Chocolate Quinoa Crunch Bars

Ingredients

To make these chocolate quinoa crunch bars, you only need 2 simple ingredients:

• Popped Quinoa - AKA toasted quinoa! Follow the instructions below to make toasted quinoa within minutes!
  • Alternatively, you could use store-bought puffed quinoa. It has an airier texture, similar to puffed rice. 
  • A different popped grain like amaranth, rice, or farro also works.
• Chocolate Chips - Use any type of chocolate that you like! Semi-sweet chocolate chips blend great with the toasty flavor of the popped quinoa.
  • Dark chocolate bars also taste delicious but are slightly bitter.
  • For an extra sweet crunch bar, use milk chocolate.
  • For a refined sugar-free chocolate bar, use Lily’s dark chocolate chips!
• Coconut Oil (optional) - Some people use oil when melting chocolate to help the chocolate harden and produce a nice sheen.
  • I do not find this necessary, the bars harden perfectly without it and still produce a beautiful sheen!

How to Pop Quinoa

You will need a small pan to pop quinoa. This allows you to control the toasting process and ensures that you can pay attention to all the quinoa so that none of it burns. 

1. Moisten quinoa using a small amount of water, a 4:1 ratio works best.
2. Place about a scoop of moistened quinoa into a small pan heated to medium-high temperature and flatten it into a single layer.
3. Water will evaporate and dry out the seeds. Break the quinoa up with a whisk.
4. Once quinoa starts to make a crackling or popping sound, shake the pan around. It will be time to take the quinoa off the stove within a few seconds.
   • Your quinoa will smell toasted and nutty. It will also visibly change to a golden brown. 
   • The whole process goes by within 15-30 seconds.

Repeat this process until all quinoa is popped.

Directions with Pictures

Here's a step-by-step guide to making chocolate quinoa crunch bars:

1. Melt chocolate chips in the microwave for 60 seconds and stir until the chocolate is smooth.
   • You could also use the double boiler method to melt your chocolate.
2. Add the popped quinoa to the melted chocolate.
3. Stir until all the popped quinoa is evenly distributed through the chocolate.
   • The mixture will now be thick and chunky.
4. To make the bars:
   • Use a small glass container or loaf pan (ranging from 6” x 4” to 7.5” x 5.5” for a thinner bar that is easier to bite into) and line it with parchment paper. 
   • Fold the parchment paper over the sides to easily pop out the bars later. 
   • Spread the chocolate quinoa mixture evenly and smooth out the top.
   • If desired, sprinkle extra popped quinoa on top.
5. Freeze the bars for 20 minutes or until the chocolate is hardened. Then, using the parchment sheet, remove the bar from the container. Let it sit at room temperature for a couple of minutes. 
6. Cut the quinoa chocolate into your desired number of bars. I sliced mine into 4 bars. You could also halve the bars to make 8 little squares.
   • Tip: Run your knife under hot water before cutting the chocolate for a cleaner and easier slice.

Ways to Customize Chocolate Quinoa Bars

The chocolate quinoa mixture easily pops out of silicone molds to make different shapes, like hearts or squares. You could also dollop the mixture directly onto a parchment sheet to make chocolate quinoa bites.

If you’re feeling adventurous, try some of these ingredient and flavor additions:

• Use puffed quinoa or puffed rice for a lighter crunch.
• Make chocolate quinoa bark by adding chia seeds, pumpkin seeds, chopped nuts, oats, flaxseed meal, or hemp hearts.
• Add a layer of peanut butter or almond butter mixed with maple syrup or agave nectar.
• Use white chocolate and add peppermint extract or crushed candy canes to make a wintery treat.
• Add cayenne to give it a hot chocolate flair.
• Add berries for a burst of fresh flavor.
• Add roasted chickpeas to make chocolate covered chickpeas with a large crunch.
• Sprinkle with sea salt for a salty-sweet crunch.

Recipe FAQ

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