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    Salted Plains » Recipes » Cookies & Bars

    Healthy Star Crunch (Gluten-Free, Vegan)

    Published: Oct 17, 2019 by Tessa · This post may contain affiliate links · 6 Comments

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    Healthy Star Crunch made with brown rice cereal, dairy-free chocolate, and date caramel. Your favorite classic treat with better ingredients! Gluten-free, vegan.

    Healthy Star CrunchThere are certain treats from childhood that bring full-on nostalgia. Dirt cake, crunch bars, and pudding cups are a few of such sweet treats that I've recreated here on the blog. 

    Little Debbie star crunch had quite the moment when I was in 6th grade. If there was a snack that everyone was eating, you bet those individually wrapped star crunch were it.

    Star Crunch

    What is a Star Crunch?

    If your 6th-grade experience did not include star crunch mania, let me explain the appeal.

    The original store-bought version of a star crunch was a chewy cookie made of caramel, crispy rice, and milk chocolate. 

    A closer look at those ingredients and you've got corn syrup, wheat flour, palm kernel oil, sugar, whey, and malt barley flour. Not as desirable or gluten-free in that light. 

    Star Crunch Treats

    Healthy Star Crunch Ingredients

    So, in playing with the important elements that give this old-school snack its magic—caramel, crispy rice, and chocolate—I found some alternative ingredients that are equally delicious.

    Here's what you'll need: 

    • gluten-free brown rice cereal
    • dairy-free chocolate chips
    • Medjool dates
    • unsweetened almond or coconut milk
    • maple syrup
    • pure vanilla extract

    Star CrunchFor this healthier version, I swapped butter and sugar-laden caramel for date caramel. Just like with date paste, by blending Medjool dates, maple syrup, almond milk, and vanilla extract, you get a sweet golden sauce. 

    (Dates can make the easiest on-the-go snacks too like these chocolate energy balls or this granola with almonds!)

    It's likely you'll never go back to regular caramel.

    By folding the date caramel and melted dairy-free chocolate in with the brown rice cereal, all that's left to do is drop and mold your cookies and set them in the fridge to chill.

    The outcome is a chewy, crispy, chocolate cookie. And you'll be reaching for more. 

    If you like these crispy rice cookies, you'll love my chocolate rice crispy treats!

    Healthy Star CrunchIn speaking about nostalgic snacks and treats, this gluten-free candy list from a Dash of Megnut gives you a helpful breakdown as Halloween approaches!

    More Gluten-Free Chocolate Snacks

    Coconut Chocolate Chex Mix

    Chocolate-Covered Almond Butter Stuffed Dates

    📖 Recipe

    Healthy Star Crunch

    Healthy Star Crunch

    Healthy Star Crunch made with brown rice cereal, dairy-free chocolate, and date caramel. Your favorite classic treat with better ingredients! Gluten-free, vegan.
    5 from 3 votes
    Print Pin Rate Save Saved!
    Course: Dessert, Snack
    Cuisine: American
    Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes
    Chill: 2 hours hours
    Total Time: 2 hours hours 15 minutes minutes
    Servings: 18 servings
    Calories: 111kcal
    Author: Tessa

    Ingredients

    • 1 cup dairy-free chocolate chips 195 g
    • 2 ½ cups gluten-free brown rice cereal 88 g
    • 2 teaspoons coconut oil

    Date Caramel

    • 1 cup Medjool dates, halved and pitted
    • ¼ teaspoon salt
    • ⅓ cup coconut milk or unsweetened almond milk
    • ⅓ cup maple syrup
    • ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

    Instructions

    • Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
    • Slice your dates and cover them in a small bowl with hot water. Allow to soak for at least 5 minutes. Once soaked, drain and transfer dates to a high powered blender. Add salt, coconut milk, maple syrup, and vanilla extract. Blend on high until smooth.
    • Place chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave at 30 second intervals, stirring after each, until chocolate chips are almost entirely melted. Add coconut oil to chocolate. Stir until remaining chocolate chips and coconut oil have melted. Allow chocolate to cool for 2 minutes.
    • Place brown rice cereal in a large bowl. Add a ½ cup of the date caramel followed by the melted chocolate to the rice cereal. Using a large spoon or spatula, gently fold mixture until rice cereal is completely coated.
    • Using a tablespoon, scoop rice mixture and place onto prepared baking sheet. Use your fingers to help form a tight disc. Press down on top of each disc slightly (using a small piece of parchment helps here). Mixture might seem crumbly, but once chilled it will set. Continue in even rows until all of rice mixture has been used.
    • Place baking sheets in the refrigerator for star crunch to chill and set for at least 2 hours.
    • Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature or in the refrigerator.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 111kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 34mg | Potassium: 83mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 12IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 26mg | Iron: 1mg
    Tried this Recipe? Tag me Today!Mention @SaltedPlains or tag #saltedplains!
    « Gluten-Free Apple Cobbler with Oat Flour Biscuits
    Easy Gluten-Free Pumpkin Muffins (Vegan) »

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. suzi

      May 29, 2022 at 10:05 am

      5 stars
      I made this last nite but wondered if I misunderstood the instructions somehow... so make a cup of caramel but only use half? did I do it right? HELP PLEASE!! THX!!

      Reply
      • Tessa

        May 29, 2022 at 12:51 pm

        Hi! Just a 1/2 cup is needed for the recipe. The extra can be saved in the refrigerator and used with fruit, on ice cream, and anything else! :) There needs to be enough for the blender to work and purée the date caramel, so it does make extra than needed.

        Reply
    2. Liz

      September 28, 2021 at 7:11 pm

      5 stars
      These look delish!

      Reply
      • Tessa

        September 30, 2021 at 11:26 am

        Thank you!

        Reply
      • Jonathan

        March 17, 2022 at 5:19 pm

        Hi your recipe looks incredible...as I am allergic to wheat and corn ...and wanted to mak star crunch with less ingredients and more wholesome

        Can I sub date sweetener instead of making the caramel with dates and then add the coconut or unsweetened almond milk and potato vodka vanilla extract

        Thanks 💖💝,

        Reply
        • Tessa

          March 21, 2022 at 5:04 pm

          Hello! That might work just fine. If you try it that way, I would recommend using less date sweetener and adding more as needed since the consistency will be different than the date caramel.

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    Hi, I'm Tessa! I create gluten-free, real food recipes that are approachable and delicious.

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