I was never given store bought sweets to eat when little. Granted Mum and Dad couldn’t afford little luxuries, yet I think they didn’t want us to get in the habit of buying sweets whenever we wanted. So it wasn’t until I met my husband that I became aware of sweets like Snickers, Mars bars, Twix and found I wasn’t overly fond of their excessive sweetness. Instead, I’d make sweets at home for our children for treats on the weekend.

Health benefits:

·       Eating peanuts and peanut butter suppresses hunger without leading to weight gain.

·       Studies found peanuts lowered the risk of cardiovascular and coronary heart disease.

·       People getting the most niacin from foods were 70 percent less likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease. Peanuts are one of the foods the highest in niacin.

CHOCOLATY RICE PUFFS

Makes 20 cookies

PB, V, DF, GF

1 cup (340 g) maple syrup

1 cup (340 g) honey or rice malt syrup

1 cup (250 g) peanut butter

1 cup (170 g) dark chocolate, chopped

¼ cup (62 ml.) coconut oil

8 cups (120 g) rice puffs

½ cup (60 g) hempseed

1 cup (160 g) dark chocolate chips

pinch of flaky salt

In a saucepan, melt the maple syrup, peanut butter, dark chocolate and coconut oil over a low heat. Stir constantly until all the ingredients are melted and combined. Add the rice puffs, hempseed, dark chocolate chips and flaky salt to a large bowl and mix. Gradually add the melted ingredients and stir until combined. *Grease an 32 x 25 cm enamel pan, pour the mixture into it and smooth and press down with the back of a spoon until the mixture is firmly packed. Chill in the fridge for an hour. Cut into small squares and store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

*alternately press into a silicon muffin pans and chill in the fridge