Desserts (the making and eating of) are one of my favorite things to do to unwind on the weekend and my go-to place to find recipes is...Instagram. I seriously spend so much time scrolling through my phone searching through endless little Amaro-filtered desert posts. But I always try to make each one unique to me (mostly raw, vegan, won't cause seismic disruptions to my glycemic levels...), so that means substitutions. Here I combined a few recipes to make caramel-covered chocolate almond butter rice crispy treats:

Ingredients

Rice Crispy Treats:

-1/2 cup chunky almond butter

-1/2 cup brown rice syrup

-1 tbsp Earth Balance Original Spread

-1/2 tsp kosher salt

-1 tbsp pure vanilla extract

-3 1/2 cups puffed rice cereal (I like the kind from Nature’s Path)

Chocolate Drizzle:

-1/4-1/2 cup chocolate chips

-1 tbsp almond butter

-pinch of salt

Caramel Topping:

-Tahini

-Halva Spread

-Coconut oil

-Salt

-Coconut nectar

Method

1. Prepare an 8x8-inch square pan by lining with parchment paper.

2. In a large pot over low-medium heat, add the almond butter, brown rice syrup, Earth Balance, and salt. Stir well until combined and heated through. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract.

3. Stir in the puffed rice cereal until thoroughly combined.

4. Scoop into pan and spread evenly by pressing down with your fingers. Place in freezer to set for 5 minutes while you make the chocolate drizzle.

5. In a microwave safe bowl, add the chocolate chips. Microwave for about 60 seconds, stirring after 30 seconds. Be careful not to burn. Stir in the almond butter and pinch of salt.

6. Remove pan from freezer and drizzle or spread with melted chocolate mixture. Place in the freezer until firm, about 15 minutes.

7. Combine all caramel topping ingredients in a blender or, I found it's actually easier to mix in a large bowl to keep the texture on point. (Plus it's easier to taste test!)

8. Top off the cooled, chocolate-covered rice crispy treats with the caramel mixture and put them back in the fridge until settled. Slice into squares. Bars will hold their shape quite well at room temperature, but you can store in the fridge to ensure that everything stays solid in the summer heat.

9. Enjoy!

—Hannah Bronfman

Hannah Bronfman is the co-founder of the Beautified app and documented SoulCycle enthusiast. Follow her other adventures in dessert-ing on Instagram.