LA Chapssalteok: Korean Sweet Rice Cake Bars

These sticky Korean sweet rice cake bars (chapssaltteok) are originated from Korean immigrants in Los Angeles, California. You don’t need butter or oil, but still creates crispy and chewy bars. Loaded with nuts and seeds, these bars make a steady gluten-free snack!

Baked goodies with NO flour and NO butter or oil.., Would it be possible? These Korean style sweet rice cake bars, known as chapssaltteok, make it possible.

They originated from the Koreans living in Los Angeles, California many years ago. Their craving of old-style Korean sweet rice dessert, which sometimes is hard to achieve in a home kitchen, turned this bars more like ‘east meets west’ version of rice cakes.

There is no wheat flour nor any butter or oil in the recipe, but still creates crisp texture on the outside and chewy (almost mochi-like) inside.

The filling can be adapted to any choice of nuts, seeds and dried fruits for your liking. You can adjust the amount of sugar depends on the sweetness you desire. That makes this bars great for snacks, short breakfast, and even a dessert.

A keeper part? You can whip the batch in less than 10 minutes before you put in the oven to bake. This is another gently sweet chapssaltteok version.

Choice of Nuts and Seeds

Here are our chosen plant based filling. Walnuts, pecans, sunflower seeds, raisins, almonds and pistachios. Use any nuts, edible seeds, and dried fruits. You can throw some chocolate chips if you like.

Coarsely chop your nuts.

How the dish comes together

In a large bowl, mix rice flower, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt. We only used 1-1/2 cup of brown sugar for 3 cups of rice flower. It gave subtle sweetness. If you prefer sweeter treat, add more sugar as you desire.

Mix well with a whisk.

Pour milk to the flour mixture, and add 1 teaspoon vanilla. Mix well to combine everything. It will be a thin batter.

UPDATE: If using Mochiko flour instead of sweet rice flour, you will need more milk to get the right consistency. Increase the amount of milk to 3 cups.

Add your chopped nuts…

Seeds and dried fruits, and other wonders of nature if you like. Mix well.

Pour on a well greased 9×13 pan.

Make sure you even out the nutty goodness. Bake in a preheated 375F oven for 30-35 minutes.

Voila! You’ve got a cake or bars. Make sure to cool down completely before you cut.

Here is the finished product. Let’s pay a moment of adoration…

Cut into any size bars you desire. We like our bars long and skinny.

Wrap these bars with plastic wrap and they will keep fresh for a few days. They can be stored in the freezer for a couple of month.

They will be our breakfast, afternoon snack, and midnight munch for the next few days. And we are happy about that.

Our family and we had a wonderful trip to Penang, Malaysia and Bali, Indonsia over the holidays. We will try to post some pictures soon to share with you. We had a great time and the ‘FOOD’ was just memorable in both places.

Hope all of you had a great season with your family and friends over a scrumptious feast. And we wish you a Happy New Year!

Other Korean Sweet Treats

• Korean Sweet Rice Dessert (Yakshik)
• Direct Hotteok (Korean Sweet Pancake)
• Red Bean Rice Cake

• Yield: 20 bars
• Prep: 10 minutes
• Cook: 35 minutes
• Total: 45 minutes

Ingredients

• 3 cup sweet rice flour (chapssal-garu), See note below
• 1 1/2 to 2 cups brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 cup milk
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/3 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped
• 1/3 cup pecan, coarsely chopped
• 1/3 cup almond, coarsely chopped
• 1/3 cup pistachios, coarsely chopped
• 1/3 cup sunflower seeds
• 1/2 cup raisins

Method

1. Preheat oven to 375ºF
2. In a large bowl whisk together rice flour, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt. Pour milk and vanilla and stir to mix well.
3. Add the assorted nuts, sunflower seeds and raisins. Mix well.
4. Pour the batter over well greased 9×13 inch pan. Bake for 30-35 minutes until the top gets brown and crisp.
5. Cool completely and cut into bars. Wrap leftover bars with plastic wrap and store in the freezer.

Notes

If you are using mochiko flour, increase the amount of milk to 3 cups