Vegan GF Rice Crispy Treats

OHHHHH, HI! Sooooooo I don't know about you but it has been YEARS since I made rice crispy treats. Y-E-A-R-S! I used to make them frequently with lots of butter and even put a buttery layer over the top. I was pretty addicted I think haha! So when I changed my diet about 3 years ago, I eliminated most of the ingredients in regular rice crispy treats. There was no more pans of buttery sweets for me. I actually didn't even think about them or want them until recently. My sister, Heather, made me a veganized pan of them and I was brought back to WHY I love this treat so much. What's better than crispiness, chewiness and buttery sweetness?? NOT MUCH!

You know what's even greater about these? They contain no animal products. The majority of mashmallows contain gelatin, which is ground up animal bones. Mmmmm no thanks! They also are made with cows milk butter. If you don't know the cruelty and dangers in the dairy industry I highly suggest you look up Dairy Is Scary on YouTube.

THESE babies use soy free vegan butter with vegan marshmallows, all of which are non gmo, gluten free and use NO corn syrup! I have not found a vegan brand of mashmallows that are soy free but I'm on the look out! 

While these are by no means a health food and should be for limited special occasions, they are simple and delicious!! My son also drizzled some organic vegan chocolate across the top and we all dug in!

This recipe makes a LARGE batch. This makes a big 9 x 13 pan size THICK squares. If you don't want huge squares and don't have many people eating them, half this recipe!


INGREDIENTS:

• 12 cups organic brown rice cereal
• 2 bags of 10 oz Dandies vegan marshmallows
• 1 cup (8 oz) vegan butter - I used soy free Earth Balance
• OPTIONAL : 1 cup vegan chocolate chips, melted (I used Equal Exchange)

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a large size pan on medium heat, add the butter. Once it is melted, add in the marshmallows and continuously stir the mixture with a silicone spoon until it is fully melted and incorporated. 
2. Once it is all melted, add the rice crispy's 1 cup at a time until everything is evenly covered in marshmallow goodness and it all sticks together. I found this to be quite an arm work out!
3. Remove the pan from heat, and pour the mixture into a 9 x 13 pan. Spread out evenly with your nonstick silicone spoon..
4. Once it is evenly spread out in the pan and set in the thickness you want, make your slices! Serve immediately and store the rest in an air tight container.