Chex Mix

Our family loves Chex mix. It's a crunchy snack that has something for everyone. One kid gobbles up the pretzels, another reaches for the mini breadsticks, and they all know to hand Mom the rye chips (unless Dad gets to them first). 

As much as we like the convenience and flavors of the premade bags from the store, we prefer to make it at home. What we lose in convenience, we gain in cost. In just over an hour, we have a big batch of homemade goodness that costs far less than its store-bought counterpart. And it tastes better, too!

Though my version is sadly lacking my beloved rye chips, it adds in new favorites of bagel and pita chips. The problem though? Now the whole family fights over the same favorites! 

The recipe is very versatile and can easily handle ingredient changes. Cheese crackers, goldfish, mixed nuts, Cheerios, oyster crackers--use whatever you'd like, just have approximately 16 cups of snacks.

This Chex mix is simple to make, cost effective, and a family favorite!

Chex Mix

Ingredients:
4 ½ cups corn Chex cereal
4 ½ cups rice Chex cereal
4 cups bagel chips (I make my own--super easy!--but you can buy them, too.)
2 cups pretzels
1 cup pita chips

3/4 cup butter, melted
4 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon seasoned salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder

Directions:
1. Add first 5 ingredients to a large bowl.
2. Mix remaining 5 ingredients and pour over contents in bowl. Stir gently until everything is coated.
3. Spread mixture onto 2 rimmed baking sheets. Bake at 250° for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Remove Chex mix from baking sheets to cool completely. Store in an air-tight container. 

Dark Chocolate Cherry Granola

Dark chocolate cherry granola.

The name itself sounds like a decadent dessert.

And while you could definitely enjoy a bowl of it for dessert (ooh, or on top of a scoop of ice cream), we like to eat ours for breakfast. I mean, anytime you can have chocolate for breakfast it's good, right?

The sweetness of the cherries is balanced by the bitterness of the chocolate.Toss in some almonds for good measure, and you've got tasty, crunchy, granola goodness.

I cut my cherries in half to keep everything uniform in size and because the kids especially don't like the large pieces. This time I also used dark chocolate chips instead of chopping a bar, so I cut those in half, too. Of course, you could save yourself some time and work and just simply toss in the cherries and chocolate as is. But if you have picky, big-chunk-disliking kiddos, you might want to give your add-ins a chop. 

Either way, this granola is worth the work.

Dark Chocolate Cherry Granola

Ingredients:

5 cups old-fashioned oats
1/2 cup slivered almonds 

2/3 cup honey
1/3 cup coconut oil 
1/2 cup peanut butter
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 cup dried cherries

3/4 cup chopped dark chocolate pieces

Directions:

1. Place oats and almonds in a large bowl.

2. In a glass measuring cup or small bowl, combine the honey, coconut oil, and peanut butter. Microwave for one minute; whisk. Microwave an additional 30 seconds, or as needed, to melt everything and allow it to combine smoothly. (Can also be melted on the stove in a small saucepan.)

3. Stir in cinnamon and vanilla. Pour over oats and almonds and mix to coat. (I use a spatula.)
4. Spread granola in an even layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake at 275°for 20 minutes. Stir and bake for an additional 10 minutes. Let cool completely before mixing in dried cherries and chocolate. Store in an air-right container. 

 

Peanut Butter Cup Granola

We have been obsessed with homemade granola ever since making this version in the crock pot years ago. I've since switched my method to cooking in the oven, and it is just as delicious.

With a family of 7, you can imagine that granola doesn't last long (actually, nothing lasts long with a family of 7, ha), so I like to make a lot at one time. I usually make 3 types. While one is in the oven, I prepare another. This way, I'm reusing the dishes without having to wash everything, and since most of the ingredients are the same, I have those out already too. It saves me time and streamlines the process. In less than 2 hours, we can have a ton of granola and a clean kitchen. The most difficult thing is trying to decide which kind to make!

It's no secret that we love the combination of peanut butter and chocolate. I mean, homemade Butterfingers made with a crazy ingredient, a decadent peanut butter brownie torte, rich and creamy peanut butter pie, these peanut butter bars which is one of our absolute favorite desserts, homemade Girl Scout peanut butter patties, and a cool and creamy peanut butter cup ice cream cake, anyone? All delicious, yes, but did you notice a theme? They're all desserts. And while I could totally enjoy a peanut butter bar any time of the day, it's probably not the best idea. This granola though is completely acceptable as a breakfast food! Sure, it has a bit of chocolate and chips, but it's still better than those sugary cereals, and it keeps you full longer. Sounds like a good compromise to me. Besides, the kids always think I'm making no bake cookies when this granola is cooking, because it smells exactly the same. So, it's still kinda like eating cookies for breakfast, ha.

I have been working to perfect this recipe for a while. Each time I'd make it, I'd tweak it to make it just a little bit better until we got to this. It is bursting with peanut butter flavor with a hint of chocolate. Of course, with any granola recipe, it's easy to change it to meet your tastes. Leave out the cocoa powder for a pure peanut butter version or don't add the chips for a more subtle peanut butter flavor. I use Reese's brand of baking chips to give it more of a true peanut butter cup flavor, but any brand will work.
 
Of all the granolas we make, this is the kids' favorite. I hope you like it as much as we do.

Peanut Butter Cup Granola

Ingredients:

5 cups old-fashioned oats

1 cup peanut butter

3/4 cup honey

1/4 cocoa powder

1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup peanut butter chips

Directions:

1. Place oats in a large bowl.

2. In a glass measuring cup or small bowl, combine the honey and peanut butter. Microwave for one minute; whisk. Microwave an additional 30 seconds, or as needed, to melt everything and allow it to combine smoothly. (Can also be melted on the stove in a small saucepan.)

3. Stir in cocoa powder and vanilla. Pour over oats and mix to coat. (I use a spatula.)
4. Spread granola in an even layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake at 275°for 20 minutes. Stir and bake for an additional 10 minutes. Let cool completely before mixing in peanut butter chips. Store in an air-right container.

Tasty Tuesday: Crock Pot Granola

My mom first made this granola recipe back in February and had me try it. It was so good that I got the recipe from her and made it a couple days later.

We've been making it ever since.

Leighton keeps a jar of it at work and eats it by the handful. The kids like it with milk. I mix mine with Greek yogurt.

It's great eaten as a snack or as a meal, because it's healthy and filling. Oh, and delicious.

And as a bonus? It's so much cheaper than buying it from the store. And did I mention that it's easy to make?

Honestly, if you like granola, you need to give this one a try!

Crock Pot Granola

Ingredients:

5 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup slivered almonds (I pulse mine in the food processor a bit, because we don't like large pieces.)
1 cup raw pumpkin seeds 
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup ground flax seed (optional)
2/3 cup honey
1/3 cup coconut oil 
1/2 cup peanut butter
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 cup raisins or craisins

Directions:

1. Lightly grease the crock-pot with oil. Add the oats, almonds, pumpkin seeds, salt, and ground flax seed, if using.
2. In a large measuring cup or small glass bowl, combine the honey, coconut oil, peanut butter, cinnamon, and vanilla. Microwave for one minute, stir and microwave an additional 30 seconds, as needed, to melt everything and allow it to combine smoothly. (Can also be melted on the stove in a small saucepan.)
3. Pour the liquids over the oats in the crockpot and stir well to thoroughly coat. Place the lid on the crockpot, leaving it slightly vented. Cook on HIGH for about 2 hours, stirring every 30 minutes.
4. Stir in the dried fruit right at the end. Spread the granola across a large baking sheet and let it cool before transferring to an airtight container. It fills a half-gallon mason jar.

Recipe adapted from Barefeet in the Kitchen.

Snack Mix

We took the kids to the U of M Exhibit Museum of Natual History on Saturday. (Leighton wrote about it here.) The night before, we threw together some snack mix for our trip. They liked it so much, we made another batch yesterday. The fun part is using whatever you have on hand. Ours consists of colored goldfish, letter pretzels, Golden Grahams, mini marshmallows, milk chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, honey roasted peanuts, and craisins. It's so colorful, fun, and tasty! It also has some good not-quite-as-bad-for-you ingredients too. The kids take the time to enjoy the snack because of all the different options. Alyssa's favorite is the peanuts and least favorite is the Golden Grahams. Jake is the complete opposite. They trade making it a win-win. Zac, of course, eats it all.

Tasty Tuesday: Caramel Corn

I have not posted a "Tasty Tuesday" in a few weeks. That does not mean that we haven't baked though. During the month of November we made banana bread, 2 different types of cookies, Boston cream pie,and caramel corn. We love homemade caramel corn. The boxed stuff does not even compare. Jacob would eat the entire batch if I let him! Needless to say, it's very addicting. My grandma asked me to make her some, so that is what we did. Of course, we had to eat some ourselves . . . .

Ingredients
7 quarts plain popped popcorn                           
2 cups dry roasted peanuts (optional)               
2 cups brown sugar                                         
1/2 cup light corn syrup 
1 cup butter
1 teaspoon salt 
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. Place the popped popcorn into two shallow greased baking pans. You may use roasting pans, jelly roll pans, or disposable roasting pans. Add the peanuts to the popped corn if using. Set aside.

2. Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F. Combine the brown sugar, corn syrup, butter, and salt in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring enough to blend. Once the mixture begins to boil, boil for 5 minutes while stirring constantly.

3. Remove from the heat, and stir in the baking soda and vanilla. The mixture will be light and foamy. Immediately pour over the popcorn in the pans, and stir to coat. Don't worry too much at this point about getting all of the corn coated.

4. Bake for 1 hour, removing the pans, and giving them each a good stir every 15 minutes. Line the counter top with waxed paper. Dump the corn out onto the waxed paper and separate the pieces. Allow to cool completely, then store in airtight containers or resealable bags.

We bought a popcorn popper bowl  thingy a couple years ago. You dump the unpopped kernels in, and the microwave does all the work. It's simple and the popcorn is better for you than the microwaveable bags. Although, we cover it with butter and seasoning, but that's another story. 

 

 

We had the joy of having Zachy help us. I use the word "help" very loosely. We usually bake while he's sleeping. Now I remember why.

Pulling his brother's hair.

A typical picture I get of the 3 of them.

Pulling off paper towels.

Ripping apart paper towels.

Climbing in the sink to retrieve the soap he threw in.

 Despite our "helper," we did manage to make our caramel.

I am slightly ashamed to admit that I never took the time to get a picture of the finished product. It got eaten too fast! And next time, I'll be sure to make it when a certain little boy takes a nap!


* * * UPDATE* * *

I finally remembered (before it was all gone!) to take a picture of the finished caramel corn.

Now, doesn't that make you want to cook up some yourself?