Chocolate Puffed Buckwheat Cereal
Gluten Free, Dairy Free and Vegan
Adapted from nourisheveryday.com by My Little Blue Heron Kitchen
Here's an updated recipe for this great breakfast cereal.
Reminiscent of Cocoa Puffs, but sans gluten, sugar or chemicals, this recipe is a healthy breakfast champion.
Most of the ingredients can be found from a gold mine website called OliveNation. I think you will find the site a fantastic resource. Puffed buckwheat isn’t an easy find, and OliveNation has it. It used to be available on Amazon, and you can buy it at Kalustyan’s in NYC (a great shop, but pricey), but you can count on this site for these puffs and a whole lot more.
Unlike puffed rice, puffed buckwheat isn’t crisp. It’s puffy and a bit chewy, and texturally can be a little challenging. But it actually tastes like buckwheat (which is pretty cool.) This recipe crisps it up and makes it totally fun, chocolatey, delicious and not too sweet! You can try to make this with puffed rice, corn, millet or sorghum.
Head over to olivenation.com, where you’ll find not only every ingredient you’ll need for this recipe, but other organic puffed grains, remarkable and unusual extracts and flavorings (I added cappuccino flavoring to my coffee this morning, and brown sugar flavoring to my fruit and cottage cheese!), sugars of all types, ground flours, grains, nuts, oils, vanilla beans, paste, extracts, flavorings and ground vanilla, baking staples, candies, unusual and hard to find items like verjus du perigord, dried mushrooms .. etc. etc. etc.! (I’m not getting anything from them, seriously, I’m just jazzed about their stuff.)
This fun recipe is a snap to make. It comes together in a few minutes, and stored in an airtight jar, it’ll last for at least a month (if you don’t devour it before.) It’s easy to make and simple enough to make with young children. Delicious on its own, combine it with other cereals, sprinkle it on yogurt, cottage cheese or even use it as a topping on ice cream!
When I can use it, I opt for ground vanilla rather than vanilla extract. If you use pure ground vanilla, use half the amount you’d use when adding extract. I love OliveNation’s organic chocolate extract. I added it to this recipe for a richer chocolate flavor.
The combination of cacao and carob can be played with. If you don’t have carob or cacao, use cocoa powder. I love carob because it’s naturally sweet (and chocolate’s naturally bitter.) Carob is from an evergreen tree indigenous to the Middle East and the Mediterranean. A real perk is that it doesn’t trigger headaches. When I use cocoa, I use Valrhona from France. I think it’s the best, but that’s just my opinion.
Keep an eye on your puffs. Take care not to over-bake the your puffs or they’ll get bitter. When the baking is completed, the finished cereal won’t be crispy. Don’t worry: it’ll crisp up as it cools.
Due to its saturated fat content, I’ve moved away from coconut oil. Of course, you can stick with it. If you do, I recommend ‘refined’ coconut oil (you can find organic refined coconut oil.) It’s flavorless and it won’t scream COCONUT! I opt for flavorless oil like canola, or in this last batch, I combined canola oil and hazelnut oil. I love how hazelnut marries with chocolate. So chic!
Maple syrup or honey are great options for sweeteners. I’m not vegan, but I prefer maple syrup.
If you’re of un certain age, like me, you might remember that cute commercial, “I want my cocoa puffs”. Today, “I want my BUCKWHEAT puffs!”
Sending puff-peace, and love,
Jane
Chocolate Puffed Buckwheat
Equipment: Bowls, microwave proof measuring cup or small saucepan, two baking sheets, parchment paper
Ingredients:
7 cups puffed buckwheat
1 Tbsp. cacao or cocoa powder (dutch process, like Valrhona, Guittard, Droste’s)
2 Tbsp. carob powder
4 Tbsp. coconut or tasteless or nut oil
(Use refined coconut oil or the taste of coconut will dominate.)
4 Tbsp. Maple syrup or honey (raw, local and organic is great)
2 tsp. vanilla extract OR 1 tsp. pure ground vanilla bean
OR split the extract as such: 1 tsp chocolate extract (organic preferred) and 1 tsp vanilla extract or 1/2 tsp.
ground vanilla
Procedure:
Preheat oven to 325º F.
Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper
In a large bowl, measure puffed buckwheat. Add the carob, cacao/cocoa, and if using, the ground vanilla. Whisk together to combine.
In a small saucepan, heat together the oil(s), syrup or honey, and extract(s) until warm.
Pour the warmed liquid over the dry ingredients and with a large spoon, stir until combined and well-coated. A Danish whisk is a perfect tool for this recipe.
Divide mixture between the two baking sheets and bake for approximately 20 minutes, rotating the sheets, top to bottom and back to front and flipping the cereal very gently with a large spatula about half way through the bake.
Remove trays from oven and leave on sheets until completely cooled. The cereal will harden and crisp.
Store in an airtight container (I like glass.) Will keep for about a month.
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