Korean Rice Cake Bars with Vanilla

I’ve made rice cake from scratch at home before and let me tell you, it’s not an easy project. So when I came across this tteok recipe that’s as easy as baking a sheet pan cake, I couldn’t resist! These are the perfect snack for taking on the go, enjoying with a cup of coffee in the morning or in the afternoon to keep the energy rolling.

I love that they’re completely customizable and chock full of my favorite nuts and seeds, but feel free to experiment and add what you like. And by toasting the nuts and seeds, the natural oils are released and I find the flavor blends so well with the toasty vanilla extract in the batter.

These bars also store really well! I wrapped mine in aluminum foil and stacked them in a ziploc bag to store in the freezer. Whenever I want to enjoy these chewy rice cake bars, I thaw them in the fridge overnight or reheat them directly in the toaster oven.

Korean Rice Cake Bars (makes about 16 bars)

• 3 cups (420 grams) sweet rice flour
• 1 cup of brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 cups of milk
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 cup of honey
• 1/3 cup each of walnuts, pecans, pistachios, sunflower seeds
• 1/2 cup raisins

Prepare nuts. Place nuts and seeds on a sheet pan and toast at 325℉ for 5-7 minutes or until fragrant and lightly browned. When still warm, season with a pinch of salt. When it’s cool enough to handle, chop coarsely and set aside.

Make the batter. Increase oven temp to 375℉. In a large bowl, combine sweet rice flour, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt. Add milk, vanilla, and honey. Mix with spatula until well-incorporated. Add toasted nuts and seeds and raisins. Stir to combine.

Bake. Grease a 9x13 baking pan or sheet pan with butter and add batter. Bake for 30 minutes or until top is crispy and browned. Let completely cool and cut into bars and enjoy!

This recipe was adapted from BeyondKimchee.