Pages, Pucks and Pantry

Crathie Crunch

Not sure what it is about green food that makes it mandatory to think of St. Patrick's Day. If you look at my St. Patrick's Day Pinterest board, it's full of food that isn't Irish at all...it just happens to be the color green. This is one of those dishes that is far from a traditional St. Patrick's Day dish, but none the less, I feel is perfectly suitable for the occasion.

The recipe came from the Eating Royally cookbook. This was originally to be made for the London Olympics since it called for two ingredients I had picked up for that occasion...McVities Chocolate Digestives and a Peppermint Chocolate Aero Bar (substitutes for these English goodies are listed). The recipe is considered a cheesecake but there is no cheese whatsoever in this dish so I'm not sure if that designation means something different in England than it does here. The dish was supposedly named after the village next to Balmoral Castle in Scotland where the Royals vacation from August until early October.

I'm not really a mint or peppermint person, but most folks that tried this liked it. My concoction didn't look nearly as nice as the photo in the cookbook...my filling didn't seem to be as fluffy as the authors, but it still looked okay.

CRATHIE CRUNCH
(Eating Royally)

1/2 pound (8 ounces) McVities chocolate digestives or 1 cup ground graham cracker crumbs mixed
      with 1/2 cup grated bittersweet chocolate
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
4 eggs, separated
2 tablespoons creme de menthe liqueur
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 packets unflavored gelatin
1 tablespoon water
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 peppermint chocolate Aero Bar or 1/3 cup grated chocolate

Grind the cookies in a food processor until fine crumbs form. Place in a large bowl and stir in the melted butter. Firmly pack the mixture into the bottom of a 9-inch tart pan and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes.

Place the egg yolks, creme de menthe, and sugar into a large mixing bowl over a pan of boiling water, and whisk for about 2 minutes. Remove the bowl from the heat, and continue whisking until the mixture is cold.

Soften the gelatin in the 1 tablespoon water in a small pan, and place over low heat to warm and dissolve the gelatin. Whisk the gelatin into the egg mixture.

Whip the egg whites until stiff, and fold into the egg mixture. Spoon this onto the tart crust, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Whip the heavy cream in a large bowl until stiff, and spread onto the top of the now-set egg mix. Chop the mint chocolate bar, and decorate with it or the grated chocolate.

Makes 8 servings.

Note: I found the McVities Chocolate digestive biscuits and the Aero Bar at Cost Plus World Markets. Digestive biscuits is just the British word for thin cookie like crackers. Wonderful things. Buy extra of the McVities. Trust me, more will go in your mouth than in the crust.

Note: I had no idea if packets of unflavored gelatin are the same size in the US as they are in Britain. I just used two of the small ones that come in a Knox Gelatin box. A difference might explain why my filling didn't get as fluffy and set as I'd like. Of course it could just be my cooking technique but I'd like to be able to blame it on someone else.

Note: I slathered the whipped cream on which didn't make for the best presentation. I think next time a piping bag would work out better.

Note: The Aero bar is kind of interesting looking...lots of little holes in the green part of the candy bar (see below).

All in all not a bad dessert, but not sure I'd make it again. Though if I needed something green, this would be kind of cool to show up with. That is if there were actually any McVities Chocolate Digestive Biscuits to actually make the dish since they seem to disappear quite rapidly in my house.

Mint Oreos Dipped In White Chocolate

Currently that thing called work is still kicking my butt. I'd also like to point out that Murphy's Law has taken up residence at my job as we've had some of the busiest days on record. So though I'm cooking a bit (or at least providing Mr. L and I with food to eat when it's my turn), I'm still not finding time to try out all the great recipes I seem to be coming across. Or maybe it's just by the time I get home from work it takes all my energy just to push the on button for the television. Huge props go out to Mr. L who has taken up the daunting task of not only cooking every other week, but doing all the meal planning (and that's breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks), shopping and cooking for that week.

For St. Patrick's Day this year, Mr. L cooked our traditional Slow Cooker Corned Beef and Cabbage. He also scored some wonderful Irish Soda Bread from the caterer at his work. With this wonderful holiday meal, I figured I needed to come up with a dessert...something that was quick and easy. These White Chocolate Dipped Oreos fit the bill.

I have several "holiday" recipes that are basically the same, it's the color that changes. Cookie Bark and M&M Topped Brownies are two of the ones I've already posted here. Dipping Oreos in white chocolate and topping them with holiday coordinated sprinkles is another quick idea that makes for a festive (easy, quick) dessert. You only need three ingredients....Oreos, white chocolate, and sprinkles. The easy part is that Oreoss usually come out in coordinating colors around the appropriate holidays. Orange for Halloween, Peppermint for Christmas etc. In fact, I've taken the Peppermint Oreos, dipped them in white chocolate and then, instead of sprinkles, topped them with bits of crushed peppermints (you can get bags of the stuff at Trader Joes during the Christmas holidays).

I've had this link from Dandelions and Dust Bunnies pinned for a while. You can find lots of "recipes" out there for dipped Oreos if you look.

Note: You don't need specialty Oreo's, plain old white ones will do. You could even tint the white chocolate to the appropriate holiday color.

Note: To make these look more professional pay attention to the location of the logo on the cookie. I just dunked them in the white chocolate without even looking (or honestly, caring).

Note: You can find holiday sprinkles at Michaels. If you are local, Lunardis bakery area always has tubs of the stuff during holidays. Your local grocery store may do the same thing. I've already picked up Lunardis "Easter" version just in case. I think they'd go well on the Berry Oreos.

Note: I used a couple of mini muffin tins to stand up the dipped Oreos in so that both sides looked good.

Note: You can use sprinkles, colored sugar, Nonpareils, sparkle dust, edible paints, and sugar pearls as toppings on these.

 

Peanut Butter Football Dip

I loved this dip. And pretty much anybody who tried it also loved it. Did I mention it was actually quite easy to make? Dessert in an appetizer. My kind of food.

I made this for the SuperBowl. Which if you were a 49er fan, wasn't so super. I originally found the idea for this on Pinterest. I believe the original recipe came from the blog Crazy for Crust (though the recipe is not new, putting it into the football shape might be). I decided to go with her recipe for the dip as it sounded good. There are a ton of Peanut Butter Dip recipes online that you can use if the one from Crazy for Crust doesn't appeal to you.

I served this with football shaped pretzels that I found at Cost Plus World Market. Everyone liked the dip though some had to have it explained that it actually was a dip and that you used the pretzels to scoop up the mixture. My favorite reaction though was from one of The Men Who Drive The Cars. I brought the mixture into work and let my co-workers and drivers have a taste. I knew that I had a hit on my hands when the driver came back the next day asking if I had any of the football left. The success of the dip kinda (though not really) made the 49er loss just a tad bit less painful.

You can find the recipe for this here:

 

PEANUT BUTTER FOOTBALL DIP
(Crazy For Crust)

 

NOTE: Didn't add the extra half cup of powdered sugar. I wanted the dip to be easy to use since the football shaped pretzels I got were pretty flimsy. I think I might like it just a bit thicker next time and would add a bit more powdered sugar. I think regular pretzels would hold up just fine.

NOTE: I might draw a football shape on the wax paper before trying to shape the dip into a football since I sucked at the football shaping by hand. I definitely put this back into the fridge for a bit so that it made it easier to shape.

NOTE: I used a flat spatula to level the top and sides of the dip after it was shaped. Once I shaped the football to my liking I trimmed the rest of the wax paper so it didn't show so much.

NOTE: I found the Jimmie's at Cost Plus (couldn't find them in any of my local or gourmet markets). They had a milk chocolate and a dark chocolate...I used the dark. A bit tough to finagle the jimmies on...I used that small flat spatula to help adhere to the sides of the football shape.

NOTE: I used a tube bottle of white frosting to make the laces. You can check online for folks who really got creative and tried to make it all look like a real football...I figured an approximation would work.

I thought this was a very cool dish to bring to a football party. The dip itself was pretty good so if you are creative, you could shape it into just about anything you want. And you don't really need pretzels, you could use fruit (apples seems to be the thing). Or a spoon.

 

Eton Mess

When I first started looking at Nigella Express to see if there was a recipe I wanted to try to cook during the London Olympics, I decided I was going to make Goujons of Sole...for those Dr. Who fans, that's basically fish fingers, and for those non Dr. Who fans that's fish sticks (of course I was going to cook it without the custard). But I couldn't find any decent, affordable sole at my local markets so I put the cookbook away.

I then focused my attention on looking for a recipe for Eton Mess, a dish that I've run across in many of my cookbooks over the years. The problem was that most of the recipes called for making the meringue by scratch...something I just didn't have the time for during the Olympic festivities.

But then, by chance, I came back to the Nigella Express cookbook and saw that her recipe called for pre-packaged meringue nests. Eureka! Or so I thought until I couldn't find them at any store I frequented. So the cookbook went back on the shelf with a mental note to keep looking for some decent sole to try those fish fingers.

Fast forward to my foray at Cost Plus World Market picking up different British foods to try. Weaving up and down the isles, looking for anything that might be manufactured and eaten in London, low and behold, I came across a package of meringue nests! So back to the house and back to pulling out Nigella Express again. I think this was a sign I really needed to make something from this cookbook.

Eton Mess is really simple to make. It is also really simple to eat. Lots of. I don't know if it's the sweetness of the dish coupled with the nice crunch of the meringue, but we really enjoyed this. And even the next day when the mixture kind of went soft, I found myself stealing spoonfuls out of the container in the fridge.

This photograph doesn't do the dessert justice (my kingdom for some natural light in the house and instructions on how to use my new camera). I tried to layer the Eton Mess in a tall skinny glass and I wasn't very successful. I did take some to my Mom where I layered it in a small plastic drinking cup and it looked much better. Visions of a picnic or BBQ where I serve this in those plastic cups ran through my head.

ETON MESS
(Nigella Express)

4 cups strawberries
2 teaspoons vanilla or granulated sugar
2 teaspoons pomegranate juice
2 cups whipping cream
4 small packaged meringue nests

Hull and chop the strawberries. Put into a bowl, add the sugar and pomegranate juice, and leave to macerate while you whip the cream.

Whip the cream in a large bowl until thick but still soft. Roughly crumble in 4 of the meringue nests - you will need chunks for texture as well as a little fine dust.

Take out about half a cupful of the chopped strawberries, and fold the meringued cream and the rest of the fruit mixture together.

Arrange on 4 serving plates or glasses or in a mound, and top each one with some of the remaining macerated strawberries. Serves 4

NOTE: I used superfine sugar as it was mentioned in another Eton Mess recipe that the superfine would incorporate into the mixture better. I always have some superfine sugar on hand anyway to make simple syrups for drinks.

NOTE: This recipe is similar to many except for the pomegranate juice and the fact that it uses pre-made meringue. If you were to leave out the pomegranate juice and maybe add a bit more sugar, I don't think it would matter much.

I think this is one of those great little dessert recipes to have in your repertoire...tastes good and is simple to put together for a quick dessert after dinner. Will make this again. Will make a double batch and keep one just for me...

 

Treacle Sponge Pudding

This can of Treacle Sponge Pudding wasn't bought at a local British Food Store or the local Cost Plus World Market. This Treacle actually came all the way across the pond from England. It was lovingly brought to me by the sister of Mr. L's boss who came visiting from the UK. She also brought me a can of Bird's Custard Powder, so I no longer have an excuse not to make my own. I can't tell you how cool it was that my husbands boss knew I was eating "British" during the Olympics and had his sister pick me up something.

I originally thought "treacle" was a made up word. But it's actually any syrup made during the refining of sugar and is defined as "uncrystallized syrup produced in refining sugar". I've read and heard about Treacle Tarts for ages....it's mentioned in Harry Potter...and it was actually on my list of things to make during the Olympics, but I ran out of time. We ended up having this during the Closing Ceremonies which made a perfect end to my British Food Fest.

Alas, this didn't turn out the best. We actually liked Spotted Dick better, though it might be because of an error in cooking. We cooked this the same as the Spotted Dick, dropped the can in some boiling water for 35 minutes. The "treacle" I believe was supposed to melt and become like a sauce on the sponge cake. Alas, it never melted...not sure if it was because we didn't cook it long enough or too long. It actually didn't taste bad, Mr. L and I scarfed it down with smiles on our face, so I'd love to make one from scratch sometime.

Spotted Dick

You had to know we would go there right?

As with many of you, any time someone mentioned the British dish Spotted Dick, I snickered. And giggled. And raised an eyebrow or two. My mind went many places, many of them not fit to print if you know what I mean. And for the longest time, I thought Spotted Dick was a meat dish (stop laughing) not a dessert.

A classic Spotted Dick is a sponge pudding, usually made with suet, currents and served with custard. The "spotted" part usually refers to the currents or raisins embedded throughout the pudding...which isn't really pudding...it's more like cake.

I found many recipes and almost made Spotted Dick from scratch, but I figured I had to try this canned version that I've seen sold for years at Cost Plus. Traditionally the from scratch recipe is steamed, but this canned version could also be microwaved. I chose to "steam" it as per the instructions on the can by boiling it in a pot of water (just dump the whole can in and boil gently for about 35 minutes). Once the pudding is done, you take it out of the can and you end up with what looks like a little cake.

See? It does look spotted! I actually served this with some canned custard from the UK (Ambrosia Devon Custard).

And how did it taste? Surprisingly good. Mr. L and I both thought there was a bit of spiciness to the dish. The custard made the somewhat dry (do you see a recurring theme?) cake very palatable. As for the authenticity of the canned Spotted Dick? A few days ago we had dinner with Mr. L's boss who comes from England and he was a bit surprised when we mentioned that the dish was a bit spicy...and that it had raisins instead of  currents. I think at some point, I'm going to need to try to make the dish from scratch.

The canned Spotted Dick was $4.99 at World Market and serves 3.5 with each serving coming in at 260 calories. I say if you really want to have fun some night, split this in four and serve with some custard and you'll have an interesting conversation piece for dessert. As a side note, we served this warm cake with the custard cold spread on top...you can actually put the custard warm or cold on a plate and serve the Spotted Dick on top.

As far as the name, years ago they tried to change it to be Spotted Richard or Spotted Dog but the new names didn't catch on. I guess it wasn't nearly as fun as saying you're having Spotted Dick after dinner....

Red, White and Blue Cookie Bark

Continuing my 4th of July goodies, this cookie bark is a wonderful blend of salty and sweet. And a great way to use up leftover Oreo's, should there ever be such a thing. I went out and bought a new bag of Oreo's...and this recipe didn't use the whole bag, so now maybe I need to make another batch. It didn't help that the day I made these I finally got around to watching the last episodes of House (which the connection won't mean a thing unless you saw said episodes). So yeah, I looked at my bag of Oreo's and got all weepy. Sigh.

Anyway, another quick 4th treat that is super simple to make and can be coordinated for any holiday. You could even use holiday Oreo's if you can find them (I'm thinking the Halloween Oreos with the Halloween or Fall M&M's will go great!). The best photo of the Oreo Cookie Bark with a recipe I found on Pinterest is here. The recipe for Halloween bark which is the recipe I'll use for pretty much any holiday bark is on the Kraft site here.

RED, WHITE AND BLUE COOKIE BARK

16 Oreo cookies, coarsely chopped
1 1/2 cups miniature pretzel twists, coarsely broken
1 12-oz package White Chocolate Chips
Enough white chocolate melts to make a pound of white chocolate
3/4 a bag of Patriotic M&M's
Red, White and Blue Sprinkles, Jimmies or sugar

Line a rectangle baking sheet pan with a silpat liner, parchment paper, or lightly grease with cooking spray.

Mix the chopped Oreo's with the broken pretzels and spread in an even layer over baking sheet.

Gently heat the white chocolate chips and white melts in the microwave (do not overheat!)

Spread the warm chocolate mixture over the oreo/pretzel mixture using a spatula to evenly coat all ingredients. Top with M&M's and sprinkles; lightly press into chocolate mixture to secure.

Cool until firm, then break into pieces. Store in airtight container at room temperature.

NOTE: Don't pulverize the Oreo's. You want some small chunks to give the bark texture and a nice look.

NOTE: Though lots of recipes say to use all white melts for better consistency (you know the packages you can get at Michaels that come in quarter size discs) using good quality white chocolate chips makes for better flavor. I've started mixing the two (more chips than melts though) to get a nice dipping or pouring consistency. How much you use of each is a personal preference. I just made sure I ended up with a pound of chocolate.

NOTE: You could use a whole bag of M&M's, I wanted room for the sprinkles.

NOTE: Though most of the photos of this type of bark used the red, white and blue sprinkles that include stars, I couldn't find any...or any that I'd buy. I found one ridiculously exspensive bottle of the stuff at Michaels. I ended up just using blue and red sugar to blend in between the M&M's.

NOTE: I just used some parchment paper without any cooking spray and the bark came up fine.

NOTE: I'd say use a 13x9 or 10x15 inch cooking sheet. I was worried that I had too much "stuffing" and that the chocolate would spread enough or hold the mixture together. You can see by the photo below that my mixture didn't cover the entire sheet pan so don't spread it out to thin.

NOTE: When microwaving white chocolate chips, I read that it should be done in a bowl that doesn't collect heat, otherwise the chips might overheat. So I melted mine in a heavy tupperware type plastic  bowl. It still got hot so I'm not sure it helped at all. Microwave at 50% power in 30 second increments. Even though it looks like the chips haven't melted, take them out at each interval and stir. Better to stir a bit to melt the entire batch than have the mixture seize up from overheating.

NOTE: Definitely smush the M&M's and any sprinkles into the chocolate coating to make them adhere. Even though I did this, once the mixture set, there were plenty of M&M's and bits of this and that in the pan after breaking into pieces. Take all that goodness and use it to top some ice cream.

Again, couldn't be simpler or quicker to get a treat on the table after dinner. Or to nibble on before dinner. Or during the day. Or while your at work. Or waiting in line at the store...

 

Red, White & Blue M&M Topped Brownies

Sometimes it's the simplest recipes that make an impression. This brownie treat is basically a brownie mix and some M&M's. Originally found on Pinterest, the recipe comes from a Betty Crocker boxed brownie mix here.

Now, there is no reason you couldn't just do this to your favorite 'from scratch' brownie recipe. But if you're like me, there are times when you just might not be Betty Baker, and using a mix is the only thing that's going to get that batch of brownies on the table for the pot luck that you completely forgot about until two in the morning the day of said pot luck. Or you forgot that the husband had invited neighbors over after dinner and they expectantly look at you with those "aren't you Betty Baker?" eyes thinking some treat will be coming out of the oven any minute to tickle their tummies. All I know is that I usually have a bag of M&M's for whatever current holiday is upcoming  (I think I even have a "fall" bag still in my stash) and with a premade brownie mix I will always have a holiday dessert I can put on the table. Besides, when I served this to someone at work, they made a comment that they could tell I'd made this from scratch since brownie mixes have an off taste. Score one for the lazy bakers.

RED, WHITE & BLUE M&M TOPPED BROWNIES
(Betty Crocker)

Boxed Brownie Mix (or your favorite brownie mix recipe).
1 Bag of appropriately colored M&M's

Follow the brownie mix recipe. During the last 10-15 minutes of baking, sprinkle the M&M's over the brownie batter.

NOTE: I used the Patriotic Red, White, and Blue M&M's. I only found them at one store in my area (CVS) and they sold out pretty quickly. I'll remember if I want to make this next year, to pick up a couple of bags earlier in the season.

NOTE: I used my favorite boxed brownie mix which is Ghirardelli. They have many different flavors and I like the fact that little Ghirardelli chips are included in the mix.

NOTE: I waited until the last ten minutes of cooking time to put the M&M's on top of the mix and it was almost too late as a crust had already started to form on the top of the brownies. The M&M's don't tend to melt into the brownie mix and when you picked up a cooled piece of brownie, a couple of the candies would fall off. I think if you lightly pressed the M&M's into the top when you put them on the brownie mix it would help them "adhere" better.

NOTE: The Ghirardelli mix I used made an 8x8 pan of brownies. I used about 1/2 to 3/4 of a bag of M&M's to get the look on the top of the finished brownies in the photo. I just kind of dumped the candies on top of the mixture. I've seen where others have arranged the M&M's into a much nicer formation (where the colors are more evenly distributed), where they have placed the M&M's upside down so the logo doesn't show or where every single candie is flat and not on it's side...but I am not Betty Baker and I just didn't want to spend the time.

NOTE: The M&M's crack so don't worry about that.

I now have an excuse to buy bags of holiday M&M's. Now I can tell Mr. L "It's for the brownies Dear. Of course I won't eat them right out of the bag."

Not Yo’ Mama's Banana Pudding

The other day while shopping with my mom, she picked up a box of Nilla Vanilla Wafers. That box brought back so many wonderful childhood memories. It was one of my favorite cookies to eat as a kid (that and Lorna Doones) and I remembered the old Wafer Banana Pudding that folks used to make with them back in the day. I immediately asked my mom if she'd let me make said pudding as I'd remembered seeing a recipe for it on Pinterest. So yes, I deprived my mother of her box of cookies just so I could make a dessert.

The first thing I noticed when I went to look at the recipe for Nilla Banana Pudding was that it wasn't exactly the recipe I remembered from my childhood. It seemed to be a much fancier version and, alas, a much more caloric recipe (not that the original was diet food). The recipe was from a Paula Deen version that used Pepperidge Farm Chessmen cookies instead of NIlla Wafers. I admit, it's an impressive version with those Chessmen on top, but I really was just looking for the old fashioned version with the Wafers. And while there were many variations of Paulas recipe, it was one by Pearls, Handcuffs & Happy Hour that caught my eye. Okay, just the name of the blog caught my eye, but it was her double pudding  version of the Not Yo' Mama's Banana Pudding that I decided needed to be made.

The Pearls, Handcuffs & Happy Hour version uses two boxes of the pudding mix which I think just sent this whole thing over the top and made it super rich. But not so rich that anyone who I gave a piece to, didn't ask if they could have seconds! Easy to put together, no baking during the hot months of summer, this is one great blast from the past dessert to serve, especially for this upcoming holiday.

I made a few changes to her recipe which is what I'm listing here. For the original, please go to Pearls, Handcuffs & Happy Hour's original post. Be sure to check out her blog in general (subtitled, A Pinch of June Cleaver, A Dash of Martha Stewart and a Whole Lotta Mommy!). You'll find some tasty recipes and some great DIY home projects.

Of course I do plan on making this again. But next time I'm just gonna go all diva on the thing and drizzle some rum over those wafers...maybe even coconut rum and then mix in some toasted coconut into the pudding mixture. Hey, go big or go home!

NOT YO' MAMA'S BANANA PUDDING
(adapted from Pearls, Handcuffs & Happy Hour)

6 bananas sliced (not too ripe, but not green either)
3 cups milk
2 3.4-ounce boxes Jello Instant French Vanilla Pudding
1 11-ounce box Nilla Vanilla Wafers
1 8-ounce package cream cheese (softened to room temperature)
1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1 8-ounce container Cool Whip (thawed)

Line the bottom of a 9 x 13 inch pan with the Nilla Wafers (I used a glass pan). Evenly slice your bananas and place them on top of your Nilla Wafers overlapping if necessary.

Combine the milk and pudding mix in a medium size bowl using a handheld mixer until just mixed.

In a separate bowl, with the handheld mixer, mix together the cream cheese and condensed milk until smooth. Gradually fold in the Cool Whip.

Add the cream cheese mixture to the pudding mix and stir until well blended.

Pour the mix evenly over the bananas and smooth to make a flat surface. Layer the remaining Nilla Wafers on top of the pudding mix. Refrigerate until ready to serve.  Makes 12 servings.

NOTE: I used 6 medium bananas that were fairly on the ripe side. Next time I'd probably not let them get as ripe. The recipe I followed only used four bananas but I really wanted a banana taste so I used six. You could use more or less depending on how much banana taste you wanted.

NOTE: Most recipes call for a 12 ounce container of Cool Whip. My store only had the 8 ounce so that's what I used. The mixture almost spilled over the sides of the pan anyway so the 8 ounce worked fine for me. Gave me a more banana flavor I think too.

NOTE: I actually had a good handful of Nilla Wafers left over. I probably could have crowded them in more but chose not to.

NOTE: The cookies need to soften a bit, so this actually works better to meld for several hours before serving. But the bananas do tend to darken after a bit so don't wait too long to serve this.

 

 

 

 

Chex Lemon Buddies

Where have these been all my life and why have I wasted my Chex cereal on regular Chex Mix?

These little Lemon Chex Buddies are addicting. Seriously addicting. Do not put a bowl of them next to you while you watch TV or work on the computer or read a book because you will find the entire bowl has disappeared without you noticing and you won't be able to blame it on the cat who is asleep upstairs.

Lemon Chex Buddies are deceptive. They're just cereal with some powdered sugar and white chocolate. Apart, they are just simple ingredients. Together they are evil little things that must be locked up or when one wakes up in the middle of the night one must gravitate to the cupboard in the kitchen where they are hidden. Or where they were hidden because some evil little husband had already found them stashed away and ate them. Grrrr.

I originally found this on, where else, Pinterest (you can see by most of my last posts that I'm a bit addicted. I promise to cook from one of my cookbooks again soon). Unfortunately the link on the Pin no longer works, but you can find the original recipe on the Chex website here.

Super simple to make, these would make a great addition to a holiday food gift bag (something different to add to all those cookies).

CHEX LEMON BUDDIES
(or Lemon Chex Buddies)

9 cups Rice Chex cereal
1 1/4 cups white vanilla baking chips
1/4 cup butter or margarine
4 teaspoons grated lemon peel
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 cups powdered sugar

Into a large bowl, measure cereal; set aside.

In 1-quart microwavable bowl, microwave chips, butter, lemon peel and juice uncovered on High 1 minute; stir. Microwave about 30 seconds longer or until mixture can be stirred smooth. Pour mixture over cereal, stirring until evenly coated. Pour into 2-gallon resealable food-storage plastic bag.

Add powdered sugar. Seat bag; gently shake until well coated. Spread on waxed paper or foil to cool. Store in airtight container.

Makes 24 servings (1/2 cup each) at 160 calories per serving (26 grams carbs)

NOTE: While preparing this and putting it in the bag, I really didn't see how it wasn't going to just become a big glob of Chex mess...but the chocolate and sugar did individually coat each Chex piece and once it cooled it wasn't sticky to pick up and eat.

NOTE: There are many variations of these out there. You can use chocolate, add bits of peppermint candies etc.

I'm not kidding. These really are addictive. You've been warned. And don't worry about some of the chex breaking into tiny pieces and the sugar and chocolate not sticking cuz that stuff is really easy to just eat with a spoon once it's left at the bottom of the bowl. Just sayin...

NOTE: Typepad seems to be having issues and it won't let me put spaces between paragraphs so sorry this isn't formatted very well