You can bake your rice cakes to get a crispy crust on them but then they tend to crumble
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Thanks @DameLisa. I’ve given up on rice cakes. I guess I could make rice krispie cakes myself but I’d likely eat the whole tray before i got on the bike.
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I’ve always wanted to try making them but I’m only one person and the recipes always make enough for a TDF team so I haven’t ever tried them. I have had PB sandwiches, it can interesting to eat, especially when they get warm being on your back for 90 minutes in the sun.
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Sir @Glen.Coutts, I’ve started making my own gel blocks using flavoured gelatine (Jello style), gélatine, corn syrup and citric acid. This costs me about 0.50$ CAD for about 200 calories-worth of gel blocks, and the flavour is as good as the Clif Blok gels. I make these in silicone ice cube trays, and the time investment is minimal.
I also started making my own using regular white sugar (50-60g per 700ml bottle), a pinch of salt, and about 1/8 to 1/6 teaspoon of citric acid. The citric acid completely cuts the overly sweet taste.
These two solutions have been nourishing my high and moderate intensity rides of 50-80km (1h40 to 2h40) at a fraction of the cost of commercial products.
Let me know if you want more info and I’ll PM you.
Rob
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Well you got me curious. Feel free to share your recipes here. I’m sure other folks might be interested too. In fact, you might even want to share them in a separate post. I know I’d read it. 
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Here you go, folks…
Rob
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I buy gummis in bulk, like 3 and 5 pound bags. Here’s another great option that I love too. It’s great for a quick jolt of energy.
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To be honest, I would say there is nothing wrong with opting for gummy bears or haribo. I find them harder to chew personally, but they are both essentially tasty sugar. I used to do energy drinks with 50-100g white sugar depending on duration or intensity, a few grams of salt, and a bit of squash for flavour. White sugar is 1:1 ratio fructose:glucose, which is close to the 0.8:1 ratio often used now as the best for optimal carb oxidation
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Thanks Coach!
Jelly babies FTW 
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On a 6-stage tour I did RedBull (1-3 depending on stage length) and that went great 
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I will add to my previous comment, be sure to brush your teeth after training too! I’ve heard some bad dental stories from road racers who ate loads of sugar but forgot about tooth health
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I always kept one bottle with just water and had a sip after any carb intake (candy, bars, RedBull) which both helps my tastebuds and hopefully my teeth
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Gives new meaning to the word “gummy” bears
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I tend to do this anyway, just because of the taste in my mouth. Even when using Maurten, I prefer to swig some water right after. For whatever reason I don’t like sitting with that surgery taste in my mouth while exercising, especially doing hard efforts. Always feel better when my mouth tastes clean and wet, while having any sugary residue seems to make my mouth feel dry and dehydrated which I don’t like.
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I mentioned that one of my regular things is fig newtons. I found something at Costco that is better and that I like much better, Nature’s Bakery Fig Bars. Much better, cleaner, list of ingredients. Tastier and better mouth feel too. They’re packaged two to a bag at 100 cal ea, so easy to bring and consume on the bike. They’re less dry than fig newtons, but of course I always swig some water after eating anything on the bike.
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Skipping the preservatives is a bonus. I think Trader Joe’s/Aldis has the same thjbg, but in a different wrapper.
Been eating these as a standard snack for years, excellent pricing at Sam’sClub. I always stay at least a full box ahead in the pantry because these are super easy to take along for anything, rides, hikes, whatever. When Covid was wreaking havoc, I wanted 2 or 3 boxes as a cushion for the inevitable supply issues.
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