For those who know me, it’s no secret that I have a weak spot for sweets. When I was pregnant however, my sweet tooth completely vanished and all I craved was savoury foods. But once Cole was born that sweet tooth came back with a vengeance! To tame my inner sweets monster I made this recipe almost weekly in those first few months postpartum. They really are that good!

I created this recipe a few years back now, but my original inspiration came from chocolate scotcheroo bars. Traditionally made with chocolate, butterscotch, peanut butter and Rice Krispies, my Sunbutter Bars really don’t have much in common with scotcheroos, other than having a puff cereal base and chocolate topping, but I think they are way more delish (and better for you!).

Sunbutter Bars

— makes 9 squares —

Ingredients for the base

1 1/4 cups sunflower seed butter
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla
3 cups puffed kamut cereal

Ingredients for the top

1 1/2 cups vegan chocolate chips
one or two pinches sea salt (to taste preference — I like the sweet salty combo!)

Method

To make the base, mix together the sunflower seed butter, maple syrup and vanilla in a large bowl until smooth. Add in the puffed kamut cereal and mix until combined.
Press the base mixture into an 8-inch glass or ceramic dish until the layer is even, then set aside.
For the top, melt the chocolate chips using a double boiler method (or microwaving works too!). Once melted, stir in the sea salt.
Pour the melted chocolate over the sunbutter puffed kamut base and use a spatula to spread the chocolate evenly.
Put the bars in the freezer for about 10 minutes (or until the chocolate has semi-set but isn’t completely hard yet -- if it is still too “wet”, leave it in the freezer a little bit longer), at which point I like to pull them out to “score” them into squares using a sharp knife so they will be easier to cut once they have completely hardened.
Place the bars back into the freezer for another 30 minutes to allow the chocolate and sunflower seed butter to completely harden.
Once the bars have set, cut into those bad boys and enjoy!

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