Maple Peanut Butter Crispy Treats

Ian would make a good hand model, wouldn't he?

Sweet treats + Super easy recipe = Danger ahead

Case in point: Paula Deen.  The recipe below may not be one of hers, but I love Miss Paula anyway.  I love her big white hair, I love her comical proclivity for butter, and I love the way her thick Savannah accent makes words like "oil" have one syllable and words like "pen" have two.  And she has a special talent for simplifying should-be-hard-to-make-food, like the time she showed me how to make donuts with three ingredients:  peanut oil, cinnamon sugar, and store-bought biscuit dough.  Tempted by sweet treats and fearing for my waistline, I watched that episode with the same astonishment as Dr. Frankenstein looking at his beautiful and horrific monster creation. 

Well go ahead and call me a culinary James Bond because I love these kind of dangerously easy recipes.  I obviously can't eat any of Paula's butter-rich recipes during our 30-Day Vegan Challenge, but I've found some great alternatives.  Here's a dangerously easy (and vegan!) treat adapted from Heidi Swanson's website 101 Cookbooks.  

Maple Peanut Butter Crispy Treats

3/4 cup peanut butter
3/4 cup maple syrup
1 teaspoon salt

1 cup vegan (or regular) marshmallows
4 cups crisp brown rice cereal



1. Combine the peanut butter, maple syrup, salt, and marshmallows in large saucepan over low heat until fully melted, smooth, and bubbling a little bit.

2.  Mix in the rice cereal until well coated.

3.  Scoop 1-2 tablespoons onto wax paper.  Let cool and enjoy!