Inspired by the viral Tiktok trend, these rice cakes with peanut butter and chocolate are just like huge Reeces Peanut Butter Cups - but with added CRUNCH.
We use a crisp rice cake, topped with creamy peanut butter and silky smooth dark chocolate for an irresistible, and incredibly satisfying snack. Finish with a sprinkling of flaky sea salt to really bring the flavours to life.
I don't usually have much time to keep track of Tiktok food trends with three children to look after, but this one I had to try.
These rice cakes are full of protein and fiber, whilst being topped with delicious dairy free chocolate. They're a healthier way to satisfy those sweet tooth cravings, without reaching for things like processed candy bars or other junk foods.
I love trying out recipes that are healthier alternatives to common desserts or sweets. It means that we as a family enjoy quite a lot of delectable foods, whilst also being kinder to our bodies. Our Vegan Date Brownies, and Peanut Butter Cookies are a great example of sweet treats that are good for you. Both recipes are also very child friendly.
Jump to:
- What you'll need
- Ingredients
- Equipment
- How to make them
- Adding peanut butter to the rice cakes
- Dipping the peanut butter coated rice cake into the chocolate
- Which dark chocolate is the healthiest?
- Other ways to top your rice cake
- Other health-conscious snacks to try
- Storage
- Recipe tips
- Recipe
- FAQ
- Comments
What you'll need
Ingredients
- Coconut Oil - We use a small amount of coconut oil in with the melted chocolate to help to get a super-shiny chocolate coating. It does this by preventing the chocolate from drying out, which it can be prone to doing once it hardens.
- Chocolate - Chocolate with 70% cocoa is what we prefer to use, but any other dairy free chocolate will work. The higher the cocoa percentage, the better it is for you. 70% is, in our opinion, the best sweet/bitter cocoa ratio. Lindt does the creamiest one we've tried.
- Peanut Butter - Smooth peanut butter or crunchy, you decide. It's personal preference, but we chose to use smooth.
- Rice Cakes - Go for the unsalted variety, we use Kallo organic unsalted rice cakes. You can also use wholegrain rice cakes.
See the recipe card below for quantities.
Equipment
You don't need any fancy equipment to make this, just a few simple things that you'll already have in your kitchen:
- Glass bowl
- Knife or spoon
- Plate
- Saucepan
How to make them
Adding peanut butter to the rice cakes
Step 1 - Using a knife or a spoon, coat one side of the plain rice cakes with peanut butter. Go as thick or thin as you like with the peanut butter, we like it thickkkk.
Place the rice cakes on to a plate or tray, and put into the fridge whilst you prepare the chocolate.
Step 2 - Melt your chocolate using the double boiler method (also known as a bain marie). Heat a small amount of water (about an inch high) in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Place the glass bowl over the saucepan, being careful that the bowl doesn't touch the water. Turn the water down to a simmer/very low heat).
Add the chocolate and coconut oil to the bowl. Stir the chocolate mixture continuously, until fully melted. Carefully remove the hot glass bowl of melted chocolate from the saucepan, then leave to cool until it begins to thicken again, which will be roughly 5 minutes.
Hint: The cooler the melted chocolate is, the thicker it will be. And therefore the thicker the layer of chocolate will be on your rice cakes. If you're only wanting a thin layer of chocolate on your rice cakes, dip them when the melted chocolate is still fairly warm and runny.
Dipping the peanut butter coated rice cake into the chocolate
Step 3 - On a small plate or shallow bowl, pour the melted chocolate in to the center. Peanut butter side down, dip the rice cake in to the melted chocolate, and press gently to cover the peanut butter.
Step 4 - Slowly lift the rice cake, allowing excess melted chocolate to drip back down. Then turn it back to peanut and chocolate side up (picture 4). Place the chocolate dipped rice cake on to a plate or tray. Once all 4 are dipped, place the plate or tray in to the fridge to fully set/harden, for 1 hour +.
Which dark chocolate is the healthiest?
Ultimately you want a higher cacao percentage with a small amount of sugar, without it being too bitter. 70% Cacao is usually the perfect ratio when it comes to dark chocolate.
- Dark chocolate is packed with antioxidants called flavanols. These antioxidants help protect your cells against damage from free radicals (air pollutants, chemicals from food and water, smoking cigarettes etc).
- Flavanols also help to lower your blood pressure.
- Dark chocolate contains up to 2-3 times more flavanols than milk chocolate, which is why we recommend topping the rice cakes with dark chocolate. However, you can use any chocolate that you like.
Other ways to top your rice cake
The great thing about these rice cakes is that you can make them with all kinds of nut and seed butters, depending on your preferences or dietary needs, for example:
- Almond Butter
- Sunflower Butter
- Cookie Butter
- Chocolate Hazelnut Spread
- or a dollop of Tahini
Not only can you swap out the peanut butter for something different, there are also endless ways to top the chocolate too:
- Hemp seeds
- Chopped salted peanuts
- Popping candy
- Flaked almonds
Other health-conscious snacks to try
Storage
Store these in the fridge, in an airtight container. The cold temperature of the fridge will keep the peanut butter and chocolate from melting or running. And keeping them in a container stops the chocolate from drying out and having that white layer you sometimes see on chocolate.
They will be good for 2-3 days.
Rice cakes don't defrost too well, so if you're not eating these straight away, keep them in the fridge as above, and not the freezer.
Recipe tips
The cooler the melted chocolate, the thicker the chocolate will be. And therefore the thicker the layer of it will be on your rice cakes. If you're only wanting a thin layer of chocolate on your rice cakes, dip them when the melted chocolate is still fairly warm and runny.
If you want a fully coated rice cake. Follow the instructions in the recipe, then transfer the rice cakes to the fridge for at least 2 hours. Melt more chocolate and leave to cool. Remove the rice cakes from the fridge and dip the other side of them into the melted chocolate. Return to the fridge, melted side up, and cool for another 1-2 hour before tucking in (to allow all chocolate to fully set/harden).
EXTRA TOPPINGS - If using extra toppings on the chocolate coated rice cakes, be sure to add them BEFORE placing them in the fridge, i.e before the chocolate sets.
Recipe
Rice Cake with Peanut Butter and Chocolate
Equipment
- Glass Bowl
- Knife or Spoon
- Plate
- Saucepan
Ingredients
- 4 Rice Cakes unsalted
- ¼ cup Creamy Peanut Butter crunchy or smooth
- ¼ cup Dairy-Free Chocolate chunks or chips (approx 40g)
- 1 teaspoon Refined Coconut Oil
Instructions
- Using a knife or a spoon, coat one side of the rice cakes with ¼ of the peanut butter. You can add more if you prefer a thicker layer of it.4 Rice Cakes, ¼ cup Creamy Peanut Butter
- Place the rice cakes on to a plate or tray, and transfer to the fridge whilst you melt the chocolate.
- Heat a small amount of water (approx 1inch) in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Place the glass bowl over the saucepan, being careful that the bowl doesn't touch the water.
- Turn the water down to a low heat.
- Add the chocolate and coconut oil to the bowl. Stir continuously until fully melted. Then carefully remove the hot glass bowl from the saucepan, and leave to cool enough that the melted chocolate begins to thicken a little (about 5 mins).¼ cup Dairy-Free Chocolate, 1 teaspoon Refined Coconut Oil
- Take the rice cakes out of the fridge.
- On a small plate or shallow bowl, pour the melted chocolate in to the center.
- Facing the peanut butter side downwards, dip the rice cake in to the melted chocolate, and press gently to cover the peanut butter.
- Slowly lift the rice cake, allowing excess melted chocolate to drip back down. Then turn it back to peanut and chocolate side up and place on to a plate or tray.
- Once all 4 are dipped, place the plate or tray in to the fridge to fully set/harden, for 1-2 hours.
- We then sometimes drizzle extra peanut butter on top and sprinkle with flaky sea salt (N.B. no extra salt for the kids). However, top them any way you want to. See the full recipe post for some rice cake topping inspiration.
Notes
Nutrition
FAQ
Not only can you swap the peanut butter for something else (see suggestions in the recipe post), but you can top these in almost any way you can think of. Below is a list of ways we've topped them before:
- Hemp seeds
- Chopped salted peanuts
- Dried rose petals
- Popping candy
Gemma
These were soooo yummy. I tried them with popping candy like you suggested and they were a reallyy fun snack for the kids