A very Canadian, very prairie treat, puffed wheat squares are a staple on the dainties tray in Manitoba at any events or get-togethers. These were a favourite for me growing up and this version is made a bit healthier with peanut butter, dates, and honey.
If you’ve never had a puffed wheat square, it’s a chewy chocolate treat with (you guessed it) puffed wheat forming the base. Unlike rice crispies, they’re not crisp at all – if you’ve tried my puffed quinoa bars, it’s very close in texture to that.
It’s a special dessert. Very nostalgic, but also modernised here with some ingredient changes. These are puffed wheat squares without corn syrup, and they’re just as chewy and delicious as the original. These make a great snack for adults and kids alike, are no-bake, and very simple.
Ingredients
- Peanut Butter: pure peanuts, with no oil or sugar added. If the peanut butter contains salt, omit the added salt in the recipe.
- Dates: mashed or pureed beforehand, so if they’re not very soft, they should be soaked in hot water first (see below).
- Honey: creamed or liquid, it doesn’t matter.
- Coconut Oil: use refined to avoid any slight coconut flavour if preferred.
- Vanilla: pure extract. If using powder or paste, reduce by half.
- Cocoa: or raw cacao for a less sweet bar. Make sure it’s for baking and not drinking (no sugar or milk powder added).
- Sea Salt: a small amount, but this can be left out if needed.
- Puffed Wheat: this is very easy to find in Canada, and increasingly available in Europe. Make sure it’s unsweetened, not breakfast cereal.
Step by Step
Add peanut butter, honey, oil, and date paste to a large pot. Heat on low until just melted. Add the cocoa and salt. Stir to combine. Stir until coated. Press into the prepared dish and chill.
Tips and Notes
To soften the dates, soak in freshly boiled water for 10-15 minutes, or hot water from the tap for about an hour. Either mash very well with a fork, or puree with a small blender.
Don’t leave out the dates. If anything, add more honey if you can’t find dates to use for the recipe – they’re important in making everything stick together. I haven’t tested with only honey and no dates so you’d have to experiment a bit.
The size of the container isn’t so terribly important. It just means the bars will be a bit thicker or thinner, though they should be pretty thick.
Substitutions
Another nut or seed butter can be used in place of the peanut butter. Try hazelnut butter for a nutella twist, or sunflower seed butter for a nut-free version.
To make fully vegan squares, you can use maple syrup or something like coconut nectar. I find the stick factor of honey to be important here, but if you don’t mind slightly crumbly bars, maple syrup can be used. It might work with date syrup, but you would have a fairly strong molasses flavour. Brown rice syrup works well.
Another oil can’t be used in place of coconut. It must be something that’s solid at room temperature to ensure the correct texture (one that holds together). Butter is normally used in puffed wheat squares.
To make these gluten free, use something that’s GF already as the base. Puffed buckwheat, quinoa, oats, whatever you would usually have on hand.
Raw cacao and regular baking cocoa (not drinking cocoa) can be used interchangeably. There is a slight flavour variation so use whatever you like most.
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Peanut Butter Puffed Wheat Squares
Ingredients
- 200 grams natural peanut butter
- 100 grams dates mashed or pureed
- 80 grams honey
- 60 grams coconut oil
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 25 grams cocoa powder
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- 200 grams puffed wheat
Instructions
- Line a 20cm (8 in.) baking dish* with parchment paper and set aside.
- Add the peanut butter, date puree, honey, coconut oil, and vanilla to a large pot.
- Heat until just melted, stirring constantly. Once the mixture comes together and the oil has melted, immediately remove from the heat.
- Stir in the cocoa and salt, mixing to combine.
- Add the puffed wheat and stir, using a spatula, until fully coated in the peanut butter mixture.
- Turn the puffed wheat mixture out into the prepared baking dish and press into as even a layer as possible.
- Place the dish into the freezer and chill for at least ten minutes (or refrigerate for 30 minutes), then lift it out of the dish with the parchment paper and slice into bars.
- Store the bars in an airtight container at room temperature for a couple of days, or freeze up to three months. I prefer to keep these in the refrigerator for best texture.
Notes
Nutrition
This post was first published in December 2014. It has been updated with some slight improvements to the recipe as of November 2021.
diane says
this is a top-notch recipe that I doubled. I substituted kamut puffs for wheat square puffs. I purchased chopped organic dates, and it worked just fine when it was blended with the coconut oil, peanut butter, honey.
Last, I used 8 x 8 disposable pans, lined with parchment. Cooled For about 30 minutes, and then scored into squares. I kept mine in the freezer and it was easy to break off and enjoy.
Christina says
This is the best use of puffed wheat I’ve ever seen. 🙂 Definitely saving this recipe.
LARISSA MACKLEM says
Me, my 2 and 5 years olds have not been able to get enough of these since we made them! My 5 yr is a totally picky eater, and she helped me make them, so I was sure she would reject them because of the dates… but no! She devoured them, and now has the beginnings of a new food in her repertoire!
I had asked a question about using maple syrup but instead stuck with the honey, so apologies I can’t give feedback on that. I found that they were maybe just a touch too salty, and our peanut butter had no salt added, so folks may need to keep that in mind. I’m probably pretty sensitive to salt though.
Larissa Macklem says
Do you think you could use maple syrup in these? I tend to prefer the taste, though I no longer need to avoid honey as my Little is over the age of 1. Thanks!
Alexandra | Occasionally Eggs says
I think it should be fine! The peanut butter should hold everything together well enough even without the stickiness of honey. I haven’t tried but I think it’ll work.
Larissa J. Macklem says
Thanks! Will give it a whirl today!
M says
I made these without the dates and they didn’t stick together at all. Maybe the dates are the magic glue that holds them together! They were tasty but we had to eat them with a spoon..
Alexandra | Occasionally Eggs says
Yes, the dates are needed here to make the bars stick together. Usually leaving an ingredient out altogether will result in an end product that isn’t the same as the photos : ) I hope you try them again with the dates!