Matcha Puffed Rice Bars Recipe
White chocolate binds the puffed rice and matcha. Press the slab before it sets, then cut eight bars after chilling.
By Roseline Zhou, Founder
Contents
Puffed rice crunches beneath a coating of matcha white chocolate. For eight bars, gather 3.5 oz (100 g) of ready-to-eat puffed rice, 6.3 oz (180 g) of white chocolate, and about 1 tbsp (6 g) of matcha. Assembly takes 15 minutes, followed by at least 45 minutes in the refrigerator: allow at least one hour before cutting.
The chocolate binds the rice; the grains need no cooking. If you'd rather make bites without puffed cereal, other matcha confections offer other textures.
Ingredients for matcha puffed rice bars
- 6.3 oz (180 g) white chocolate
- 3.5 oz (100 g) plain, ready-to-eat puffed rice
- about 1 tbsp (6 g) matcha
How to make the matcha puffed rice bars
- Line the bottom and sides of a 7-inch × 7-inch (18 × 18 cm) square pan with parchment paper.
- Pour about 3/4 inch (2 cm) of water into a saucepan.
- Heat the water until it barely simmers.
- Put the 6.3 oz (180 g) of white chocolate in a heatproof bowl.
- Set the bowl over the saucepan without letting its bottom touch the water.
- Stir the chocolate with a spatula until completely melted.
- Remove the bowl from the saucepan.
- Sift about 1 tbsp (6 g) of matcha over the melted chocolate.
- Mix until the color is even and no pockets of dry powder remain.
- Add the 3.5 oz (100 g) of puffed rice to the bowl.
- Use the spatula to coat the grains with matcha chocolate.
- Transfer the mixture to the lined pan.
- Press it down evenly with the back of the spatula.
- Refrigerate the pan for at least 45 minutes, until the chocolate is firm.
- Lift the slab from the pan using the parchment paper.
- Cut it into eight bars with a clean knife.
Take the white chocolate off the heat as soon as it melts: prolonged heating can make it grainy. Before pressing the mixture into the pan, check that every rice grain is coated. Once the slab has set, you can't redistribute the chocolate.
Why does white chocolate hold the bars together?
It binds the grains into a slab that rice alone couldn't form. With 6.3 oz (180 g) of chocolate for 3.5 oz (100 g) of rice, the grains stay crisp while the chocolate firms up in the cold. A larger pan makes thinner bars; keep the 7-inch × 7-inch (18 × 18 cm) size for these eight pieces.
We wait until the slab has fully set before cutting it. If the knife meets too much resistance, leave the slab at room temperature for a few minutes, then cut decisively without sawing through the grains. In a warm room, the chocolate softens again.
Which matcha should you use for the coating?
The powder is mixed with 6.3 oz (180 g) of white chocolate, so we choose Essence for this sweet coating that doesn't need cooking. For tea drunk on its own with water, we'd choose Jade or Sérénité instead. Sift about 1 tbsp (6 g) of matcha before adding it to the chocolate to avoid dry specks.
With dark chocolate and a pistachio finish, matcha truffles are rolled by hand after chilling, instead of being cut into bars.
Our tip. Press the mixture into the pan before the chocolate starts to set. Even pressure helps keep the rice from falling apart when you cut it.
Allergens. White chocolate contains milk; check the chocolate and puffed rice labels for any other allergens.
