When I was a kid I loved rice crispy treats. Heck! I still do! Here's a great alternative to the crispy treats we all know. The great thing about these, is that they're filled with almonds and they're sweetened with brown rice syrup. You wanna know why that's great? Oh yeah, I figured you would. ;) The protein from the almonds balances the sugar and the brown rice syrup is a natural sweetener, so both won't raise blood sugar levels as quickly as it would from eating sweets without added protein or with white sugar. Score!

If you like to get your hands messy when you cook and/or bake, then you're going to LOVE this recipe. If you have kids, they'll probably love getting their hands messy, too! So definitely have them help you with this one.

Oh, and wanna know why I call them COCONUTTY? Because they're filled with chocolate chips, coconut and LOTS of almonds! :) Hope you'll dig 'em as much as I do!

First, you'll need 2 cups of Crispy Brown Rice Cereal. Look for this at Whole Foods or in your Natural Food section in your grocery store. (Oh, and if you have these with milk, they'll snap, crackle and pop! Just like the one's we knew as kids. COOL, right!?)

1/2 cup of Almond Butter - smooth or crunchy. I prefer crunchy, but WF's was out of it when I went. Boooooo! :)

1/2 cup of Organic Brown Rice Syrup - can be found in the sweets section of WFs or your Natural Foods section.

1/2 cup of chopped almonds

1/2 cup of shredded coconut

1/4 cup of your favorite chocolate chips

1 teaspoon or more of cinnamon (I like a lot of cinnamon, as you can see below)

Before starting, place 2 cups of Crispy Brown Rice Cereal in a bowl and set aside.

Place chopped almonds and coconut in another bowl.

Mix chopped almonds and coconut and set aside.

Place saucepan on medium heat. Add in 1/2 cup of almond butter, 1/2 cup of brown rice syrup and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon. Mix over heat until creamy well blended.

Take off heat and let cool for a minute. Then mix with 2 cups of Crispy Brown Rice Cereal.

This is when it starts getting messy and fun! Oh yeah! Use your hands to mix ingredients all together. It'll still be warm. That's OK! You'll want it to be.

Then add in 1/4 cup of chocolate chips and mix quickly - some may melt a teeny-tiny bit. That's OK! :)

All mixed up and ready to ROLL! :) The mixture still needs to be warm so the almonds and coconut will roll on easily. If it cools down too much, it won't stick.

Roll into palm-sized ball.

Place into almond/coconut mixture.

Roll a few times to cover completely.

And, they're done and ready to be stored and placed into refrigerator to mold.

Place them in your favorite container.

Cover. Place in refrigerator and let cool for 20 minutes or so.

And then, eat up, slowly!

I prefer them cold. But I suggest you eat them however you wish! :)

Coconutty Almond Butter Balls

Ingredients:

2 cups Crispy Brown Rice Cereal
1/2 cup of Almond Butter (smooth or crunchy - your choice!)
1/2 cup of Brown Rice Syrup
1/2 cup of chopped almonds
1/2 cup of shredded coconut
1/4 cup of chocolate chips
1 teaspoon cinnamon (or more if you'd like)

Directions:

1. Place Crispy Brown Rice Cereal in a bowl and set aside.
2. Place chopped almonds and shredded coconut in a bowl. Mix together. Set aside.
3. Turn stovetop to medium heat. Add almond butter, brown rice syrup and cinnamon to saucepan. Mix over heat until creamy.
4. Once mixture is creamy, take off heat and let cool for a minute. Then mix with crispy brown rice cereal. Use hands to mix well.
5. Add in chocolate chips. Mix together.
6. Roll into palm-size balls. Then place in almond/coconut mixture and roll until completely covered.
7. Place in storage container. Then let cool in refrigerator for 20 minutes or so.
8. Keep in refrigerator until they're all eaten up. They can be enjoyed straight out of refrigerator or thawed for a few minutes before eating. To each is own! :)
9. Turn off all distractions, sit down by yourself or sit down with your family, take a few deep breaths, say how much gratitude you have for your food and your family and friends and dig in, slowly!

Variations: Add in raisins for more sweetness. Use a different type of nut butter: peanut, cashew, sunflower.

Let me know how it goes for you!

{life is mmm...mmm....good}