This is the breakfast cereal my childhood dreams were made of. We were only ever allowed coco pops on holidays (when Dad bought those mixed packs of single serve cereal and we’d all fight over the coco pops), when we wanted them at other times we’d just liberally sprinkle our Rice Bubbles with Milo. Delicious. Well this recipe is my adult take on this, it’s full of nuts and seeds, and gets it’s coco pops likeness from the puffed brown rice and puffed buckwheat. It’s just like a chocolate milkshake only healthy 😉

I buy my puffed buckwheat from The Source in Brunswick, and it’s also available online and at many other health shops. If you can’t get your hands on any just replace with more puffed brown rice or any other puffed cereal you can find. You want there to be a good dusty coating of cacao over everything when you are done as this is what gives that chocolate milk effect at the bottom of your bowl, and you know that’s your favourite part. Feel free to use any nuts you like, macadamia’s and hazelnuts would also work well.

This recipe does contain maple syrup which is essentially sugar. However, it’s significantly lower in sugar than the cereal it’s impersonating.

6 serves

Ingredients

1 1/2 cup puffed brown rice

1 cup puffed buckwheat

1/2 cup chopped almonds

1/2 cup chopped pecans

1 Tbs flaxseeds

1 Tbs psyllium husk (ground)

2 Tbs sunflower seeds

2.5 Tbs cacao powder

1.5 Tbs Maple syrup

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Directions

Preheat oven to 160 degrees celsius. Line a large baking tray with baking paper.

Place all dry ingredients in a bowl and mix well to coat in cacao powder. Mix through vanilla and maple syrup thoroughly. Spread out onto baking tray and place in the oven for 20-30 minutes, turning often to make sure everything cooks evenly.

Remove from oven, cool and place in air tight container. Serve with your favourite milk.