Description
These Peanut Butter Chocolate Puffed Quinoa Crunch Bars are seriously irresistible: sweet, salty, and packed with texture in every bite.
Ingredients
Scale
Base Ingredients
- 1 cup natural creamy peanut butter *
- 1 1/3 cups almond flour
- ¼ cup pure maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- Pinch to ½ teaspoon sea salt (+/-) *
- ½ cup puffed quinoa *
Other Ingredients
- ½ cup puffed quinoa, divided (¼ cup top, ¼ cup bottom)
Chocolate Coating/Drizzle Ingredients
- 9 to 10 oz. vegan chocolate chips, melted *
- 1 to 2 Tablespoons runny tahini *
Optional Toppings
- Sprinkle finely chopped roasted peanuts
Instructions
- Line a loaf pan with parchment paper with excess hanging over the sides, set aside.
- Place the all the Base Ingredients (except the puffed quinoa) into a large bowl, stir well to combine. Then add ½ cup of puffed quinoa to the peanut butter mixture, stir well to incorporate. [See notes on peanut butter].
- Place ¼ cup of puffed quinoa into the bottom of the parchment lined loaf pan.
- Dollop the peanut butter mixture carefully on top of the puffed quinoa in the loaf pan. Press down to evenly distribute and level the peanut butter mixture. Create a solid, level, cohesive loaf of the peanut butter mixture.
- Then place the remaining ¼ cup of the puffed quinoa over the top of the peanut butter mixture and press down to get the quinoa to adhere to the peanut butter mixture.
- After pressing the mixture, use a square of parchment paper and place it on top to thoroughly flatten and level out the mixture. Press to ensure a solid cohesive layer.
- Place the loaf pan in the freezer for 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes, remove from the freezer. Lift by grabbing the overhanging parchment paper and remove the peanut butter mixture from the loaf pan and place onto a cutting board. Cut the loaf in half widthwise, then cut each of the halves in half again. You now have 4 pieces. Then cut each of the pieces into 3rds. You now have 12 pieces. Place the 12 bars back into the freezer for 5 to 10 minutes. You want the bars really cold when dunking in the melted chocolate. This helps the chocolate quickly set.
- Melt the chocolate chips in the microwave for 30 seconds, then stir vigorously. Microwave and stir in 10 to 20 second intervals until the chocolate is completely melted, then stir in 1 to 2 tablespoons of tahini into the melted chocolate. The amount of tahini used is dependent upon if you plan to drizzle the chocolate over the bars or coat the bars entirely in chocolate. Use 1 Tablespoon if drizzling. Use 2 Tablespoons if coating.
- If drizzling, place the bars on wax paper and drizzle with the melted chocolate and sprinkle with chopped peanuts.
- If coating, then remove 2 bars from the freezer at a time and dip one bar in chocolate and thoroughly coat with the chocolate and place on wax paper, then sprinkle with the chopped peanuts, then repeat with the other bar. Continue this process of removing 2 bars from the freezer at a time and coating with melted chocolate until all the bars have been dipped and coated.
- Place the coated or drizzled bars back into the freezer for 5 to 10 minutes or until the chocolate has set. Serve.
- Keep the bars in the refrigerator. If long term storage, they freeze well.
Notes
Please reference the blog post for Tips for Success, Pantry Items Used, Storage and Freezing, and Kitchen Products Used.
Sea Salt: Please adjust the sea salt based upon your family’s sea salt preferences and/or based upon dietary needs.
Servings: 12 bars