Ever wanted to make your own homemade coco pops? Well here is how. I tried a few different methods before going back to a technique in the homemade rice krispies project to then coat the toasted rice cereal in chocolate – proper good fun and the way these things cost now, it may be quite useful to at least try it!
Homemade Coco Pops Cereal
There area few different ways to toast rice, some even involving salt and a very hot pan! But this method seems to work best for me, it just took a little time. It’s all about getting moisture into the rice to give it more puff when popping!
So first step, cook your washed rice to package instructions either in a rice cooker or saucepan. Once cooked if the water is all absorbed place in a sieve with a lid over the saucepan to steam dry, or with a rice cooker use the keep warm mode for a 5 minutes, this will help to dry the rice out quicker.
Spread the rice on a baking tray, a nice even layer laid flat and bake for approximately 2.5 hours at 100c or equivalent (no-fan oven). Stirring the rice every 30 minutes or so and re-spreading out along the baking tray. You are doing this to dry the rice out effectively and take all the moisture out of it. Basically after the 2.5 hours the rice will have the texture of rice that has not been cooked yet – but we have made it swollen and increased it’s size by cooking it and now, drying it out. Some of it may be clumped together as it dried, stirring it during cooking would have helped prevent too much, but if you have lumps break them up with your fingers by rubbing them together or stir them in a colander inside a bowl (step shown in video).
Warm some vegetable oil in a deep saucepan, heat it gradually but you’ll want it hot. Drop one piece of rice in and when it rises to the top, within a few seconds and puffs out you’ll know it is ready. Cook the dried out rice in batches in the oil, cooking until lightly browned, which won’t take long – don’t overdo it! I find it handy to cook them in a sieve, and lift out to keep them tidy, draining them on kitchen towel. This is effectively homemade rice krispies!
Now in a large bowl mix the maple syrup, salt, oil and cocoa powder, if it is too thick add a little extra oil. Add in the rice krispies and stir well to fully coat the rice. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes at 140fan/160c or equivalent and allow to cool. Store in an air tight plastic tub until required, but ideally no longer than a week.