This healthy Cherry Ripe Slice is a delicious twist on chocolate Weetbix slice – and the perfect treat to satisfy your sweet cravings! Made in 5 minutes with nutritious ingredients like iron rich cereal, sunflower butter and coconut, it makes a super easy recipe that everyone will love. And you won’t even have to turn on your oven!
Why you’ll love this recipe
Weetbix slice is a popular recipe here in Australia, usually made with sugar or golden syrup and butter. But this recipe uses healthier ingredients and adds a chocolate cherry twist, similar in taste to cherry ripe slice! Here are just a few reasons that you will love it;
- Quick and easy to make. All you need is five minutes, a handful of healthy ingredients and a food processor!
- No need to turn on the oven – this easy no bake slice sets quickly in the fridge without any baking.
- Dietary restriction friendly. This recipe is vegan-friendly and dairy-free (when using dairy-free chocolate), nut-free and refined sugar free. It can also be made gluten-free if required (see notes below).
- Kid-friendly. Perfect for lunchboxes!
Ingredients you will need
** This post contains tips and instructions to achieve the best possible results. The photo above is a great guide for when you are in the supermarket, but for full ingredient quantities and methods, please scroll down to the detailed recipe card below!
Ingredient notes
- Weetbix are a rectangular, “brick” shaped cereal, commonly found in Australia and New Zealand. They are an excellent source of wholegrains, low in sugar and fortified with iron and contain B vitamins, including B1 (thiamin), B2 (riboflavin), B3 (niacin) and B9 (folate).
‘VitaBrits’ or other brands referring to “wheat biscuits’ can be substituted for Weetbix, if preferred. In the UK, a similar substitute is called ‘Weetabix’. For gluten-free chocolate slice, use gluten free Weetbix. - Brown rice syrup/rice malt syrup is used to sweeten the slice and to break the slice down in the food processor. Alternative natural sweeteners like maple syrup can be used, but the sweetener needs to be liquid to ensure the slice mixture is the right consistency. The entire ¾ cup is required, as using less makes the slice too dry.
- Sunflower seed butter is made from nutrient dense sunflower seeds, which are a great source of protein, vitamin E, good fats and magnesium – which all help keep you feeling full and energised. You can find sunflower butter in health food stores and some supermarkets. Or you can substitute for tahini (although tahini has a stronger and more distinctive taste). If you don’t require this slice to be nut-free, you can also swap it for a smooth peanut butter in equal quantities.
- Glacé cherries are sweet and soft cherries that have been blanched and soaked in a sugar syrup. They are a common item that can be found packaged in the dried fruit section of most supermarkets. Or you can try making your own, if you prefer!
- Dark chocolate is used to top the slice. This is optional, but not really! Choose a dairy or sugar free chocolate, if you prefer. Good quality chocolate is always recommended for the best results.
Step by step instructions
Place all of the ingredients (except for the glace cherries and the dark chocolate) into a food processor.
Blend until the mixture breaks down and starts sticking together. This takes around 3 minutes. If you find after 3-5 minutes that the mixture is not coming together completely, add 1-2 tablespoons of water or extra brown rice syrup.
Once the mixture has been blended, stir through the chopped cherries.
Press the mixture firmly into a lined baking tray. I used a 17cm x 17cm (7″ x 7″) square tin, but you can use any square or rectangular slice tins of a similar size.
If you are adding dark chocolate to the top, you can also start melting it. For a small quantity like this, a microwave is the easiest option. Break the chocolate into pieces and microwave on medium heat (around 50%) in short, 20 second intervals. Stirring between intervals, keep going until the chocolate has melted and become smooth.
Top the slice with the melted chocolate. Refrigerate (or place in the freezer) for 1-2 hours, until set. Once set, cut into pieces of your desired size and keep the slice in the fridge.
Expert tips
- Be patient! The mixture takes time to break down and come together in the food processor. To help the process, you can crush the Weetbix before adding them to the food processor. If the mixture hasn’t bound together after 3-5 minutes, add 1-2 tablespoons of water.
- Take the slice out of the fridge and let it sit for around 10 minutes before cutting into pieces.
- The chocolate topping makes the slice rich and decadent and is highly recommended, but can be left off if preferred.
- If you don’t have a food processor, you can still make this slice. Although, it will be a little rougher and more textured. A food processor does produce a nicer finish. Crush the Weetbix as finely as possible and then stir all of the ingredients together in a large mixing bowl for several minutes, until completely combined and sticking together.
FAQs
Weetbix are 97% wholegrain and provide a good source of energy, essential vitamins and minerals, iron and vitamins B1, B2, B3 and B9. They are also low in salt and sugar and high in fibre, making them a healthy addition to this slice.
Yes! This slice can be stored in the fridge for up to 7 days, or place it into an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months, perfect for popping into lunchboxes to thaw by snack time! The slice can be frozen whole, or cut into individual pieces.
I can’t find a direct substitute to Weetbix in the US, but they are available online or in some specialty stores. You could substitute Weetbix for equal quantities (8 crushed Weetbix = 2 cups) of unsweetened Wheaties, or even Cornflakes or Rice Bubbles.
Healthy slice recipes
For some more healthy lunchbox slices, check out these easy recipes! Or, browse through these healthy, freezer-friendly lunchbox ideas.
Tried this recipe? Please leave a star ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating or leave a review below and let me know how you went!
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Healthy Cherry Ripe Slice
Ingredients
- 8 Weetbix crushed into pieces
- ½ cup cocoa powder unsweetened
- 2 cups desiccated coconut
- ¾ cup brown rice syrup
- 2 tbsp sunflower seed butter or tahini or peanut butter (if you don't require nut free slice)
- 5 tbsp coconut oil
- 1 tsp vanilla extract or essence
- 1 cup glace cherries roughly chopped
- ½ cup dark chocolate chopped or broken into pieces
Instructions
- Line a 17 x 17cm (7 " x 7 ") or similar sized slice tin.
- Place all of the ingredients except the cherries and the dark chocolate into a food processor and blend until everything has broken down and the mixture starts to stick together.
- In a mixing bowl, add the slice mixture and add the chopped cherries. Stir to combine.
- Press the mixture into the lined slice tin and use a metal spoon to very firmly press the mixture down.
- Place the chocolate pieces into a microwave safe bowl (glass is best) and microwave on medium heat (around 50%) in 20 second intervals, until melted and smooth. Stir between each interval in the microwave.
- Place in the fridge or freezer until set (around 1-2 hours in the fridge or 30 minutes in the freezer).
- Remove from the fridge for 10 minutes before cutting the slice into pieces. Enjoy!
Notes
- I use a standard Australian 20ml tablespoon (4 teaspoons). In many other countries, a tablespoon is 15ml or 3 teaspoons. I also use Australian cups which are 250ml capacity. Cups differ in volume compared to your location. Please adjust accordingly.
- Weetbix are a rectangular, “brick” shaped cereal, commonly found in Australia and New Zealand. They are an excellent source of wholegrains, low in sugar and fortified with iron and contain B vitamins, including B1 (thiamin), B2 (riboflavin), B3 (niacin) and B9 (folate). ‘VitaBrits’ or other brands referring to “wheat biscuits’ can be substituted for Weetbix, if preferred. In the UK, a similar substitute is called ‘Weetabix’. For gluten-free chocolate slice, use gluten free Weetbix.
- Brown rice syrup/rice malt syrup is used to sweeten the slice and to break the slice down in the food processor. Alternative natural sweeteners like maple syrup can be used, but the sweetener needs to be liquid to ensure the slice mixture is the right consistency. The entire ¾ cup is required, as using less makes the slice too dry.
- Sunflower seed butter is made from nutrient dense sunflower seeds, which are a great source of protein, vitamin E, good fats and magnesium – which all help keep you feeling full and energised. You can find sunflower butter in health food stores and some supermarkets. Or you can substitute for tahini (although tahini has a stronger and more distinctive taste). If you don’t require this slice to be nut-free, you can also swap it for a smooth peanut butter in equal quantities.
- The mixture takes time to break down and come together in the food processor. To help the process, you can crush the Weetbix before adding them to the food processor. If the mixture hasn’t bound together after 3-5 minutes, add 1-2 tablespoons of water.
- Take the slice out of the fridge and let it sit for around 10 minutes before cutting into pieces.
- The chocolate topping makes the slice rich and decadent and is highly recommended, but can be left off if preferred.
- If you don’t have a food processor, you can still make this slice. Although, it will be a little rougher and more textured. A food processor does produce a nicer finish. Crush the Weetbix as finely as possible and then stir all of the ingredients together in a large mixing bowl until completely combined and sticking together.
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