Apricot and Chocolate Puffed Rice Bars

Photo: Yuki Suguira

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/4 cup unsweetened flaked coconut
• 1/4 cup slivered almonds
• 1/2 cup chopped dried apricots
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 tsp. cocoa nibs
• 1 ounce unsweetened puffed rice cereal
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 3/4 ounces white chocolate

Preparation

1. Line a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan with parchment. In a small pan, cook honey over medium heat until reduced by half, 2 to 4 minutes.

2. In a large bowl, combine coconut, almonds, apricots, cocoa nibs, puffed rice and vanilla; pour over hot honey. Mix with a wooden spoon until everything is well-coated. Spoon into prepared loaf pan and place another piece of parchment on top. Use your hands to firmly push mixture into all corners until surface is even. Refrigerate for 2 hours.

3. Remove mixture from loaf pan, place on a cutting board, strip off parchment and slice into 6 portions. Melt chocolate in microwave on low power in 15-second increments, stirring between each, until melted, about 1 minute total. Pour into a pastry bag fitted with a small plain tip (or a ziplock bag with a corner snipped off) and drizzle over rice bars. Serve immediately, or store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.    source    "health.com"