When I was a kid I loved those Little Debbie Star Crunch. The crispy, caramel like chocolate covered treats. But now that I’m an adult and prefer healthier homemade treats, I decided to create a more salubrious spin on my childhood fave.
I call these “Super” Star Crunch because I make them with “superfood” ingredients ~ toasted nuts and seeds and dark chocolate.
This is one of those recipes that is flexible and open to interpretation. You can mix up the seed/nut butter, and vary the seeds and nuts. Just keep the measurements about the same and your Super Star Crunch will turn out stellar (pun intended).
For the dark chocolate I like to use a Hu Vanilla Quinoa Qrispy bar. It’s dark chocolate with crispy puffed quinoa which tastes like a health-ified version of the Nestle Crunch bars. And yes, it’s that good!
You could also use this Almond Butter Puffed Quinoa one, which is equally delish. Or if you can’t get either one of these sub another high-quality dark chocolate. And you can add in a couple tablespoons of puffed quinoa, puffed rice or buckwheat.
TIP: be sure to always buy dark chocolate with 70% cacao or higher to get the health benefits. And try to avoid bars with dairy, soy lecithin or other emulsifiers.
The Hu Quinoa Qrispy bar is worth seeking out in the recipe
This recipe works with any combination of seeds and nuts.
Seeds you can use in this recipe:
- chia
- flax
- hemp
- pumpkin
- sesame
- sunflower
TIP: roast seeds such as the pumpkin, sesame and sunflower seeds at 350° for 8-10 minutes before using in this recipe.
Use plain dark chocolate if preferred
Nuts you can use in this recipe:
- almonds
- brazil nuts
- cashews
- hazelnuts
- macadamias
- peanuts
- pecans
- pine nuts
- pistachios
- walnuts
TIP: be sure to chop up the large nuts such as brazil, hazelnuts, walnuts etc. And for best taste bake any nuts at 350° for 8-10 minutes before adding to the recipe. This brings out the flavor.
I like to use a combo of nuts and seeds in the recipe
And if you want to mix up the seed/nut butter try:
- almond butter
- cashew butter
- nutella
- peanut butter
- sunflower seed butter
- tahini
TIP: be sure to use a nut or seed butter that is thick and creamy (not drippy or too chunky), to ensure the recipe turns out.
My favorite sunflower seed butter is this organic Once Again lightly sweetened. It’s also amazing on cinna-raisin toast with banana and toasted seeds/nuts.
My favorite peanut butter is the organic Santa Cruz creamy one, either dark or light roasted. Just be sure to get the one without palm oil (some of the Santa Cruz peanut butters have palm oil).
Let me know if you try this recipe and which combo of ingredients you use. Leave a comment below or tag me on Instagram. I love to see your kitchen magic!
Like chocolate? Check these recipes out…
Kitchen S’Mores
Stuffed Medjool Dates with Dark Chocolate
| Prep Time | 10 minutes |
| Cook Time | 10 minutes |
| Passive Time | 20 minutes |
| Servings |
servings
|
- 1/2 cup coconut shreds or flakes
- 1/4 cup raw sliced almonds
- 1/4 cup raw pistachios
- 1 tbsp hemp seeds
- 1 tbsp chia seeds
- 1 tbsp sesame seeds
- 2 tbsp roasted sunflower seed butter or sub favorite thick nut butter (not a runny one for best results)
- 1 bar Hu Vanilla Quinoa Qrispy bar or 2 oz of your favorite dark chocolate
- 1 generous pinch fine pink salt
Ingredients
|
|
- heat oven to 325°, line a sheet pan with parchment paper
- toast coconut at 325° until lightly browned, about 5 minutes; remove coconut and place in a large bowl
- increase oven temp to 350° and toast nuts until lightly browned, about 10 minutes; add to bowl with coconut, then add all seeds to the same bowl (hemp, chia and sesame)
- meanwhile, chop dark chocolate and melt (this can be done in a microwave safe measuring cup for about 30-45 seconds, or in a double boiler)
- add sunflower seed butter to bowl with nuts/seeds, then add melted chocolate, salt, and mix well; freeze until firm, about 25-30 minutes
- using a spoon or cookie scoop, form mixture into 8 discs
- optional step: you can top Super Star Crunch with extra melted chocolate &/or chopped pistachios for garnish; store in the refrigerator and enjoy at room temperature for the most stellar taste
Original recipe created by Jerran Boyer
www.healthnutchefs.com