After my peanut butter nightmare, I considered never making no-bake treats again. Thankfully the cookbook Best Recipes Ever from Canadian Living and CBC published by Random House Canada changed my mind with their chocolate crispy bar treats. They may look a little weird thanks to some changes I made but stay with me!
You begin with chocolate. Bittersweet chocolate but I did not have enough! I had to throw in some milk chocolate to get enough for this treat.
Over warm water melt the butter and chocolate together. To avoid potential scorching, I put the butter on the bottom which worked great! Butter also melts faster than chocolate which, in turn, helped the chocolate melt faster.
Everything got all nice and melty. Take your time. Let it melt, stir a little, let it melt, stir… It will happen but be patient!
I have a box of Rice Crispies that I used for a previous recipe and wanted to get rid of. I am not a fan of Rice Crispy Squares (I know, I am weird that way) so when I saw this recipe used them it made my day. You were also supposed to add peanuts but I decided to use my cranberry trail mix instead. Mix it all together.
Put in a square parchment-lined 9″ square cake pan. Press down. Top with more mix/peanuts. Push down. You were supposed to drizzle with melted white chocolate (to make it prettier!) but there were no instructions on how to do so. I have tried melting it on the stovetop in a double boiler. This time I tried in the microwave. It softened but when I put it in a Ziploc bag and tried to squeeze it out, it broke through in a clump. I gave up! Me and white chocolate do not seem to get along.
I am a sucker for dried fruit and chocolate! They may be a bit weird looking (especially without the drizzle) but they were delicious. I loved the combination of the crispy cereal, chocolate and dried fruit with nuts. My husband was totally right about these. The only thing wrong with them is eating just one. Impossible!
In the summer when the heat finally comes I will be making these again and please, if you have some tips on melting white chocolate, I would love to hear them!
I give this recipe four out of five wooden spoons.
Yummmm! They look really good! And it seems to be the sort of recipe that’s relatively flexible as far as whether you decide to use a trail mix with or without nuts. I think they’re fine without the drizzle of white chocolate! What’s a few less calories? š
Your variation on the recipe actually sounds much yummier than the original. And drizzle — feh! Who needs it?
I think they look fantastic! And, I agree with Debra in that this sounds much better than the original… dried fruit and chocolate is such a tasty combination!
Yes boobookitty, a very flexible recipe! Thanks for the no-drizzle support network, I appreciate that. I have no idea why I am so white-chocolate challenged. Thanks Debra, I thought it would be yummier this way too! I like peanuts and they’re in the trail mix but dried fruit? Worked perfectly! Thanks Stephanie and yes, such a tasty combo, I loved it. They’re a little dry but with tea? Fabulous!
We must be foodie psychic today, last night we made Chocolate Crackles with cornflakes. I like the addition of trail mix, and what’s not to like about melted chocolate, butter and cereal (I added some golden syrup as well), makes for a perfect breakfast of champions!
This recipe sounds great – love your variation…. you will make me go off my diet!!! And the photos are just great!
Oh that is too funny Ava! Chocolate Crackles sound awesome! I have cornflakes to use up too, maybe I’ll look those up? I liked the health benefits of the trail mix. Makes up for the butter and chocolate.
Sorry I am such a bad influence Linda!
These sound really good! I like your changes! š