Anyway, today I got to do some actually cooking/experimenting in my kitchen with some new recipes for snack items to keep around the house. I've been looking to move away from using too much white sugar, but I can't afford to switch to anything better (read: more expensive and more nutritious) right now...so I've been trying my hand at some recipes using honey and maple syrup as sweeteners and the results have been, well, YUMMY!
Today I made rice crispy treats (a healthier version) and chewy granola bars. Now, I will warn you that the granola bars taste much more like no-bake cookies (and much yummier than any version I've ever made before)...so proceed with caution!
This is the recipe I used for Rice Crispy Treats (and here is a link to the original...which you should totally check out because she has SO MANY other wonderful treats that I can't wait to try).
Rice Crispy Treats
1 c smooth peanut butter
1/2 c honey
1/2 t vanilla extract
3 c crispy rice cereal (this is what I used and it was yummy...it kind of has a chocolately flavor which was a special addition to the bars)
1. Melt the peanut butter and honey in a saucepan over medium heat.
2. Remove from heat and add the vanilla, stir until combined.
3. Stir in the crispy rice cereal
4. Spread into greased pan and allow to cool (9x9 works well).
And here is the recipe for the granola bars I made (again the original can be found here - told you she had lots of other yummy things on her site)...
Chewy Granola Bars
1/2 c smooth peanut butter
1/3 c honey
1/4 c coconut oil
1 c oats (I used a combination of quick oats and old fashioned oats)
1/2 c shredded coconut
1/2 c mini chocolate chips (you can try these dairy-free chocolate chips
if you have to avoid dairy)1. Melt together peanut butter, honey, and coconut oil over medium heat until well blended.
2. Remove from heat and add oats, coconut, and chocolate chips. Stir well.
3. Spread into greased pan (I used a 9x9 pan).
4. Cool approx 2 hours (30 minutes on counter and then transferred to refrigerator for remaining time).
5. Cut into bars and TRY, TRY, TRY not to devour every single one b/c you know that you're supposed to share with your family and that it's never good to eat that much at once...everything in moderation ;)
FYI: The chocolate chips melted completely into the mixture and I think I'd scale back to 1/4 cup next time and use more coconut or maybe add some sunflower seeds or something, but that's just me.
If your look for some relatively healthier options this holiday season to the normal fare (think fudge, cookies, cream pies, and the like) then these could be a great alternative! Enjoy!
