So i'm going to be sharing quite a few recipes in the coming weeks featuring agave.. and more specifically xagave. I have been a huge fan of agave for a long time now. I like to keep my diet free of refined sugar but i also have a ginormous sweet tooth. Agave is a lifesaver in so many recipes and it really can be "the complete sugar replacement" (thats xagave little catch phrase and i love it). There has been some controversy over the topic but i'm just here to tell you about my opinions and experiences with it.
When I am eating too much sugar, i can feel it. I get headaches, i have no energy, i feel spaced out all day, my skin reacts badly, and in the end i still crave more sugar. When I cut sugar out and use agave in its place there are no side effects. No sugar rush then crash. It's an amazing thing! And thats enough proof for me that its a healthy alternative.
Read more here about other health benefits
Read more here about how its safe for diabetics
And here for some FAQ
That aside, you can use it in everything (sauces, jams, ice cream, cake, cookies, ect) and i'll be showing you how!
The first recipe is a favorite of mine because it is so simple. (very similar recipe here)
1/3 cup xagave
1/3 cup peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups rice crisp cereal (trader joes sells a rice crisp cereal with no HFCS)
Heat agave and peanut butter over medium heat until it looks like a thick syrup, about 2-3 minutes. Add vanilla.
Spray a medium sized bowl with oil and add the rice cereal, pour syrup mixture on top, and mix until evenly coated and chocolate is melted in.
Press into oiled 9x9 dish. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
Other recipes i have using agave: chocolate peanut butter no bake cookies & breakfast parfait
Wow, these look great. I'm definitely going to try them. And thanks for the info about agave!
ReplyDeleteLOVE the new look and these look delicious. Are these the John Derian for Target plates?
ReplyDeleteOh I love using Agave! Thanks for this recipe
ReplyDeletefourthstpayphone
Lovely recipe, I think I'll have to get my mom to try it :)
ReplyDeletehello aby. is agave similar to honey? i live in hungary and never saw agave here. bur i really would like to find a way to replace all the sugar we use :)
ReplyDeletelove your blog by the way.
roxi
These look great. I'm only confused about the chocolate you mention I the directions but isn't listed in the ingredient list.... hmmm
ReplyDelete-Jessi
I noticed & questioned this as well!
DeleteNice Blog.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the inspiring information. Two questions...do you notice much taste difference when baking with agave? And, how do you manage the price difference between agave and sugar? Is there anywhere one can find it for cheaper? Thanks! :)
ReplyDeleteAgave is great! Another unrefined sweetener I've been using in place of sugar is sucanat (dried sugar cane juice crystals). It's dry little granules and I've been substituting it for all recipes that call for sugar and brown sugar. It smells offensive from the bag, but when you bake it into something, it's amazing and you can't tell the difference!
ReplyDeleteIt's looks amazing, but I'm confused about the chocolate in the directions... there's no chocolate in the ingredients list.
ReplyDeleteHow do you keep the crisp cereal crisp? We have made these treats (without the peanut butter) and they always end up mushy (though delicious) within just a few hours.
ReplyDeleteSuggestions?
Thanks
Oh these sound fantastic!
ReplyDeletetried these twice and they didn't work... used both chunky and smooth PB and never got the 'thick syrup'. it ended up just peanut butter flakes (the natural peanut butter dries out when heated) over rice crispys. really sad.
ReplyDeletethats really disappointing elisakreisinger! i've never had them not work, using all types of peanut butter. if you're up for trying again i might suggest a thicker peanut butter (less oily?).
ReplyDeleteI made these today, but used a 700 watt microwave for 20 or so seconds to heat the PB & agave. They were yummy! & healthier than the traditional treat!
ReplyDeletehttp://milk-and-tea.blogspot.com