Boo! Just like that it’s Halloween, the time of cobwebs, candy, and creepy crawlies. And there’s nothing I love more this time of year than festive treats that are super spooky, but actually super cute. You know, those fun Halloween themed desserts inspired by something scary and made into an adorable edible creation. I call it “spook cute”. And these Rice Crispy Creeps are exactly that. It’s a batch of my Tahini Rice Crispy Treats all dressed up in their best Halloween costumes ready to to join your Halloween festivities!
How These Are Made
These Rice Crispy Creeps are super fun and easy to make! The inside is made with a batch of my Tahini Rice Crispy Treats, which are the perfect delicious filling for these creepy bars. The base comes together incredibly quickly, then chilled in the freezer to firm up. Then all that’s left to do is decorate the crispy rice bars! And really, you can decorate them in any way you like! I was tempted to do a couple with a cobweb design, but felt that was a little above my drawing capabilities. To make these mummies and Frankenstein’s monsters, I melted vegan white chocolate baking chips and coated most of the crispy rice treats. If you can tolerate dairy, feel free to use regular white chocolate chips instead. Once the white chocolate has set in the freezer, I mummified the bars by drizzling white chocolate lines over the base, and topped them with candy eyes I grabbed from Michael’s. For Frankenstein’s monster, I added about 1 tsp of matcha to the remaining white chocolate to create a natural green color without using any dyes or artificial colors. I use and love the matcha by Soar Organics (code: Freshly15) and used their Everyday Matcha in this recipe. Once I coated the bars green, I added the candy eyes, and made the mouths and hair with melted dark chocolate. The whole process was super easy and very fun! I’m not the most deft decorator, so if I can make these spook cute treats, you can too!
Some Tips On Decorating
These are super easy to make and, really, you don’t need too many extra tools to make them. There are, however, a few things that will make the whole process slightly easier.
Decorating Tools: I purchased this small set of decorating tools on Amazon a little while ago, and I must say, they come in handy way more than I anticipated. The offset spatula is perfect for helping spread the coating onto the sides of the bars. And the drawing spoons are a great way to drizzle thin lines of chocolate with much more control than you would achieve with a regular spoon.
Chocolate Details: I used a squeeze bottle to make the chocolate details on the monster’s face. I find this to be the easiest method as it gives the most control over the chocolate. Alternatively, you can use a frosting bag with a small tip attachment. Or put the cooled melted chocolate in a small ziplock bag and make a tiny hole in the bottom corner for an easy replacement.
Temperature: Temperature really matters when it comes to candy making. I find that it’s easiest to keep things in the freezer as much as possible, which often means working in batches. This makes the coating and decorating process much easier because it helps maintain the shape of the rice crispy treats and allows the chocolate to set quicker. Along the same lines, melted chocolate that is allowed to cool for several minutes before use makes the chocolate thicker and easier to handle. You will have more control over the chocolate rather than a drippy mess.
Freezer Space: To quickly set the chocolate, the bars are placed in the freezer. Before you start, check that your freezer has enough free space to accommodate a cutting board, baking sheet, or other flat surface where you can set the bars between batches.
Vegan vs. Regular White Chocolate: I made a batch with both vegan white chocolate baking chips and conventional (dairy) white chocolate chips. While the batch made with vegan white chocolate chips were fine, it was a little trickier to work with, it was a little more oily when melted and took two layers to give it a fully coated appearance. The regular white chocolate was much easier to work with but does not have as favorable ingredients as the vegan one.
As much as I love the outside of these Crispy Creeps, as with most things in life, it’s what’s on the inside that counts. And these have a rice crispy filling that will make you scream! (With joy.) Honestly, I cut off much of the sides to make more rectangular shapes, but really, it was a thinly veiled excuse to munch on the tasty innards whilst decorating. My Tahini Rice Crispy Treats can be made in under 10 minutes, have only 5 ingredients, and are so incredibly tasty you are sure to sneak gobs of the cereal mixture as you’re pressing it into the pan. Which is perfectly safe because these are vegan! I use crispy brown rice cereal and make a simple tahini maple caramel-like mixture to bind it all together. I love them with tahini, but feel free to use any nut/seed butter you like!
These Rice Crispy Creeps are a healthier Halloween treat you can feel good about enjoying! They are made better-for-you as they contain no refined flours or oils, no artificial colors or dyes, are vegan, dairy free, and nut free. Happy Halloween friends!
gluten free, dairy free, vegan
If you make this recipe, share your experience with others by leaving a review or rating down below. And I’d LOVE to see your creation! Please tag me on Instagram @freshlydafna and use #freshlydafna.
Rice Crispy Creeps
The perfect Halloween treat but with a healthy twist! These are made with brown rice crispy cereal and bound together with a caramel-like tahini and maple syrup mixture. They are super easy to make and made with ingredients you can feel good about eating! Decorated with simple ingredients and no artificial colors or dyes!
vegan, nut free
Ingredients
Rice Crispy Bars
- 4 1/2 cups crispy brown rice cereal
- 1 1/4 cup tahini, well stirred before measuring see notes for subs
- 1/2 cup maple syrup see notes for subs
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
Decorating Ingredients
- 2 cups white chocolate chips vegan or regular
- 1-2 tsp matcha or spirulina powder
- 1/4 cup dark chocolate chips or chunks
- 1/2 tsp coconut oil
- candy eyes optional
Instructions
Prepare an 8 or 9 inch square baking dish by lining with parchment paper leaving a short overhang over the edges.
Add the tahini and maple syrup to a small pot and heat over medium low heat. Stir often and cook until it just starts to bubble slightly, about 2-3 minutes. The mixture should be smooth, slightly thick, and turn a slight golden brown. Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla and sea salt, set aside.
Place the crispy rice cereal in a large bowl. Carefully pour the tahini mixture over the rice cereal and, using a rubber stapula, stir gently to coat.
Once thoroughly mixed, pour the cereal mixture into the prepared dish and spread out into an even layer.
Press the mixture down firmly into the dish by either using the heel of your palm or by placing another piece of parchment paper over the top and pressing down firmly all over. The more packed down, the better.
Place in the freezer to firm. The longer the better but a minimum of 20 minutes. Once the rice crispy treats have cooled, cut into desired shapes. Place bars on large plate, cutting board, or baking sheet lined with parchment paper and place back in the freezer.
Melt the white chocolate chips by heating in short 5 second bursts in the microwave or over a double boiler. Once chocolate has mostly melted, stir well until chocolate is shiny and smooth. Let cool slightly.
For the mummies: Dip the bottom of half the bars in the white chocolate and place on the parchment lined baking sheet. Spoon white chocolate on the top of the bar and, using a spatula or spoon, push the white chocolate over the edges and smooth the surface of each side to full coat each bar. Apply additional chocolate to the top if necessary to fully coat. Rock the parchment paper or baking sheet back and forth to help create an even layer of white chocolate. Repeat with remaining bars. Let the coating set by placing bars in the freezer. Once the coating layer has set, use a drawing spoon or fork to drizzle white chocolate in a back and forth motion to create the mummy wrapping. Add the eyes and place in the freezer to set fully.
For Frankenstein's monsters: Add 1 tsp of matcha powder (or 1/4 tsp spirulina powder) to the remaining white chocolate and stir to combine. Add, in small amounts, additional powder if necessary to achieve the desired green color. (The amount of matcha you add will vary depending on the color of the matcha used.) Coat the remaining rice crispy bars with the green colored white chocolate in the same method as above. Place candy eyes on the green coating and place in the freezer. In a small bowl, melt the dark chocolate with the coconut oil in short 5 second bursts in the microwave, or over a double boiler, and stir until shiny and smooth. Using a squeeze bottle, frosting bag with fine tip, or a plastic ziplock with small hole made (just be sure the chocolate has cooled sufficiently) in one corner, draw on chocolate hair, mouth, and maybe even a surgery scar on the surface to create the face.
Once all the chocolate and designs has set fully, they are ready to spook!
Recipe Notes
Substitutes/Variations:
Tahini - Be sure to use a tahini that is thin and not too paste-like. Some alternatives to tahini are sunflower seed butter, almond butter, or peanut butter. Ideally use one with a thinner texture and contains only 1 ingredient.
Maple Syrup - Any liquid sweetener will do. Honey, agave, or coconut syrup are all good options.
Storage:
These can be keep at room temperature for about a day or so, store in an airtight container. Afterwards, they can be moved to the freezer for longer storage.
Decorating Tips:
Helpful Tools (affiliate links): Food decorating set, squeeze bottles, parchment paper
If you do not have candy eyes, just create eyes with the melted dark chocolate!
For more helpful tips on decorating, see notes in post.
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