square - “Better”finger Bars

By tinathorn

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup agave (Honey works, but it’s not for strict vegans and will also add a slight honey flavor. Corn syrup will also work, and commenters have said brown rice syrup or pure maple syrup work as well.) (60g)
• 1 tbsp molasses (regular, or blackstrap for bars high in iron. Or omit and increase agave to 1/3 cup. The taste will be slightly less authentic without the molasses.) (15g)
• 3 1/2 tbsp xylitol or sugar, or evaporated cane juice (40g) (Texture will be a little less toffee-like, but still just as delicious, if using xylitol.)
• 1 cup peanut butter (crunchy or creamy) (225g) (Almond or cashew butter will work; the flavor just won’t be as close to that of the popular candy bar.)
• 1 1/2 cups bran flakes (or cornflakes or another flake cereal) (56g)
• 1/8 tsp salt (plus a little extra if using unsalted peanut butter)
• optional topping: 2/3 cup chocolate chips or 1/4 cup virgin coconut oil mixed with 1/4 cup cocoa powder and vanilla stevia drops or liquid sweetener to taste

Details

Adapted from chocolatecoveredkatie.com

Preparation

Step 1

Combine first three ingredients in a small saucepan, and bring to a boil on medium heat. Boil about a minute, stirring constantly, then remove from heat. Add the peanut butter and salt, and stir until it makes a paste. Add the cereal and stir very well to coat, partially crushing the cereal flakes as you stir. Make sure the flakes are very evenly coated. Press into an 8×8 pan—either lined with wax or parchment paper, or greased very well—and freeze until completely hardened. (Cut into bars while only somewhat frozen, or thaw the block a little before cutting.) If you wish to cover in chocolate (they’re good even without it), you can cover them at any time—either pre-cutting or post-cutting. Simply melt the chocolate chips over low heat, stirring constantly until smooth, or mix the coconut oil with the sweetener and cocoa. Then spread over the bars with a spatula and re-freeze to harden. Store in the freezer for optimum “snap.” Makes 12-16 “betterfinger” bars.