Crayons!
I used to love crayons. A lot.
I’d entertain myself for hours with a pad of paper and box of Crayolas. My favorite part was probably the built-in pencil sharpener; but I liked the funny color names too. Did you know there was once a color called “Dirty Sneakers”? Or “Dingy Dungeon”?
Sometime around the years of fourth or fifth grade, crayons stepped aside to make room for markers, and later gelly roll pens. (Anyone remember those?) But on my first day of college, we were asked to make name tags… and they gave us crayons!
Everyone was so excited; you would’ve thought they were handing out candy. Or money.
Yeah, that would’ve been nice.
None of this has much to do with rice crispy treats, except that I was at the store a few days ago and spotted crayons on sale for 25 cents. So I bought a pack and threw them into the photoshoot.
The following is based on my Rice Crispy Treat Babies. I thought the chocolate version deserved its own post. Chocolate should never be just a side note. (By the way, don’t you think Crayola is long overdue for the creation of a “chocolate” crayon? Preferably a scented one. Then again… if they came out with something like that, it could be dangerous; I’d want to eat it! They’re probably better off sticking with the aforementioned dirty sneakers.)
Cocoa Crispy Treats
(can be gluten-free!)
Recipe inspired by these babies.
- 3 cups rice crispies (I used gf brown rice crispies)
- 2 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp salt (I used salted pb, too)
- 1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp nut butter of choice (For lower-cal option, see calorie link below.)
- 1/2 cup sticky sweetener ( (I used agave. For low-sugar options, see calorie link below.)
- optional: 1/4 cup cocoa powder (or your favorite chocolate protein powder)
- optional: melted chocolate to drizzle over the top
Mix your pb (or other nut butter of choice), sweetener, vanilla, cocoa, and salt. Melt (either in the microwave or stove), then pour over the cereal and stir very well, making sure to coat all the crispies. (For a richer chocolate taste, try subbing chocolate chips for some of the cocoa powder.) Form into balls or line a pan with wax paper and spread the mixture evenly into the pan. Place a sheet of wax paper on top of the mixture, then press down as firmly as you can. Really press it down! Freeze for at least a half hour before slicing.
These treats can be stored in the freezer, in the fridge, or loosely covered in a cool, dry place. But, as with the non-chocolate version, the best place to store them is in your tummy.
Question of the Day:
Did you like crayons when you were little?
Honestly, I think my mom liked crayons even more than I did. Before discovering them, I had a love affair with smelly markers, and I’d always come home from preschool with dots all over my nose. Switching to Crayolas saved quite a bit of scrubbing my face :).
Also: I’m amazed so many people want to be CCK taste-testers!!!
Amazed and excited! But obviously the email idea is not going to work, and there’s no way I’m turning willing volunteers away. So I’m trying to find an easier way to share the recipes. Stay tuned. After figuring it out, I’ll post more info later this week. Thank you so so much to all the volunteers!
Yum! Crayons and this recipe rocks! 🙂
I HATE the smell of crayons but I love using them! I even have my own coloring book that my little brothers can’t use!
Crispy treats are my favorite dessert (besides carrot cake of course) and this chocolate version is just blowing my mind! So tasty!
Ooh carrot cake… what if we did carrot cake rice crispy treats?! That could be awesome!
I used to love crayons when I was a kid…until I ate some, got really sick, and ended up getting my stomach pumped! 😛
Rice crispy treats are my FAVE!! I definitely need to get some puffed rice so I can make these!! I remember making some from Oh She Glows a while back and randomly blending everything together and it was EVEN BETTER! You should try it it’s sooooo good!! Oh and I LOVE all the PB in this recipe! Sounds like my heaven! 😀
LOVE YOU!! <3
I may have to try these!! Like I’ve said before, I’m not a big fan of regular rice crispy treats, but I don’t think I’ve ever had the chocolate variety – everything is better with chocolate! 😛
Crayons, colored pencils, gel pens… anything that can be used to color with, I love! 😀 They bring out the five year old in me 😉
<3 <3
My favorite color was macaroni and cheese!
Love these! Much better than the traditional butter and marshmallow filled ones, thanks!
OMG Yum!
I just made this with some smashed up brown rice cakes instead of the crispeys and i used a little tahini and coconut oil instead of nut butter 🙂 I dont think i used enough wet incredients but I blended all the incredients together with my mixer which really turned up the rice cakes but ANYWAYS it came out kinda crumbly istead of like a bar because i didnt want too add LOADS of tahini, but it tasted great! I’m gonna put some sultanas and desicated coconut in it tommorow and smash it together abd eat it for breakfast 😛
Haha that really sounds awesome! I love getting inspired by other recipes and then completely disregarding all the directions and doing my own thing… that’s how some of the best concoctions are made! Yours sounds really fun :).
OH also i used carob instead of cocoa. I find carob has a sweeter flavour..but anyways 🙂 haha come to think of it i really changed your recipe..but i was very inspired by it!
These are so much better than regular rice crispy treats!!! I just made some, they’re not even ready yet, but i keep opening the freezer sneaking samples out! Patience? I have none.
I used Rice Chex (crushed), liquid sweetener, Hersheys Special Dark cocoa powder, half melted banana/half crunchy peanut butter.
My 30 minutes isnt up yet, but I would definitely say that the end result is a workable combination, If I eat the whole batch before-hand, I would say freezing is not a necessary step 😀
LOL I do the same thing! I even once left a knife in the freezer, right in the pan, so I could more-easily break off tastes as I walked by! 🙂
oh my goodness – gel pens!!! We would “collect” those in middle school and they never went away! My mother got so mad when she saw my bookstore bill at school!
I love and still do love crayons. At work, some of us girls will start to color when we’re not really busy. And in college during exams, my roommate and I went out and bought new crayons and books and watched movies to relax.
I’ve had a craving for rice crispy treats too-thanks!
I LOVE rice krispy treats and make them in all flavors and ways…butterscotch, choc chip cookie dough stuffed, topped with peanut butter chocolate, you name it, I love them! I am a huge fan and yours are calling my name. YUMMY!
Crayons, markers, art projects…that was the stuff of my childhood. Getting a new box of Crayola 64’s was the highlight of my back-to-school experience and markers, too. And new folders and notebooks. Loved it all! And now Skylar does. Fun re-living it with her 🙂
I was also a victim of the marker colored nose:) I think my favorite Crayola color was dazzle dazzle rose. If you are ever in the Philadelphia area I would highly recommend the Crayola museum. It’s like a crayon fantasy land. And the gift shop is amazing.
Crayola museum?!?!? How did I not know about this???
Oh girl, I am an elementary school teacher; I STILL love crayons! 🙂
Mmmmm! You knew all of us would want to help you out! Especially with items like that!
I love crayons and rice krispies – both childhood favorites! i always loved buying the really big packs of crayola crayons in all kinds of crazy colors. My favorite was periwinkle!
I’m 42 and still love crayons! Thankfully I have kids, so I can justify my crayon habit.
When I teach at a college, I have the students use the nice-smelling markers. It makes them SO happy! Which makes me happy.