press down in an even layer.
In a separate small sauce pan (you could even use the same pan from earlier), mix together the butter, golden syrup and peanut butter over medium heat. Cook for 8-10 minutes until thick and reduced by almost half. Pour on the rice crispie treats and spread to an even layer.
Put them in the fridge and let them sit for at least 3 hours, or even overnight, until hard. Once hardened, cut into even squares and serve! They store well in an airtight container for several days but they’ve never lasted that long in this house!
Notes
* If you don’t have this to hand, more Golden Syrup will work well too – it just won’t have the same depth of flavour. It likely also wont need as long on the heat so keep an eye on it.
**If you’re not using natural peanut butter, it’s likely your brand will have a lot of added sugar which may make these even sweeter – you might want to reduce the amount of Peanut butter in that case
Allergy Notes; If you or someone in your family is allergic to nuts then I’d suggest using either SunButter or Biscoff spread (but note this isn’t gluten free).
