Chocolaty, crunchy and easy to make, these No Bake Chocolate Crunch Bars are made with puffed rice cereal, chocolate chips and good-for-you ingredients like pepitas for a delicious treat!
Do you remember those chocolate crunch bars from your childhood? Me too! Today I’m making a healthy-ish, no-bake, grown up version of that crunch candy bar and I just know you’re going to love it! Some of my favorite things about it are:
- it’s very chocolaty
- super crunchy
- it’s made with a hint of cayenne because I love spice with my chocolate
- and did I mention it’s sort of healthy-ish?!
That’s right, thanks to the combination of flax seeds, chia seeds and pepitas (pumpkin seeds), I’m going to go ahead and call these crunch bars a little healthy! Plus, chocolate is full of antioxidants which are healthy, right? It’s practically a health food. 🙂
Ingredients you’ll need for that chocolaty crunch factor
The most common ingredients in homemade crunch bars are melted chocolate and puffed cereal, but since I’m making it with a fun twist, here are some of the other goodies you’ll need.
- milk chocolate and semi-sweet chocolate chips
- puffed rice cereal
- chia seeds, flax seeds, roasted pepitas
- chili powder, cayenne, sea salt
All of these ingredients are easy to find at most grocery stores, so you shouldn’t have any trouble finding them!
Once you’ve got all of your ingredients ready to go, here’s what to do.
How to make chocolate crunch bars
- In a small bowl, combine chia seeds and flax seeds. Remove 2 tablespoons of the mixture and place it in a separate small bowl to use for the topping.
- Melt the chocolate in a large bowl in the microwave.
- Add the chia and flax seed mixture, puffed rice cereal, chili powder and cayenne to the melted chocolate. Fold together until fully combined.
- Pour it into a 9×9 square baking dish lined with parchment paper. Sprinkle the reserved chia and flax seed mixture on top as well as the pepitas and sea salt.
- Cover and refrigerate for 10 minutes, or until the chocolate has set. Cut into 16 squares and enjoy.
Chocolate crunch bar variations and substitutions
If you’re not a fan of spice with your chocolate or if you’re making this for little kids, you can omit the chili powder and cayenne.
If you don’t have a 9×9 baking dish or if you think the crunch bars are a little too thick, you can use a larger baking dish to make it a little thinner like a candy bar. Just be sure to line the pan with parchment paper so the chocolate doesn’t stick.
If you don’t have flax seeds, you can use all chia seeds instead. Likewise, if you don’t have chia seeds, you can use all flaxseeds instead.
Don’t have flax or chia seeds? That’s okay! You can use any small seeds you like. Some good ones would be sesame seeds, hemp seeds and poppy seeds.
How to store your crunch bars
If you’ve got some bars left over, you can store them on the kitchen counter in an airtight container or in the fridge for up to 3 weeks.
You can also freeze them for up to 3 months so you can have a treat anytime you like! Just place them in a freezer-safe bag and put them in the freezer. When you’re ready to eat one, I recommend thawing it overnight in the fridge.
More recipes you’ll love
- Sopapilla Cheesecake Bars
- No Bake Easy Fudge Recipe
- Chocolate Covered Almond Butter Balls
- Fruit Salsa with Cinnamon Chips
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup chia seeds
- 1/4 cup flax seeds
- 2 cups milk chocolate chips
- 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
- 1 1/2 cups puffed rice cereal
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
- 4 tablespoons roasted pepitas
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- Line an 9×9 square baking dish with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, combine chia seeds and flax seeds. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the mixture and place in another small bowl. Set aside.
- In a large microwave-safe bowl, add milk chocolate and semisweet chocolate chips. Microwave on high in 30-second increments, stirring after each increment, until the chocolate is completely melted.
- Add the seed mixture, puffed rice cereal, chili powder and cayenne to the melted chocolate. Gently fold together until fully combined.
- Pour chocolate mixture into prepared baking dish. Sprinkle the reserved seed mixture on top as well as the pepitas and sea salt. Cover and refrigerate for 10 minutes, until the chocolate has set.
- Cut into 16 squares and enjoy.
Isabel’s Tips:
- To store, place them in an airtight container. They’ll keep on the kitchen counter or in the fridge for up to 3 weeks.
- To freeze, place them in a freezer-safe bag and put them in the freezer. When you’re ready to eat one, I recommend thawing it overnight in the fridge.
- Recipe adapted from Real Simple magazine.
Nutrition Information
i made this before without chile and cayenne pepper. It was fantastic but initially so sweet after a couple of days the sweetness seemed to mellow out and it was even better after a few days…I will make two batches today one without and one with chile…but what of kind of red? I usually buy spices in those little 99 cent packets: El Guapo or La Fiesta. I’m in Los Angeles and will be able to find a specific kind. Isabel, all your recipes are excellent. Im a 3rd generation Mexican American and most of our parents and aunts are now deceased and so your recipes are really helping us keep these flavors alive! I will make the calabasa emp
anadas too!
Thank you so much, Helen! It makes me so happy to hear that these recipes remind you of family 🙂 That’s what it’s all about! So I just used a generic chili powder that you find at most grocery stores, like McCormick brand. But if you want to get specific, you can use ancho chili powder. I think that’ll give it a nice depth of flavor without being too hot.