I’m a snacker. I can’t imagine how somebody could go from lunch all the way to dinner time without snacking on something. Seriously, how do they do it? I’m usually reaching for a candy bar or bag of popcorn at 3pm and more often than not know I should be eating something healthier.

I first made these bars last Summer and they disappeared as quickly as they set. They’re unbelievably delicious for something that takes 10 minutes to make with simple ingredients. This time around I used homemade chocolate cashew butter in place of the almond butter because it’s what I had on-hand and they tasted just as good if not better.

Just like the first time I made these, I used candied ginger instead of dried fruit. I love a little bit of spice with my chocolate. I’d highly recommend chopping your almonds and fruit before adding them to the batter because the larger portions will make your granola bars harder to cut in the final step.

Chocolate Almond Granola Bars

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 0 minutes

Ingredients(Makes 8 to 10 bars):

• 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup almond butter
• 1/4 cup honey**
• 1 cup oats*
• 1 1/2 cups chocolate rice crisps cereal*
• 1/2 cup almonds, crushed or sliced
• 1/2 cup dried fruit
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

*To make these granola bars gluten-free, make sure these two ingredients are certified gluten-free.

**Use 3 Tablespoons of agave to make these vegan.

Method:

1. In a microwave or over a double boiler, melt the chocolate chips.
2. Stir in the almond butter and honey until smooth.
3. Add in the oats, cereal, almonds, dried fruit, and salt and mix until everything is completely covered.
4. Line an 8 x 8 baking tray with wax paper. Dump the batter into the pan and press down into an even layer.
5. Refrigerate the bars until they’ve hardened—about 20-30 minutes.
6. With a sharp knife, cut the bars in half horizontally and into quarters vertically into 8 2 x 4 bars.
7. Store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

New England doesn’t have a standard cuisine but it certainly could. Between the apple cider doughnuts, glazed Dunkin Donut’s munchkins with jimmies and Boston cream pies there’s a lot to love(mostly carbs).

And then there’s this trail mix. You won’t find the typical gang of peanuts and raisins; instead we have cashews and almonds with dried cranberries. White chocolate instead of milk chocolate adds a sweetness to match the tartness of the berries. The flavors are simple but purely addictive, especially paired with some local apples and Vermont cheddar slices.

You could use raw almonds but I think roasted just have such a better flavor and texture. Similarly you could use raw cashews but I think you need something salted in the recipe to add a balance to the sweet.

Cape Cod Trail Mix

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 0 minutes

Ingredients(Makes about 3 1/2 cups)

• 1 cup roasted, salted cashews
• 1 cup roasted almonds
• 3/4 cup craisins
• 1/2 cup white chocolate chunks

Method:

1. In a large bowl, combine and mix all of the ingredients together.
2. Keep in an air-tight container at room temperature when not eating.

All that’s missing is a bag of Cape Cod potato chips—never the baked or reduced salt kind.

The nice thing about Fall and cooler temperatures is that it gets me to use the oven more. During the Summer I’d much rather make ice cream than cupcakes but recently I’ve been using my oven more and more. The kitchen is quickly becoming my favorite room again.

Roasting nuts is something I make time to do every year. You can come up with the most fun flavors using different spices, and they always are a healthier treat, too. A lot of the time I think I like pumpkin pie spice more than pumpkin itself. These almonds have all the right flavors to make you think of Fall in a portable, no-mess snack.

If you don’t have pumpkin pie spice, there are plenty of recipes online to make your own. If you don’t feel like looking up a recipe, just toss together cinnamon, ginger, allspice, and nutmeg to get a range of flavors.

Pumpkin Pie Spice Almonds

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cup raw almonds
• 1/2 Tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1/4 tablespoon salt
• 2 Tablespoons maple syrup

Method:

1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
2. In a small bowl, combine all of the ingredients until the almonds are coated well.
3. Lay out the almonds on a non-stick baking tray.
4. Bake for 15-20 minutes disturbing the almonds halfway through until they’ve roasted to a darker brown. They should still be slightly sticky when you take them out.
5. Let the almonds cool, break any that are stuck together apart, and store them at room temperature.

These are a great snack to leave out at a party. Clean out a mini-pumpkin and serve it in that for something festive.