Monkey Munch

Monkey Munchby Jennifer Cerbo Cowart on Wednesday, March 3, 2010 at 4:39pm


This is by no means healthy, not at all. The only redeeming quality about it is the kids want a tall glass of milk to go with it, so extra calcium. That's the best I can do. Got this recipe from my friend Marcia.



Monkey Munch


9 cups Chex cereal (sneak in wheat Chex, and that's healthier! I did that last spring.)

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

1/4 cup butter

1 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar


In a large microwaveable bowl, combine peanut butter, chocolate chips and butter. Heat in microwave 1 minute. Take out, mix and return for another 30 seconds or until it can be mixes smooth. ( I do this on the stove top usually.)

Add in vanilla, stir.

If your bowl is large enough, you can put the dry cereal right in that bowl and mix until all cereal is coated. If not, put the cereal in a larger bowl and pour the chocolate mix right over it. Stir until completely coated.

Put into a large ziploc bag (large paper grocery bag works better)  and add confectioner's sugar. Seal and shake it all about (you do the hokey pokey) until the sugar coats everything.

Spread onto a large cookie sheet to cool.

Store in airtight container.

Two recipes in one: Homemade Granola Bars

A couple of years ago I cut a granola bar recipe out of the newspaper. It's called Becky's Granola Bark. It's a good recipe and you can vary the ingredients to suit your tastes, and I always doubled it to get a good amount of them.

One day I wanted to make them but I didn't have half the stuff on the list so I made up my own, using her original as a basis for it. They came out great, best I've ever made. So I'll write mine first, and then Becky's below. Two for the price of one.

Chocolate Craisin Granola Bars


Ingredients:
1) 2 cups Oatmeal (Quick Oats)

2) 1/3 cup Wheat Flour

3) 1/2 tsp cinnamon

4) 1 package Craisins

5) 2/3 cup chocolate chip (I use semi sweet)



6) 1/2 cup brown sugar

7) 1 stick butter

8) 1/4 cup honey


Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees

Mix first five ingredients in a large bowl together.

In a small saucepan over medium heat, mix butter, honey and brown sugar, stir.

Pour hot ingredients from saucepan over the dry ingredients in large bowl. (This will melt the chocolate chips.) Stir until completely mixed.

Pour out onto a cookie sheet and flatten out until even all the way across the pan in both directions. There may not be enough mixture to spread right to the edge of the pan but it'll get pretty close.

Bake 20-22 minutes, check at 20 minutes. You'll kind of be able to see the edges crisp up. With them being chocolate colored, it's hard, but you can still tell. Cool completely in pan and cut or break into bars.

If you try them, let me know how you like them.


Next....



Becky's Granola Bark (my notes in parenthesis.)

Ingredients:
1 cup oats

1 cup sliced almonds (I've used pureed almonds, 1/3 cup.)

1/2 cup coconut flakes (I never used them I don't like coconut)

1/4 cup wheat germ

2 tablespoons whole wheat flour

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/4 cup brown sugar

3 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons honey



Other mix-ins could could include pumpkin puree, carrot puree, raisins. (I particularly like the raisin and carrot combo, makes it sweet.)

Heat oven to 325 degrees.

In a bowl mix together dry ingredients. Set aside.

In small saucepan combine butter, honey and brown sugar.

Pour over oat mixture and stir to combine.

Spread on cookie sheet and bake 20 minutes.

Let cool completely in pan and cut or break into pieces.