Replace Additive Laden LCMs with These Chewy Caramel Rice Bars

LCM bars are popular in lunchboxes but they also have, on average, almost 2 teaspoons of sugar per bar. Hardly the sort of food to help with concentration in class. This refined sugar-free version includes a dose of protein and good fats and has been kid-approved at Lithgow’s Halloween 15 Festival (and by my own 2 of course!). I modeled this version off I Quit Sugar and Wholefood Simply – both are great sites for healthy refined sugar-free recipes.

Caramel Rice Bars

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Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Chilling Time: 2 hours hours

Total Time: 2 hours hours 10 minutes minutes

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Servings: 8 bars

Ingredients

• 4 cups puffed rice
• 30 g butter
• ½ cup tahini use a little less than 1/2 cup if your children aren’t used to the taste of tahini
• ½ cup rice malt syrup
• 2 tsp vanilla bean powder or extract
• pinch salt

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

• Heat a frying pan over medium heat.
• Toast puff rice in the dry frying pan – one cup at a time. Shake the pan to move them around and be careful – they can burn quickly. You just want them to get a little crunchy. Set aside in a large bowl.
• Melt the butter.
• Add the tahini, rice malt syrup, vanilla extract and salt. Stir over heat until it creates a thick caramel sauce.
• Allow sauce to cool slightly.
• Pour sauce over the toasted puff rice, and stir through until it’s all coated.
• Line a lamington or similar tin with baking paper.
• Turn the coated puffed rice into the tin and press into the tin quite firmly. You can use the back of a spoon to do this.
• Put in fridge for about 2 hours for it to firm up.
• Remove from the tin and cut into suitably sized bars for your lunchbox. I tend to make these more squares than bars.

Notes

Store in an airtight container in the fridge. They will be quite hard straight from the fridge but become chewy the longer they are out of the fridge. They can also be frozen and still maintain the same chewy texture in the lunchbox when they defrost.

Variations

• Add some cacao to the butter mixture to create a chocolate version.
• Add some mini chocolate chips or cacao crunch to the mix to create a choc chip version.
• Add some peanut butter to the tahini mixture for a peanut butter version (not for at school).

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Course Appetizer, Breakfast, Dessert, Freezer Friendly, School Lunches, Snack, Special Occasion - Kids Party

Cuisine American

Keyword Caramel, rice puffs

Allergy FODMAP Friendly, Gluten Free, Legume Free, Nightshade Free, Nut Free, Peanut Free, Refined Sugar Free, Soy Free, Wheat Free

Value Halal, Kosher, Vegan, Vegetarian

Author: Belinda Smith

Caramel Rice Bar Variations

Add some cacao to the butter mixture to create a chocolate version.

Add some mini chocolate chips or cacao crunch to the mix to create a choc chip version.

Add some peanut butter to the tahini mixture for a peanut butter version (not for at school).

Find more healthy, wholefood, kid-friendly recipes on Bel’s website, The Root Cause.

Share your healthy lunchbox creations with us on Instagram with #myTWC