Guest Author - Katherine Tomlinson
These quick and easy recipes share a common theme—In addition to requiring minimal cooking, all of them are built around some kind of cereal melted with chocolate and other goodies until the cereal is transformed from its everyday life as a breakfast food into a delicious holiday treat.
John Beresford Tipton Bars
Baby boomers may remember that “John Beresford Tipton” was the title character of CBS’ cult television show The Millionaire, which ran from 1955 to 1960. The premise of the show was that “the millionaire” gave a million dollars a week to some worthy recipient and the dramas followed the stories of those beneficiaries.
This colorful candy is rich enough for a millionaire but easy to make.
5 Hershey’s Golden Almond Bars
1 cup Froot Loops cereal
1 cup Cocoa Krispies
1 cup miniature marshmallows
Melt the candy bars in a double boiler.
Remove from heat and add the cereals. Mix well until the cereal is coated with the melted chocolate.
Stir in the miniature marshmallows and mix well.
Pour mixture into a buttered 7 x 10 pan and let cool until set.
Cut into squares.
Haystacks
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
½ cup peanut butter (preferably chunky)
½ cup peanuts (unsalted if peanut butter is salted)
2 cups chow mein noodles
Melt the chocolate chips in a double boiler or in the microwave.
Stir in the peanut butter, which will melt.
Add the peanuts and noodles and coat well.
Drop spoonfuls of candy onto waxed paper and let cool before eating.
Note: This recipe is endlessly customizable. You can use milk chocolate chips if you prefer, or even butterscotch. Some people substitute crushed potato chips for the chow mein noodles.
Chock Full of Oats Candy
2 cups granulated sugar
2 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
½ cup milk (skim milk is fine)
1 stick butter, unsalted
½ tsp. vanilla extract
Dash salt
2 heaping tbsp. peanut butter
4 cups instant oatmeal
Combine the sugar, salt, cocoa and milk and heat in a medium saucepan over medium heat.
Add the butter, stir and let the mixture come to a boil.
Let boil for two minutes, then remove saucepan from heat and add the vanilla extract.
Stir in the peanut butter and the oatmeal. Mix well.
Drop spoonfuls of candy mixture onto waxed paper and cool.
