Lemon-Vanilla Rice Krispie Protein Bites

August 15, 2012

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The Lemon Affair

I don’t remember a time in my life when I did not adore and seek out the tang and zesty bite of anything lemon. As a very young child I would work my way through a fog of meringue, just to get to the lemon silkiness of a pie. While my friends would only spread grape or strawberry jelly on their toast, my first choice was always lemon marmalade.

As I grew older, my love affair with lemon blossomed. I mixed lemon curd with mascarpone cheese to make an exquisitely simple dessert sauce for berries. My first trip to Paris introduced me to the delights of “citron pressé,” where one is served a glass half full of freshly squeezed lemon juice along with a carafe of water. You then add water to the lemon juice to dilute the tartness to your liking. I use very little water and don’t bother with adding any sugar.

 

France also caused me to shift my allegiance away from that childhood pie and toward  “tarte au citron” – lemon tart. A good tarte always bites back! (Ha! Did my muses really just write that?) Adulthood introduced me to limoncello, lemon drops and the hint of citrusy perfume in a glass of chilled Sauvignon Blanc. I stuff chickens with lemons, steam fish on a bed of sliced lemons and my favorite salad dressing is fresh lemon juice+olive oil+ salt and pepper. Lemon zest always gives dips, baked treats, risotto and protein shakes a lift.

When I sat down to create a healthy sweet snack for a friend’s child who has multiple food allergies, lemon was the first ingredient I knew I would use. Being a child equals lemon love to me!

Lemon-Vanilla Rice Krispie Protein Bites

 This is a fabulous recipe; you must promise to make it! My friend’s child devours these, as do the adults who try them. They are usually a “safe” dessert item to bring to a party. I wrap each piece up individually in plastic wrap and keep them in my freezer. Whenever my sweet tooth comes calling, I defrost one or two for a couple of minutes as I boil water, pour a cup of tea and I’m blissed out by each bite!

1/2 cup sunflower seed butter

Scant 1/2 cup organic raw agave nectar

1 teaspoon pure lemon extract

Zest of 1 lemon (when I make these just for myself, I zest 2 lemons!)

Juice from 1 lemon

½  cup Arbonne Vanilla Protein Shake Mix

1 scoop Arbonne Fiber Boost

3 heaping cups brown rice krispies

½  cup finely shredded unsweetened, organic coconut, Plus about ½  cup more for rolling/topping

How to make Lemon-Vanilla Rice Krispie Protein Bites:

Combine sunflower seed butter, agave nectar, lemon extract, lemon zest and lemon juice; stir until combined. Add in the protein shake mix and fiber boost and stir to incorporate.

Add in the brown rice krispies and 1/2 cup shredded coconut, stir gently to combine. If mixture is too sticky, add in some more rice krispies. If it’s a bit crumbly, don’t worry it will be fine. (I find variances happen depending on how humid the day is when I make these and also with different brands of brown rice krispies.)

Have a bowl half-filled with water nearby.

Wetting the palms of your very clean hands, spoon a teaspoonful of the mixture into your palm, press the mixture together with your fingers and then roll into a ball.

Roll the ball into the additional shredded coconut. Set on a dish or into small paper candy cups. Continue along, wetting palms as needed, pressing the mixture together slightly as you roll the remaining into balls.

Cover and chill in the refrigerator for about 2 hours.

Alternatively: sprinkle a bit of the extra shredded coconut into the bottoms of mini muffin tins. Press mounds of rice krispie mixture on top of this. Sprinkle shredded coconut on each top, pressing down lightly.

Cover and chill in the refrigerator for about 2 hours.

Makes about about 45 round bites or 30 mini muffin-sized bites. These are nut-free, gluten-free, dairy-free and soy-free. And so totally yum!

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