Nutella Cocoa Crispy Brown Rice Treats

I did a bad, bad, thing.

But it tastes so, so, good.

I bought some Nutella.  The two-pack from Costco.  I know.

And then I made Nutella Cocoa Crispy Brown Rice Treats.

I know.

You should have heard us as we were sampling one of them.  Well, maybe it’s a good thing you didn’t.

Mr. Spice gives us 3 days until they’re all gone.  This was in response to me saying that we should freeze most of them for later so we don’t eat them all in one sitting.

Maybe it’s a good thing Ramadan is around the corner.  It might inspire me to fast so that I’m not tempted to eat these!

The one saving grace?  I used cocoa-flavored crispy brown rice cereal.  It’s good stuff too — part of the Erewhon Organic cereal line from Attune Foods. Not only do the cereals use natural flavors and sweeteners, but quite a few of them, including the Cocoa Crispy Brown Rice, are gluten-free! I was sent some to play around with, but I  don’t think the intention was to negate any of the health benefits of the cereal with all the chocolate, marshmallows, butter, and Nutella in these treats!*

But you can use whatever crispy rice cereal you want!  Just don’t forget the Nutella.

Now it’s time to hide the rest from Mr. Spice.

*Disclosure:  Attune Foods sent me samples of Erewhon Organic cereals to try.  I did not receive any compensation and am not obligated to post a positive review.  Any opinions are my own.

 Nutella Cocoa Crispy Brown Rice Treats

Adapted from Chef In Training and Sticky Gooey Creamy Chewy

Ingredients:

4 tbsp. butter

12 oz. regular marshmallows (I used 3/4 of a 16-oz. bag)

1 cup Nutella

6 cups crispy rice cereal — use cocoa-flavored for a chocolate boost!

Topping:

1 cup Nutella

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 tbsp. butter

Preparation:

1.  Spray a 13 x 9 inch baking pan with cooking spray.

2.  Melt butter in a large stockpot over medium to medium-low heat.  Add marshmallows; stir until melted and mixture is creamy.

3.  Add Nutella and stir until incorporated into mixture.

4. Add crispy rice cereal to pot and stir to coat thoroughly.  This can count as your upper-body workout for the day.

5.  Press mixture into prepared baking pan, using wet hands if necessary to smooth down and even out.

6.  In the same pot used before, add remaining cup Nutella, chocolate chips, and 1 tbsp. butter and melt over low heat, until mixture is smooth and glossy.

7.  Pour topping over top of treats, spreading evenly.

8.  Place pan in fridge to set, approximately 20-30 minutes.

9. Once set, cut into desired number of bars.

Enjoy!