B6*Lancaster Farming, Saturday, December 9, 2000
Amazing
Searching for some quick,
tasty snacks for holiday enter
taining?
Don’t overlook that box of ce
real stuck in your pantry.
Many delicious, crunchy
snacks can be made with a wide
variety of cereals. In addition,
these snacks have the advantage
of nutritious ingredients.
Try these and see if you don’t
like cereal for more than break
fast.
TEXAS COWPOKE
TRAIL MIX
2 cups cereal (toasted oat or
bran squares or circles)
2 cups chopped, mixed dried
fruit (apricots, apples, cher
ries, peaches, prunes, dates,
figs, raisins, or cranberries)
I'/’ cups dry-roasted peanuts
1 cup thin pretzel sticks, bro
ken in half
-A cup shredded coconut, op
tional
'/: teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons honey
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a large bowl, stir together ce
real, chopped dried fruits, dry
roasted peanuts, pretzel sticks,
and coconut, if desired. Add cin
namon and honey, tossing well to
coat mixture. Spread mixture on
foil-lined cookie sheets. Bake 10
minutes. Cool; store in a tightly
covered container.
Enjoy as a snack or sprinkle it
over ice cream or frozen yogurt
as a crunchy topper.
Makes about 7 cups trail mix.
CHOCOLATE PEANUTTY
GORP
8 cups Cheerios
2 cups raisins
1 cup dry roasted peanuts
12-ounce semisweet chocolate
chips
'/’ cup smooth peanut butter
In a large bowl, combine cere
al, raisins, and peanuts. Place
chocolate chips and peanut but
ter in a medium saucepan. Stir
constantly while cooking over
low heat until chocolate is melted
and mixture is smooth.
Pour chocolate mixture over
cereal mixture. Stir until well
coated. Drop about I'/: table
spoons mixture into paper muf
fin cups, use fingers to press mix
ture together if necessary. Allow
chocolate to harden.
Katherine Wagner
Mount Joy
PUPPY CHOW
(For people 1
9 cups Chex cereal or Crispix
1 cup chocolate chips
Recipe Topics
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Send your recipes to Lou Ann Good, Lancaster Farming,
P.O. Box 609, Ephrata, PA 17522.
December
16 - Holiday Entertaining
23 - Christmas Dinner
30 - New Year’s Celebration
January
6 - Cooking With Oats
Treats Using Cereal
Vz stick butter
Vi cup peanut butter
/z teaspoon vanilla
V/z cups confectioners’ sugar
Melt butter, chocolate chips,
and peanut butter. Add vanilla;
stir cereal until evenly coated.
Put in bag or bowl with tight lid.
Add confectioners’ sugar, shake
until well coated. Sweet and
crunchy!
Rosella Oberholtzer
Mifflinburg
CHINATOWN SQUARES
5 cups rice Chex
3-ounce can chow mein noo
dles
1 cup dry roasted peanuts
10.5-ounce package mini
marshmallows
6 tablespoons butter
12-ounces vanilla candy coat
ing, chopped
In large bowl, combine cereal,
chow mein noodles, and peanuts.
In a large saucepan, combine
marshmallows and butter. Cook
over low heat until smooth,
stirring frequently. Remove from
heat and add candy coating, stir
until smooth. Pour marshmallow
mixture over cereal mixture. Use
greased hands to press mixture
into a greased 9x13-inch baking
dish. Cool completely. Cut into
2-inch squares.
Katherine Wagner
Mount Joy
PARTY MIX
1 /: cups butter
'A cup Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons garlic salt
2 teaspoons onion salt
2 teaspoons celery salt
1 pound salted nuts
2 12-ounce boxes Chex cereal
2 bags pretzel sticks or small
pretzels
Melt butter, add seasonings.
Place remaining ingredients in a
large roasting pan or baking pan
and pour butter mixture over all.
Mix well. Bake in oven, stirring
occasionally. Set oven at
250-degrees and bake about 2Vi
hours or until crisp. Makes 8
quarts.
Rosella Oberholtzer
Mifllinburg
RAISIN-OAT COOKIES
1 cup packed brown sugar
'/: cup butter, softened
legg
1 Vi cups all-purpose flour
'A teaspoon baking soda
'A teaspoon salt
1 cup Golden Grahams cereal
1 cup quick-cooking or old
fashioned oats
1 cup raisins
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Stir
together brown sugar, butter, and
egg in a large bowl. Stir in re
maining ingredients (dough will
be stiff). Drop by rounded table
spoons about 2 inches apart onto
ungreased cookie sheet. Bake
10-12 minutes or until edges are
golden brown. Cool one minute;
remove from cookie sheet. Makes
about 2 dozen cookies.
CARAMEL APPLE
LAYER BARS
5 cups Golden Grahams cereal
'A cup butter, softened
'A bag (14-ounce size) caramels
1 tablespoon water
2 cups thinly sliced, peeled tart
apples
1 cup chopped nuts
Heat oven to 350 degrees.
Finely crush cereal; set aside.
Melt butter in rectangular pan,
13x9x2-inches, in oven. Stir in
cereal; spread evenly. Melt cara
mels and water in 2-quart sauce
pan over medium heat, stirring
constantly. Drizzle caramel over
cereal mixture. Layer with apples
and nuts. Bake 24 minutes.
Loosen edges while warm; cool.
For bars, cut into nine rows by
four rows. Store loosely covered.
36 bars.
PEANUT BUTTER
SNACKERS
5 cups Cinnamon Grahams ce
real
1 cup dry-roasted peanuts
A cup creamy peanut butter
1 tablespoon butter
2 cups small pretzel twists
1 cup raisins
Heat oven to 325 degrees. Stir
together cereal and peanuts in
large bowl; set aside. Heat pea
nut butter and butter in one
quart saucepan over low heat,
stirring occasionally, just until
blended. Pour over cereal mix
ture, stirring evenly until coated.
Spread in ungreased rectangular
pan, 13x9x2-inches. Bake 15
minutes, stirring occasionally.
Stir in pretzels and raisins.
Spread on waxed paper or alumi
num foil; cool completely. Store
in airtight container. About 9
cups snack mix.
Mix-and-Go Snack (no peanut
butter): Omit peanut butter and
butter. Mix cereal, peanuts, pret
zels, and raisins. Store tightly
covered. About 9 cups snack mix.
PEANUT BUTTER
CHOCOLATE CHUNKS
4 cups Cinnamon Graham ce
real
1 cup coarsely broken pretzels
10-ounce package peanut but
ter chips
1 cup semisweet chocolate
chips
1 cup toffee chips
Stir together cereal and pret
zels in large bowl; set aside. Heat
together peanut butter chips and
chocolate chips in 2-quart sauce
pan over low heat, stirring con
stantly, until melted. Pour over
cereal mixture until evenly coat
ed. Stir in toffee bits. Spread on
waxed paper or foil. If desired,
sprinkle with additional coarsely
broken pretzels until firm or re
frigerate one hour. Break into
chunks. Store in airtight con
tainer. 20 servings.
BANANA FREEZE SLICES
9-squares sweet cooking choc
olate
2 tablespoons chunky peanut
butter
2 bananas
Chewy Fruit Slices made with ready-to-eat cereal are
easy enough for kids to make.
1 cup crisp, sweetened rice ce
real, cocoa-flavored or
sweetened wheat puffs
Place chocolate in microwave
safe dish. Heat at HIGH for one
minute. Stir, heat until almost
melted, 30 seconds longer. Stir
until completely melted. Stir in
peanut butter. Dip or roll banan
as in chocolate, coating bananas
on all sides. Roll bananas in cere
al. Freeze until firm, at least four
hours. Cut banqna in '/2-inch slic
es before serving. Makes 2-4 serv
ings.
PEANUT BUTTER
ENERGY BAR
2 eggs, slightly beaten
Vi cup chunky peanut butter
'A cup honey
2 A cup instant nonfat dry milk
A cup all-purpose flour
3'/r cups crisp, sweetened rice
cereal, any flavor
Combine eggs, peanut butter,
and honey. Add dry milk and
flour; mix until well blended.
Add 3 cups cereal and mix until
evenly coated. Spread into greas
ed 8-inch pan. Press down firm
ly. Sprinkle remaining cereal on
top. Bake at 325 degrees for 20
minutes. Cool. Cut into bars.
Makes IS.
CHEESE STICKS
1 cup grated Cheddar cheese
Vi cup all-purpose flour
'A cup butter, softened
'A teaspoon salt (optional)
2 tablespoons milk
1 cup crunchy sweetened corn
and oat cereal
'/< cup dried apples, chopped
fine
Combine cheese, flour, butter,
and salt; blend well. Add milk
and mix well. Stir in cereal and
apples. Shape dough into balls or
finger shapes. Bake on ungreased
baking sheet at 350 degrees for
10-15 minutes or until lightly
browned. Store in airtight con
tainer. Makes 2-2!/’ dozen.
FRUIT SLICES
V) cup raisins
Va cup pitted dates
Va cup dried apricots
'A cup dried figs
Va cup chopped walnuts
1-2 tablespoons water
I'A to 3 cups sweetened wheat
puffs
Put fruits and nuts through
food chopper, using medium
blade. Add water and 1 cup cere
al; mix thoroughly. Form mix
ture into two rolls, 1 '/’-inches in
diameter. Coat fruit rolls in re
maining cereal. Chill and cut
into '/2-inch slices. Makes 32 slic
es.
CEREAL MUNCH MIX
4 cups alphabet oat and corn
cereal
'/2 cup coarsely chopped wal
nuts, pecans, cashews, al
monds, or peanuts
Vi cup dried apple slices
Vi cup dried apricots, quarter
ed
'/2 cup seedless raisins
'A cup chocolate chips
Combine all ingredients in
bowl, tossing lightly to mix.
Serve as a snack. Makes about
6'/2 cups.
CEREAL ICE CREAM
SQUARES
2 cups crisp sweetened rice
creal, any flavor
3-4 cups vanilla ice cream
Line 8- or 9-inch square pan
with waxed paper. Evenly sprin
kle half the cereal into bottom of
pan. Carefully spoon ice cream
onto cereal pressing down light
ly; smooth top with spatula.
Sprinkle remaining cereal;
press down lightly. Freeze until
firm, about one hour. Cut into
squares or bars. Makes 9 squares
or 12 bars.
PEANUT BUTTER
CHEESE SQUARES
1 cup all-purpose flour
'A teaspoons baking soda
'A cup firmly packed brown
sugar
3 cups crisp sweetened rice ce
real, any flavor
'/: cup butter, melted
8-ounces cream cheese, soft
ened
'A cup peanut butter
2 tablespoons brown sugar
'A cup instant nonfat dry milk '
legg
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons grape jelly
Combine flour with baking
soda in large bowl. Stir in 'A cup
brown sugar and 2'/> cups cereal.
Add butter and mix until crum
bly. Press two-thirds of crumb
mixture into bottom of 8-inch
square pan. Beat cream cheese
with peanut butter and 2 table
spoons brown sugar until light
and fluffy. Add dry milk, egg,
and lemon juice and beat well.
Spread over crumb base. Dot
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