Chocolate Rice Crispy Balls

Vegan, high protein, gluten free, refined sugar-free, nut free! Recipe from sweets_you_can_eat on Instagram!

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup raw sunflower seeds
• 1/4 cup raw pumpkin seeds
• 1/4 cup raw sesame seed
• 1 and 1/2 cups crisp brow rice cereal (not puffed cereal and not white)
• 1 cup unsweetened flaked coconut

Cook

• 3/4 cup maple syrup
• 1/2 cup sunflower seed or mixed seed butter
• 1 tbsp vanilla
• Large crystal salt

Chocolate

• 1 cup Hacienda San Jose chocolate, chopped
• 1 tbsp coconut oil
• Large crystal salt

*Makes 16 rice crispy balls*

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees (180 degrees Celsius). On a dry cookie sheet, toast sunflower and pumpkin seeds for 6 minutes (checking regularly so they do not burn). At 6 minutes, add sesame seeds, toast another 4 minutes or until seeds JUST start to brown.
2. In a large bowl, tossed toasted seeds with crispy rice and coconut.
3. In a medium pan cook maple syrup and seed butter on the stove over medium heat. Allow mixture to boil, while stirring constantly for 10 minutes. The maple syrup will boil, losing its liquid to condense into a thick sauce.

4. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla extract immediately. The syrup will bubble and burn off-alcohol in the extract.

5. Working quickly, pour hot syrup over crispy rice seed mixture. Start until evenly coated.

6. Using your hands (I use coconut oil on my hands, so they do not stick), pinch off 2 tablespoons of dough, roll into balls until you have used all batter. Place balls in freezer for 20 minutes.

7. Chocolate: combine chocolate and coconut oil in a microwave safe bowl and microwave for 1 minute at a time. Remove, stir to combine into a glossy, smooth chocolate coating.

8. Remove balls from freezer and placed on clean parchment paper. Hold in your hand and dip the top into the melted chocolate. Or swirl chocolate over balls. Press a little salt into chocolate to stick. Allow dipped balls to harden in minutes.

9.