Ghostly Puffed Millet and Amaranth Peanut Butter Treats are delicious creamy and crunchy snack bars that are packed with wholesome ingredients. These bars use puffed millet, a cereal-like ingredient that may remind you of the snack bars of your childhood. Rest assured these naturally sweet and high-fiber bars are a tasty treat you can feel proud to eat.
1cuppeanut butter (creamy or crunchy, unsweetened)
¼cupmaple syrup (or date paste, link in Chef’s Notes)
2tbspwater (plus more as needed, See Chef’s Notes)
2tspvanilla extract
2pinchessalt (optional)
1cuporganic puffed millet
1cuporganic puffed amaranth
2tbspchia seeds
Vanilla Cashew Cream
½cupcashews (raw, soaked for 30 minutes in hot water and drained)
¼cupplant-based milk (unsweetened)
2tbspmaple syrup
1tspvanilla extract
1pinchsalt (optional)
Ghost Eyes
8dark chocolate chips (small chips work best, fair trade, 70% or higher)
Directions
1
Heat peanut butter, maple syrup, water, vanilla, and salt, if using, on low-medium heat in a small stovetop pot, stirring constantly until the peanut butter is melted.
2
Remove from heat and add the millet, amaranth, and chia seeds to the mixture.
3
Stir until combined. Test the mixture: With a tablespoon, place a portion of the mixture in your parchment-lined loaf pan and press down with clean hands. It should stick together. If it’s too dry and crumbly, add 1–2 tablespoons of water to the pot and stir. Continue testing the mixture until it firmly sticks together. The amount of water you’ll need largely depends on the type of peanut butter you use in this recipe with drier peanut butter needing more water added.
4
Transfer the mixture to a parchment-lined loaf pan.
5
With clean hands or a spatula, press down very firmly until formed in the loaf pan.
6
Freeze for one hour.
7
While the bars are freezing, make your cashew cream: Drain the soaked cashews.
8
Place the drained cashews, plant-based milk, maple syrup, vanilla, and optional salt into a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Set aside.
9
Remove from the loaf pan and cut into four 6x2” bars.
10
Spread the cashew cream over each bar.
11
Top each bar with two chocolate chips for the “eyes.”
Chef's Notes
Substitutions Use puffed rice or quinoa in place of millet and/or amaranth.
Instead of peanut butter, use almond or other nut butter of choice.
Whole Food Sweetener Use date paste in place of maple syrup.
Nut-free Use sunflower butter in place of peanut butter.
Adding Water to the Peanut Butter Mixture Depending on the consistency of your peanut butter, you may or may not need to add water. The consistency of the peanut butter mixed with amaranth and millet should stick together to form a bar and not be crumbly. If it’s crumbly as you’re mixing it in the pot, add 1–2 tablespoons of water at a time until the mixture sticks together.
Storage Store puffed millet ghost leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks or freeze for up to 3 months.
Ingredients
Treats
1cuppeanut butter (creamy or crunchy, unsweetened)
¼cupmaple syrup (or date paste, link in Chef’s Notes)
2tbspwater (plus more as needed, See Chef’s Notes)
2tspvanilla extract
2pinchessalt (optional)
1cuporganic puffed millet
1cuporganic puffed amaranth
2tbspchia seeds
Vanilla Cashew Cream
½cupcashews (raw, soaked for 30 minutes in hot water and drained)
¼cupplant-based milk (unsweetened)
2tbspmaple syrup
1tspvanilla extract
1pinchsalt (optional)
Ghost Eyes
8dark chocolate chips (small chips work best, fair trade, 70% or higher)
Directions
1
Heat peanut butter, maple syrup, water, vanilla, and salt, if using, on low-medium heat in a small stovetop pot, stirring constantly until the peanut butter is melted.
2
Remove from heat and add the millet, amaranth, and chia seeds to the mixture.
3
Stir until combined. Test the mixture: With a tablespoon, place a portion of the mixture in your parchment-lined loaf pan and press down with clean hands. It should stick together. If it’s too dry and crumbly, add 1–2 tablespoons of water to the pot and stir. Continue testing the mixture until it firmly sticks together. The amount of water you’ll need largely depends on the type of peanut butter you use in this recipe with drier peanut butter needing more water added.
4
Transfer the mixture to a parchment-lined loaf pan.
5
With clean hands or a spatula, press down very firmly until formed in the loaf pan.
6
Freeze for one hour.
7
While the bars are freezing, make your cashew cream: Drain the soaked cashews.
8
Place the drained cashews, plant-based milk, maple syrup, vanilla, and optional salt into a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Set aside.
9
Remove from the loaf pan and cut into four 6x2” bars.
10
Spread the cashew cream over each bar.
11
Top each bar with two chocolate chips for the “eyes.”
Notes
Ghostly Puffed Millet and Amaranth Peanut Butter Treats
