If you spend your hard earned cash on shop bought chocolate covered rice cakes, then you’re missing a trick.
I spent years doing this myself on my favourite, low cal, chocolate fix snack – until I saw the inspiration to start making my own, and I’ve never looked back.
These homemade chocolate covered rice cake recipes are WAY better than their shop bought counterparts for so many reasons, including:-
- You will save oodles of cash once you have your basic ingredients in stock
- They are a low calorie snack
- They are super easy to make, literally in about 10 minutes flat
- Perfect for getting the kids involved, especially as they get to pick their own toppings
- Rice cakes can be as healthy as you like, depending on the toppings you use
- They are low sugar if you use dark chocolate (I like to use 70-85% cacao chocolate to keep the refined sugar content to a bare minimum)
- YOU are in control of ingredients
- They are a great way of adding healthy fats from raw nuts, seeds and coconut into your diet. Also, mineral rich dried fruits will up the nutritional content of your homemade chocolate covered rice cake even more
- Finally, and very importantly, they are a fantastic way of getting nutrition into the kids under the guise of it being a sweet treat. You can pop whatever you like on top of these and they will taste great!
Best Topping To Use On Your Chocolate Covered Rice Cakes
NUTS
Go for raw nuts for optimal nutrition. Roasted and heat-treated will have had many of their oils damaged, and nutritional content lost through the high heat of roasting.
You can use any chopped nuts of your choice on your rice cakes. Some great ones to go for that will pack a nutritional punch are:-
WALNUTS
These healthy nuts are full of unique antioxidants (more so than any other nuts). They have high levels of B-Vitamins, are very satiating and help control sugar cravings, contain heart healthy l-arginine, vitamin E, and melatonin which helps regulate sleep cycles.
BRAZIL NUTS
Brazil’s are another great nut to use because they have the most concentrated dietary source of selenium than any other plant based food. They contain high levels of magnesium, phosphorus, copper, zinc, manganese, thiamine and vitamin E.
CASHEW NUTS
Cashew’s are a high carb, filling nut that are also seriously creamy, and they go great on top of your homemade smoothie bowl. They are really satiating, and crammed full of nutrients such as copper magnesium and manganese.
They are also antioxidant rich to help keep your skin glowing, youthful and healthy baby!
PECANS
Pecans are a high fiber nut that can help keep you regular. But, they also a good source of potassium, magnesium, and most notably, plant based calcium to help keep you bones and teeth strong.
PEANUTS
Peanuts are such an amazing, all-round great nut to use on your plant based diet in general. They are one of the highest protein nuts for the lowest price. So, you really get a huge bang for your buck with the humble peanut!
Peanuts are usually underestimated, but they are a fantastic source of nutrition, such as good (cholesterol lowering) fats, l-arginine, folate, vitamin E and copper.
ALMONDS
Are a great nut for keeping your blood sugar stable, hence the reason they are often recommended in moderate amounts on a weight loss diet. They are very filling, reduce hunger, and will keep you going for hours. They also don’t promote weight gain when eaten in proper servings sizes.
Another amazing nut for vitamin E, manganese, magnesium, fiber and protein.
COCONUT
Desiccated or flaked, dried coconut makes a perfect contrasting flavour and texture on your rice cake, and will transcend it to a whole new level. Coconut in its whole form like this (as in, not the oil) is a great for weight loss when consumed in moderation. It is also rich in fiber and MCT’s (medium-chain triglycerides) which can be absorbed quickly and turned into energy.
SEEDS
Seeds are another important part of a healthy diet and should be eaten in moderation every day.
Always mix you seeds up, as they are all very nutritionally unique and different. Sometimes it’s great just to pre-mix a load of seeds together and sprinkle them on your food that way. This will ensure a good array of omega 3 and 6, and also vitamins and minerals in abundance.
Here’s an example of the type of seeds that go well on your homemade chocolate covered rice cake, but you may have different seeds available to you depending on where you are located.
PUMPKIN SEEDS
What most people don’t understand about the very humble pumpkin seed is the fact that it is one of the kings of superfoods. Pumpkin seeds contain perfect ratios of all the macronutrients to help keep your blood sugar stable and give you a slow burn of energy.
This superfood seed is also high in magnesium, zinc, iron, copper, phosphorus, manganese and vitamin K.
Always try to buy organic, raw pumpkin seeds wherever possible because they are often laden with chemicals, fertilisers, and even heavy metals when they come from high industry countries.
HEMP SEEDS
Hemp seeds have the highest protein content of all the seeds. In fact, they contain as much protein as soybeans gram for gram, coming in at almost 10g of protein per 3 tablespoons. They are also a complete protein source and contain all 9 amino acids in good ratios.
Along with all these amazing benefits, hemp seeds are CRAMMED full of vitamins and minerals. These include, vitamin E, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, vitamin B6, thiamine, riboflavin, folate and niacin.
SUNFLOWER SEEDS
The creamy tasting sunflower seeds are usually dirt cheap to pick up, that’s one of their good points for anybody on a budget. They can also help lower chronic inflammation due to their vitamin E, flavonoids and other plant compounds that work together to keep inflammation to a minimum.
Sunflower seeds are well known for their skin friendly, high vitamin E content. This, along with an impressive profile of B-vitamins, iron, copper, selenium, manganese and zinc.
CHIA SEEDS
These little black seeds have really made their way onto the heath scene these past few years and for very good reason. They are a powerful superfood that is super high in a fiber that turns gelatinous in the gut (or when mixed with fluids). This makes them perfect for a weight loss, because they help fill you up with a fiber that will take a long time to break down.
Chia seeds are also very low calorie compared to all other nuts and seeds. And, if you extract the fiber (of which they are very high in), then they are only 100 calories per 28 grams! This is why they are a perfect weight loss food – because they are so high in calorie free fiber.
DRIED FRUITS
Dried fruits are a great source of energy, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals. Be sure to buy organic where possible; or at the very least, always make sure they contain NO added sugars or oils. If you use dried fruits with any additives, then you probably won’t receive all the health benefits.
Yes, dried fruits are usually very high in calories/energy, but there are certain dried fruits that can actually boost weight loss. Check out these fat burning fruits, and add them to your chocolate rice cakes if you want these benefits specifically.
GOJI BERRIES
Goji berries (also known as wolfberries) have been hailed as a superfood in recent years, and for good reason. These little, dried red fruits are crammed full of antioxidants that will be of benefit to your eyes, skin, immune system, blood sugar and liver.
These tangy little berries are also high in iron, vitamin C, protein (high protein for a fruit, at least). And, their vitamin A content is off the richter scale at a whopping 501% of your RDA in just 28 grams.
Please read this important information on possible goji berry contraindications before you eat too many, just to be on the safe side.
APRICOTS
Chopped, dried apricots are a delicious addition to your chocolate covered rice cakes. They are chewy, tangy, high in antioxidants, fiber, polyphenols, flavenoids and lots of nutrients; including good amounts of iron.
Always go for unsulphered apricots where possible; otherwise they will be treated with sulphates and preservatives to keep them their bright orange colour. This in turn will destroy nutrition. Also, sulphates can have side effects in some people.
You can see when a dried apricot has been treated with sulphates because it will still be its natural orange colour, which is a bad thing. This may look good, but ultimately you want to only choose the very dark brown ones because these are way more natural.
DATES
Dates are an amazing, all-round healthy, low GI fruit. They are also effective as a pre and post workout fuel, due to their unique qualities, slow burn sugars, and their ability to refuel the muscles after exercise.
This super sweet fruit is also very high fiber, high in magnesium, potassium, antioxidants, and is anti inflammatory.
Dates are also great for bones, due to their calcium and phosphorus content. And, don’t forget, it’s always a good time to look after your bones!
RAISINS
If you want to add a pop of sweetness to your rice cakes, then you can’t go wrong with a couple of high energy raisins. They are high fiber, satiating, and according to some studies, can even help you to lose weight and lower your BMI when eaten in moderation.
Raisins are very high in antioxidants, due to the fact they are a dried, black grape. And, those black grape skins are bursting with antioxidants, including resveratrol – a compound associated with many proven health benefits.
Homemade Chocolate Covered Rice Cakes
Equipment
- Glass bowl
- Small saucepan
Ingredients
- 150 grams Dark chocolate at least 70% cacao solids
- 2-3 tablespoons Maple syrup for extra sweetness optional
- Selection of chopped nuts seeds, dried fruits and coconut
- Spices such as cinnamon ginger, mixed spice, salt, nutmeg, turmeric (optional)
- 12 Plain, or lightly salted rice cakes
Instructions
- Chop your chocolate up into smallish chunks
- Place in a glass saucepan over some hot water and allow it to melt slowly, stirring occasionally
- In the meantime, lay out 12 rice cakes on some flat baking sheets and make sure you have your toppings prepped and ready to use
- Once your chocolate is completely melted, add your optional maple syrup to desired sweetness
- Take a spoon and drizzle equal amounts of chocolate mixture over your rice cakes
- Using a knife, spread out evenly, covering one entire surface of your rice cake
- Act fast whilst adding your toppings because you don't want your chocolate to set before you have finished
- Squash the toppings into the chocolate slightly to stop them falling off. You need them to 'set' into the chocolate
- Add your chunkier toppings to the chocolate first, and your smaller toppings (ie, desiccated coconut and spices) last. This is the best way to do it if you want your chunkier items to set into the chocolate properly.
Video
CONCLUSION
Chocolate covered rice cakes are a FAST & EASY snack that are also nutritious and fun to make.
For more FAST & EASY recipes, please check out our amazing Plant Based Meal Plans designed for BUSY people to fit into busy lives.
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