Hippie Crispy Treats + A Fair Trade Giveaway
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
Aptly described in Food52 Baking as “what happens when your favorite childhood dessert grows up, goes to college, and joins a commune,” hippie crispy treats take 10 minutes to assemble, call for healthy-ish ingredients, and are completely irresistible.
Friends, it’s October, the month we celebrate all things Fair Trade. Many of you know what Fair Trade means, but to review:
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- • Fair Trade helps farmers (more than 1.2 million worldwide) in developing countries build
sustainable businesses
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- >that positively influence their communities.
• Products that bear the Fair Trade logo come from farmers and workers who are justly compensated.
• Fair Trade ensures that farmers follow internationally monitored environmental standards and also provides financial incentives and resources for organic conversion, reforestation, water conservation and environmental education.
• Fair Trade empowers women to play an active role in their families and in their co-ops by starting businesses with guaranteed access to health care, certain job rights and freedom from harassment. Fair Trade certification ensures that women have a voice, a vote, and a leadership role in the community.
• Fair Trade supports education with revenues set aside to build schools and maintain enrollment.
To help tell the stories about the people behind their food, Fair Trade has reached out to bloggers and paired each with a farmer. Meet my match: Maria Elva Correa Torres, a coffee farmer & member of the Cenacor Cooperative in Peru:
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- Maria Elva Correa Torres, 40, knits an alforja, or market bag, inside her home along with her four-year old son Yerson. Maria Elva is a member of the local Agua Azul chapter of coffee co-op ASPRO along with her husband Primitivo Hernandez Cueva, who is the president of the local chapter.
Maria Elva joined as a coffee producer in 2012. “I saw all the benefits my female neighbors were achieving through the Cafe Femenino program,” states Maria Elva, “that I decided to join as well. With the Fair Trade prize money, I plan to startup a small venture selling groceries at the Sunday market. Usually only a husband or a wife are members of the coffee co-op, but we are making the efforts to get ahead and help our four children study, so the efforts are worth it.”
Maria Elva and Primitivo have four children aged 23, 17, 14 and 4.
Finally, attention Pinners: These Hippie Crispy Treats are entered in a Fair Trade Pinterest competition – if you feel like participating, pin it from the Fair Trade pinboard.
UPDATE: GIVEAWAY IS CLOSED: Winner is Gabriella. The contents of the giveaway are pictured at the end of the post. Please leave a comment to enter the giveaway. Thank you to Fair Trade and to all of the Fair Trade vendors for donating the contents of this giveaway!
These treats take no time to assemble. Boil maple syrup and rice syrup for a minute, then add almond butter, coconut oil, chocolate and sea salt:
Pour it over crispy rice cereal:
Dump it in a parchment-lined pan:
Press it down:
Cover it with a layer of ganache and a sprinkling of sea salt, then stash in the fridge to set up:
Meanwhile, have your helpers clean up:
After an hour or so, cut the block into squares:
Hippie Crispy Treats
- Total Time: 1 hours 25 minutes
- Yield: 16 servings
Description
Source: Food52 Baking: 60 Sensational Treats You Can Pull Off in a Snap originally from The Bojon Gourmet, who makes hundreds of them every summer to feed her fellow hippies at a music camp in Northern California. I want to go to band camp.
Ingredients
for the bars:
- ½ cup (120 ml) maple syrup
- ½ cup (120 ml) brown rice syrup
- ½ cup (130 g) almond butter
- ½ cup (3⅓ oz | 95 g) chopped bittersweet (70%) chocolate
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 4 cups (110 g) crisp rice cereal
for the topping:
- ½ cup (3⅓ oz | 95 g) chopped bittersweet (70%) chocolate
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil
- ¼ cup (25 g) toasted sliced almonds
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
Instructions
- Line an 8-inch square pan with parchment paper, allowing it to drape over the edges.
- In a small saucepan, bring the maple and rice syrups to a rolling boil for 1 minute, stirring frequently with a heatproof spatula or wooden spoon (be careful not to let it boil over). Remove from the heat and stir in the nut butter, ½ cup chocolate, 2 tablespoons coconut oil, and ¼ teaspoon fine salt until everything is smooth and the chocolate is melted. Place the rice cereal in a large bowl and pour the syrup mixture over top. Stir to combine, then pack the mixture firmly and evenly into the lined pan (you may want to dampen your fingers to prevent sticking).
- To make the topping, in a small saucepan melt the remaining ½ cup chocolate and 2 tablespoons coconut oil together over very low heat, stirring constantly just until melted (be careful not to scorch the chocolate). Pour the chocolate mixture over the rice mixture, spreading it smooth. Sprinkle the nuts (if using) and flaky salt over the top. Let the bars set at room temperature (about 2 hours) or in the refrigerator (about 1 hour) until firm.
- Use the edges of the parchment paper to lift the bars out of the pan and cut into 16 squares. These treats are best the day they are made. They will keep at room temperature for several days, though the cereal will soften slightly. (I’ve been storing mine in the fridge.)
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
Giveaway contents. Thank you again to: Wholesome! | barkThins | nutiva | LARABAR | SUNSPIRE | Cascadian Farm | Lake Champlain Chocolates | NUMi | FRONTIER | BAREFOOT & Chocolate | ALTER ECO | truRoots | S&D COFEE & TEA | Spectrum
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
132 Comments on “Hippie Crispy Treats + A Fair Trade Giveaway”
Lovely giveaway!
awesome love fair trade
i love posts like this–we should all be more aware!
what a wonderful giveaway!
these bars look amazing. i was actually nervous that they’d be the typical make-you-own-granola-bar thing, but they are actually a TREAT! yay!
mmm, the treats and the giveaway contents all look so yummy!
yum to some hippy crispy treats and great giveaway
So informative! Thank you!
What a wonderful way to increase awareness!
Thank you for informing me. I have always wondered exactly what fair trade means. Now I know!
These looks delish!! I just made (almost) the exact dessert- difference is a caramelized the rice krispies till golden amber and spread out to cool… then broke up and added the chocolate topping… very good indeed.
thanks for your great work – I am thrilled when I see the new post in my email!!
Anne
These seem perfect for a weekday indulgence!
Yum! I made these for some carpenters doing work around the house. The weather has turned cold, and they were very appreciative of some hot coffee and the goodies!
these bars look delish, thanks for such an awesome giveaway & the info about fair trade.
Yumm! Will have to try these soon
Love the flavor coconut oil gives to melted chocolate. Great recipe and giveaway, glad I finally know exactly what fair trade means!
These look delicious! Can’t wait to try them.
And I hope I win!
I never knew the meaning of fair trade, it was just a buzzword to me until reading this beautifully descriptive post. Great giveaway and a yummy “hippie” treat to make. ?
Thanks to Fair Trade Campaigns for all the work you do. You’re making a difference.
These treats look really good. I’ll have to try them!
The bars look amazing – definitely trying this weekend and thanks for putting a face on Fair Trade. Looking forward to updates on Maria Elva too.
Thank you for another inspired post Alexandra! These look delectable and are on my “to make” list.
Love the use of natural sweeteners to create this bar! Total sucker for dark chocolate. Thanks for the post!
Pick me!
These look so good! Is it possible to send one out right now I’m really hungry! Can’t wait to try them.
First of all, the partnering is a great way to hear stories we wouldn’t normally hear! Secondly, fair trade is such a delicious way to expand our food choices and palate. Thirdly, even if you don’t win the featured products, you must go out and try the barkTHINS!! My husband and I LOVE the dark chocolate and ginger and my knees went weak after the first bite. I’ve even crumbled it up and put it in my brownies!!
Lovely treats. I support Fair Trade products:)
Thanks so much for the yummy bar recipes! I like so much about Fair Trades… And I think it is so awesome how it empowers woman!
Oh goodness yum… I shall be making these. Also, being aware of where your ingredients come from is just so important – I love being to able to support Fair Trade / local.
It all looks delicious…love the bloggers and the giveaways!
I can’t wait to make these. Can these be made without the topping?