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!
mmm so good! i always fail at making rice krispie treats but maybe i can make these!
I STILL love coloring! Its so relaxing and fun! I guess I’ll just never grow up LOL!
These look super delicious. When I was little I loved to eat ricecrispies, especially the marshmallow flavour, and i loved crayons too. I used to have a huge collections, and could spent hours doodling with them.
Delicious! My mom used to by the chocolate rice krispy treats in bulk–my sisters and my dad LOVEd them!
The crispy treats look yummy and delish!
I love crayons, but colored pencils are a heart-taker for me. I just think they’re more neat, and the colors aren’t as dark but then again, I was never really good at coloring with crayons!
Ooh, and I saw your Pinterest account. You actually repinned one of my posts ^^
http://milk-and-tea.blogspot.com
I’m all about the pencil crayons – they are like, the ultimate for colouring, shading, drawing, etc. So much more versatile than crayons and markers. I loved that we got to use them so much in art class 🙂
Chocolate crayons right here! http://www.amazon.com/Chocolate-Crayon-Box-24-Count/dp/B003EMO7J6
Not vegan though. Anyway — love this post! I love the idea of rice krispie treats, but they’re just too unhealthy for my little one… until now! Thanks so much for sharing.
Haha too cool! I wonder if they make crayon-shaped molds… then I could make my own chocolate crayons!
I love crayons!!! I remember there was also a “tickle-me-pink” and a “salmon” lol 🙂
I loved crayons. I had the 96 box and I’d get mad if people didn’t put them back in the slot they were in. My mom used to peel back the paper to sharpen them and I hated that, too! I guess I was a picky child… And those gel pens! There were so many cool colors! After awhile they would start to skip when I wrote with them, probably cause they were old, and then I gave up and went back to ballpoint.
I love rice crispy treats…I don’t know if I prefer chocolate or original more…which is odd, I would think I would have gone with chocolate. 🙂
I still love to color!! 🙂
Happy Monday!
Ok, the temptation of your beautiful photos is killing me! We need a CCK shop, so I can order a batch of rice krispy treats and all your other chocolate creations!
The crayons were such a cute addition to the shoot! I used to love crayons (only Crayola, of course) until I discovered colored pencils. They were so much neater and more professional-looking for the 7 year old artist in me!
Ohh chocolate covered rice krispies sound incredible! Sometimes I get an intense rice krispy craving so this will be perfect! And I used to love getting a new box of crayons when the school year started- I remember being so excited to get the 64 crayon box or the 101 crayon box (with the built in sharpener) haha oh man, so many memories!
So I just made these and I had to make more of the nut butter mix because that alone was so delicious! They are sitting in the freezer now and I can’t wait to try them 😀 I’m using puffed cereal since that’s what I have on hand, and I’m glad that I finally found a great use for them.
XOXO!!!
Ooh I’m interested to know how they taste with puffed cereal! I might have to try it, too!
Hi Katie,
I made these last night for a coworkers birthday. I usually get scared when I make healthy treats for people who might not necessarily appreciate them, so I added a tablespoon of coconut oil in hopes to make them a little “naughtier” (figured because “normal” rice crispy treats call for butter, this would work).
I would like to report that they are awesome. Better than real rice crispy treats. 🙂
Awww I am so so excited you liked them! And good call on the coconut oil. Coconut oil makes everything taste better!!
I am in love with your recipes! 😀