My favorite thing about this super fun Chocolate Covered Tart Cherry Rice Crispy Treats recipe is that they’re so darn easy. And you don’t have to bake them. And they’re perfect for you and your hunny (or just you, do your thang!) to munch on this Valentine’s Day. And they only have seven ingredients. How many things was that? This easy homemade rice crispy treat recipe is also completely kid-friendly in that the little ones will love not just eating these bars of glory, but helping to make them, too! They were inspired by these Peppermint Rice Crispy Treats from last year. Have you made them? So delish! I’m so pumped to be partnering with The Cherry Marketing Institute on a series of recipes this year featuring Montmorency tart cherries. Also known as sour cherries, Montmorency tart cherries are available year round in dried, juice, juice concentrate, frozen, and canned forms. Did you know the tart taste and gorgeous ruby red color comes from the anthocyanins inside? Those flavonoids are also to thank for health-promoting properties like helping reduce muscle soreness, ease arthritis pain by reducing inflammation, and supporting heart and digestive health. I freaking love it! Perhaps the most beloved health-promoting property of Montmorency tart cherries is that they contain melatonin, a natural hormone that helps regulate sleep. That’s right—we’ve got the most yummy bedtime snack on the planet for ya right here! Montmorency tart cherries are grown primarily in seven U.S states including Michigan, Utah, Washington, New York, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Oregon. I encourage you to support local agriculture and preserve generations of US family farms by steering clear of imported cherries. With all the extra tart cherries you’ll have on hand after making these rice crispy treats, you can enjoy the unique flavor and potential health benefits of nature’s very own sweet tart as a toast topper, with oatmeal, on yogurt, or all by their lonesome. When it comes to this rice crispy treats recipe, you can use any crispy rice cereal you fancy (white or brown rice), just not puffed rice. Make sure your almond butter is the kind that’s nice and drippy versus hard so the mixture comes together nicely. I love honey here because it helps these treats stick together (the boiling step is critical). I haven’t tried them with maple syrup so try at your own risk! This recipe comes together in a cinch. Simply mix the boiled honey and almond butter mixture with the rice cereal and cocoa powder (I like to add extra tart cherries to the mix!), press the mixture reeeeeeal well into the lined pan, drizzle with melty chocolate and tart cherries, and freeze. Slice. Eat. Repeat. Now let’s get cooking. There’s chocolate to be devoured!
