Did you know today’s national cereal day? I probably wouldn’t have if the people at Chex cereal didn’t tell me and invite me to celebrate.
I really need a calendar with these fun food holidays like national cereal day, national peanut butter day, and—of course—national margarita day(which was thoroughly celebrated). I even forgot the Oscars were last weekend until that day, but thankfully I already had this classy snack to watch it with.
Black tie events are not my style but white and dark chocolate most certainly are. This Chex mix has a good balance of flavors; it’s a perfect class act for an award show party or just a football party. And it’s fairly easy to put together, too.
When you’re making this recipe, just like any other recipe that involves melting chocolate, make sure to pick a brand you trust and know melts well. Some chocolate chips have too many preservatives added to them and seize up instead of melting. Anything that markets itself as baking chocolate is a good bet for melting.
Black & White Chex Mix
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 0 minutes
Ingredients(Makes about 8 servings):
- 2 cups chocolate Chex cereal, divided
- 2 cups vanilla Chex cereal, divided
- 2/3 chocolate chips, divided
- 2/3 white chocolate chips, divided
Method:
- In a large bowl mix together 1 cup chocolate Chex cereal, 1 cup vanilla Chex cereal, 1/3 cup white chocolate chips, and 1/3 cup chocolate chips.
- Melt the remaining chocolate chips over the stove or in a microwave.
- While the chocolate is melted, mix in the remainder of the chocolate Chex cereal until it’s well-coated.
- Pour the chocolate covered Chex onto a non-stick surface and gently flatten into a single layer.
- Repeat the same process with the white chocolate chips and vanilla Chex.
- Let the Chex sit until the chocolate has rehardened.
- Break up the chocolate covered Chex into bite-sized chunks.
- Mix the chocolate covered Chex in with the rest of the ingredients well.
- Serve at room temperature or store in a cool, dry place.
Since 2014 started, I’ve been to the gym 3 times, the grocery store once, and the kitchen to grab another handful of this Chex mix about 17 times.
Before the holidays General Mills had sent me a box of inspiring ingredients and blogger recipes including Julie’s, Caitlin’s, and my own. For a while they stumped me, but chocolate Chex and caramel candies couldn’t be passed up.
This mix has rich chocolate coated Chex, sweet powdered Chex, and white chocolate chips for a delicious trio that’s hard to beat. It’s more of a dessert but if you want to sneak a few handfuls before dinner, I won’t say a word.
Chocolate Caramel Chex Mix
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 5 minutes
Ingredients(Makes about 10 cups):
- 10 .5oz caramels(or an equal equivalent)
- 1/3 cup chocolate spread*
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons milk
- 4 cups Chex cereal
- 4 cups chocolate Chex cereal
- 3/4 cup white chocolate chips
*I used Hershey’s chocolate spread. A spread like Nutella would work as well.
Method:
- In a small sauce pan, melt the caramels and chocolate spread.
- Once the ingredients are almost melted, add in the milk and stir until it makes a smooth and shiny sauce.
- In a large bowl, mix together 4 cups Chex cereal and the chocolate caramel sauce until the cereal is evenly coated.
- Lay the Chex out in a single layer on a non-stick surface for about 20 minutes to cool.
- Once cooled, gently break apart the large chunks of cereal to smaller bite-sized pieces.
- Toss the chocolate caramel Chex with the chocolate Chex cereal and white chocolate chips until evenly mixed.
- Store in a sealed container at room temperature when not enjoying.
General Mills, the company that makes Chex, recently opened up the “Cinnamon Toast Crunch Swag Shop” with funny merchandise and gave me 2 coupon codes for me and a reader to get a t-shirt. If you want a free Cinnamon Toast Crunch tee for yourself or a friend, comment with your favorite cereal and I’ll randomly pick a winner Friday.
When I was at the Wine & Food festival, I was lucky enough to meet Justin Warner after his demo. Justin has made a number of sweet and savory recipes for General Mills using their Big G cereals in unexpected ways(here’s the blog post featuring those).
Jason from General Mills sent me some of their cereals along with some unusual ingredients Justin would go crazy with. At first I wasn’t sure how to use some of them(a pestle and mortar? sriracha sauce?), but then it hit me: A Thai sauce with Reese’s Puffs.
It’s not as crazy as it sounds; a lot of the ingredients in Reese’s Puffs are found in regular sauces: Corn starch is a common thickening agent; sugar can be just as important as salt for bringing out flavor profiles; even chocolate is used to add a richness and depth to tomato sauce.
As with any sauce you should taste as you go along and add salt and seasoning to adjust it to your taste. For a lower-fat version, use cartoned coconut milk or almond milk.
Thai Reese’s Puffs Peanut Butter Sauce
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 0 minutes
Ingredients(Makes enough for 2 servings):
- 3/4 cup Reese’s Puffs cereal
- 1/3 cup soy sauce or gluten-free tamari
- 1 Tablespoon sriracha
- 2 Tablespoons honey
- 1 Tablespoon peanut butter
- 1/3 cup coconut milk
Method:
- Combine all of the ingredients in a food processor or high-speed blender.
- Blend until smooth.
- Add to sautéed vegetables and tofu or chicken.
- Heat the pre-cooked vegetables, chicken, or tofu in the sauce until it is warmed through.
- Serve hot.
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:
- In a microwave or over a double boiler, melt the chocolate chips.
- Stir in the almond butter and honey until smooth.
- Add in the oats, cereal, almonds, dried fruit, and salt and mix until everything is completely covered.
- Line an 8 x 8 baking tray with wax paper. Dump the batter into the pan and press down into an even layer.
- Refrigerate the bars until they’ve hardened—about 20-30 minutes.
- With a sharp knife, cut the bars in half horizontally and into quarters vertically into 8 2 x 4 bars.
- Store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
This is it.
If I stopped blogging tomorrow and this was the last recipe I ever posted, I’d be more than happy with that.
It’s no secret I’m a Reese’s lover. This bark was bound to happen. And it’s one of my favorites—Scratch that. It is my favorite.
The sweet Reese’s pieces, dark chocolate, and smooth peanut butter cups go perfectly with a little crunch from the Reese’s puffs. You’d be hard-pressed to be disappointed with a bite of this bark.
You can use regular-sized Reese’s cups, Reese’s fun-sized candies, or even Reese’s miniatures for the peanut butter cups—whichever you have on hand.
Reese’s is in no way affiliated with this blog post; I’m just a lover.
Reese’s Lover’s Bark
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 0 minutes
Ingredients(Makes 16-20 servings):
Method:
- In a microwave safe bowl, melt the chocolate chips until they are smooth and liquid.
- Spread the chocolate out into a thin layer on a non-stick surface such as wax paper.
- One at a time or all together, sprinkle the Reese’s toppings evenly over the melted chocolate.
- Gently press the toppings into the chocolate to make sure as many as possible stick into the bark.
- Refrigerate for 20-30 minutes until the chocolate is cold and set.
- Break the bark into pieces with a knife or your hands while still cold. Keep refrigerated until ready to eat.
When you start baking gluten-free, one thing you get used to is using anything for a flour-substitute. Gluten-free cereals are one of my favorites since you can use them in baked or no-bake desserts and the flavor’s always familiar.
Good ol’ fashioned corn flakes add a nice crunch and chewiness to traditional peanut butter cookies. The flavor is better than any bowl of cereal I’ve ever had.
If you don’t have powdered sugar but still want to give these cookies a special feel to them, drizzle melted chocolate on instead.
Peanut Butter Corn Flakes Cookies
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Ingredients(Makes 12 large cookies):
- 1 cup peanut butter
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 cup corn flakes(I used Erewhon brand)
- Powdered sugar for dusting
Method:
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
- In a large bowl, mix together the peanut butter, sugar, egg, vanilla, and baking powder.
- Add in the corn flakes and continue mixing until the dough forms one large ball.
- Drop mounds of dough onto a greased baking tray(I used an ice cream scoop to form the mounds).
- Bake for 15-18 minutes until the cookies are firm to the touch.
- Remove from the oven and let the cookies cool completely.
- Dust with powdered sugar before serving.
These cookies beg to be eaten with a cold glass of milk or almond milk.
I’ve never had much luck making granola bars until now. They usually turn out caky or crumbly and never hold together; I was just about ready to give up on making granola bars. This recipe has completely changed that around for me.
Not only are these delicious and gluten-free, they’re also no-bake and come together in about 10 minutes. I couldn’t think of anything more to ask for. The ingredients are simple, organic, and whole grain. It could easily be made vegan by swapping out the honey.
For the “dried fruit” we were out of the standard raisins or craisins, so I improvised and used chopped candied ginger. The flavor could not have been more spectacular. I generally love ginger and chocolate and the added bite held its own to the nuttiness of the bars.
Chocolate Almond Granola Bars
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 0 minutes
Ingredients(Makes 8 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(I used Erewhon Cocoa Crispy Brown Rice Cereal)*
- 1/2 cup almonds, whole or crushed
- 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:
- In a microwave or over a double boiler, melt the chocolate chips.
- Stir in the almond butter and honey until smooth.
- Add in the oats, cereal, almonds, dried fruit, and salt and mix until everything is completely covered.
- Line an 8 x 8 baking tray with wax paper. Dump the batter into the pan and press down into an even layer.
- Refrigerate the bars until they’ve hardened—about 20-30 minutes.
- With a sharp knife, cut the bars in half horizontally and into quarters vertically into 8 2 x 4 bars.
- Store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
I don’t see myself ever paying for granola bars again.
I’m a very brand-loyal person, whether it be the shoes on my feet or the food on my plate. One brand I absolutely love is Attune Foods. I met their representative Annelies at the Chicago Healthy Living Summit; her passion for Attune’s healthy line of cereals and chocolate was immediately apparent and impressed me and I’ve been a fan ever since.
Their Erewhon line of cereals make terrific certified gluten-free alternatives to mainstream rice and corn-based cereals and have been doing so for decades. While I’m not a fan of cereal for breakfast, I do like baking with it, especially for no-bake desserts like this one. These bars have the same flavors as my other date bar recipe but are so much simpler to make. The bottom layer is only slightly sweet with a nutty and spicy rice flavor to it, while the topping adds a good punch of flavor and texture difference. It’s a quick and easy crowd-pleaser.
No-Bake Gluten-Free Date Bars
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes
Ingredients(Makes 16 squares):
- 1 box Erewhon Rice Twice cereal
- 1/2 cup butter, melted
- 1/2 cup almond butter
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2-3 Tablespoons water
- 1 cup dates, diced
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 3/4 cup water
- 1/4 cup crushed walnuts
- 1/2 teaspoon course sea salt(optional)
Method:
- In a food processor, blend the cereal until it makes a fine flour.
- Add the melted butter, powdered sugar, almond butter, and cinnamon and continue blending until mixed.
- Slowly add the water until the cereal mix starts sticking to itself. Shut off the processor and move it into an 8 by 8 baking pan and press into an even layer. Refrigerate for the time being.
- In a small pot, bring the dates, brown sugar, and water to a boil. Continue boiling until the dates are soft and mushy and the water has evaporated. Remove from the heat and mash together into a somewhat smooth puree.
- Spread the date mixture over the crust in an even layer. Top with walnuts and sea salt if using. Chill for at least one hour before cutting into squares.
The Attune Foods October recipe challenge is open until October 20th. They will also be holding a November and December recipe challenge so don’t worry if you can’t think of anything to submit for this contest period. In fact, just don’t enter so that I have a better chance of winning. Kidding. Sort of.
