Chocolate Tahini Cereal Bars

Guys, these Chocolate Tahini Cereal Bars are insane. They’re soooooo CRUNCHY and decadent and delicious! I almost called them Crunch Bars, but I figured more people would find them on the interwebs if I used the word cereal. We’ll see 😉 Whatever you decide to call them, I’m certain you’re going to love them. When I served them to Walden yesterday he said, with eyebrows raised, “Daddy is going to freak out.” They’ve been a massive hit with the neighbourhood kids, and I’ll definitely be taking them to my next potluck.

These cereal bars can be made in one bowl, and they’re no-bake, which is great news in the summer when the last thing you want to do is heat up your kitchen. Serve them with a big pile of fresh fruit for a perfect summer treat.

A quick note on nutrition

For maximum nutritional bang for your caloric buck, be sure to chose whole grain cereals, natural nut butters, and raw, unsalted nuts. Remember when shopping for cereals that “100% wheat” does not mean “100% WHOLE wheat.” You always have to check the labels for the “whole” part.

I’m a big fan of the Nature’s Path cereals, and we always have some Heritage O’s on hand. The recipe also calls for puffed brown rice cereal, but it’s not essential. If you don’t have it, don’t run out and get it just for this! You could easily substitute more O’s, some crisped rice, or even your favourite whole-grain flaked cereal (like this, for example).

Brown rice syrup can be hard to find, depending on where you live. I haven’t tested substitutions, but I’m certain that date syrup, agave syrup, or even maple syrup would work. If using agave, you might want to cut the amount to 1/3 cup since it’s so much sweeter than the others.

Tahini, is just ground up sesame seeds. I always have some on hand for making hummus and tahini-based dressings. It’s a good source of calcium and is great for peanut-free and nut-free cooking. If you’d prefer to substitute a different nut or seed butter, go for it! They’re all great for different reasons.

Finally, these bars are nutrient dense, and also very calorie dense. When raising vegan kiddos, you have to be on the lookout to make sure you’re loading them up with enough calories, since plant-based foods can be very nutrient dense, but calorie diffuse. Bars like these are part of my strategy for keeping Walden on the proper growth curve.

Alright, let’s get on with the recipe!

Chocolate Tahini Cereal Bars

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 cup vegan chocolate chips (2.5 oz)
• 1/2 cup (about 5 oz) brown rice syrup
• 1/4 cup (about 2.5 oz) tahini
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup whole grain, crunchy, round cereal (like Heritage O’s)
• 1 cup puffed (not necessarily crisped) brown rice cereal OR other puffed whole grain cereal OR a second cup of O’s
• 1/2 cup raw, unsalted nuts or seeds of choice (pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, walnuts, cashews, almonds, etc)

METHOD

1. Add the chocolate chips, brown rice syrup and tahini to a medium sauce pan with a heavy bottom. Stirring continuously, (preferably with a silicone spatula) warm the mixture over medium-low heat until the chocolate is melted and everything is well incorporated.
2. Stir in the vanilla extract, then add the cereals and nuts or seeds.
3. Mix well until all of the cereal is coated with the tahini-chocolate mixture.
4. Now press the mixture firmly into a 9X4 loaf pan, doing your best to even out the top. Be sure to press firmly so that it holds together! A silicone pan works great for this. If you don’t have a silicone pan, try lining your loaf pan with plastic to make removal easier. NOTE: You can use a plastic produce bag, a zip lock bag, or a plastic bag you bought some random food in. It doesn’t need to be a new sheet of plastic wrap! Get creative and see if you can give a second life to some plastic you already have in your kitchen. You can take you chances and skip the lining all together.
5. Place in the fridge for about 30 minutes to cool and set up. Then slice and serve!

In theory, these Chocolate Tahini Cereal Bars will stay good in the fridge for a week or two, but at my house it doesn’t last more than 24 hours 🙂

Enjoy!

Looking for some other no-bake treats for the summer? Try these Choco Date Balls