The first time I bit into a rice cake was a little underwhelming! I was trying to limit my wheat intake and switch to rice instead. Rice cakes have since evolved and are now available in various savory and sweet flavors and sometimes a little of both! For the longest time, I used them as crackers for quick snacks on the go. But over time I got a little bored until I discovered other uses for them.
The nice thing about rice cakes, in addition to being a low calorie food is that they are naturally light and crispy. That’s why I also love chocolate bars that have little specs of nuts, puffed rice or caramel! So if you have some rice cakes in your pantry you can try crumbling them and add some sweetener, and some binder like nut butter to make the balls or bars. They can be dipped into melted chocolate or yogurt for a nice finishing touch.
These balls are so easy to make. They don’t need cooking and just need 30 minutes to an hour to firm up in the refrigerator.ย If you have good chocolate, make sure to drizzle extra on the balls and you will get nice chocolate wafers in the process!
Rice Nut Balls
Ingredients
- 2 plain or lightly salted rice cakes
- 1/3 cup almond, walnut or pistachio butter
- 1/4 cup maple or agave syrup
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- pinch salt
- 1/2 cup dark chocolate
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
- 1-2 tbsp granulated sugar
Instructions
Prepare the balls
- In a bowl, crumble the rice crackers with your hands until you get even small pieces.
- Mix the nut butter with the maple or agave syrup and pinch of salt.
- Pour the butter and sweetener over the rice and stir to evenly coat. You may want to use your hands.
- Taste and add more sweetener if you like. This is a good time to add spices like cardamom, cinnamon or cloves.
- Wet one hand and use a tablespoon to scoop a little of the mixture. Press to form a ball. Place on a lined baking sheet.
- Repeat until all balls are formed. You should get about 10 balls. Sprinkle a little granulated sugar on top of each balls for added crunch!
Prepare the chocolate
- Place 1/2 cup of chocolate, the coconut oil, 1 tablespoon of sugar and pinch of salt into a sealable bag.
- Pour hot water into a bowl and set the bag in it to melt it.
- Squeeze the bag to mix the chocolate and oil. Using a pair of scissors, make a small cut in one of the corner of the bag.
- Drizzle some chocolate over each balls and roll the balls so that they are evenly coated.
- Refrigerate for 30 minutes to an hour.
