July Summer Recipes!

For a few days me and my sister Anna did some house sitting and pet sitting for our Sister Heidi. While I was there I did a couple baking recipes with the ingredients that were around. I made a few dozen white chocolate raisin cookies and about a dozen chocolate chip nut cereal bars.I experimented and changed quite a bit in each online recipe I used.

The cookies I made were a really fun experiment to see what worked well together and the overall turn out.In good news it all came out with positive results. They had a really unique flavor of sweet and slightly salty. There texture changed every time you tried one because they were packed full of treats. The white chocolate raisins gave a smooth and chewy texture. While the coconut and mixed nuts gave a crunchy and layered texture.It had arrange of flavors that is pretty hard to pinpoint exactly when you just eat one.I can see everyone finding something they like about this cookie. It was a lot of fun to make these and I loved baking with a few ingredients that are new to me.

Anyways Its really important to put your own ideas in your recipes to keep it exciting and fight off any boredom in your baking. So its good to do experiment recipes even if they don't work all the time. Its a learning curve with the bad turn outs.

White Chocolate Raisin Cookies (Adapted By White Chocolate- Chunk Cookies)

1 cup margarine
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon rum extract
1 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1 cup white chocolate raisins
1/2 cup sweetened flaked coconut
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup salted mixed nuts, chopped

1.350 degrees.
2.Cream margarine and sugar in a large bowl until combined. Mix in eggs one at a time and then add the rum extract.
3.In a medium bowl, mix whole wheat flour,all purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Slowly stir into margarine mixture until full combined.
4.Chop the salted mixed nuts on a cutting board.Set aside
5.Add the white chocolate covered raisins, chocolate chips, coconut and chopped mixed nuts to the cookie dough. Mix until combined.
6. Place heaping tbsps of cookie dough to a nonstick cookie sheet. Flatten a little. Bake till golden on top and edges. Let cool on sheet and transfer to a cookie rack to cool some more.

I have always wanted to make a cereal bar that wasn't made of rice crispy cereal.This time these bars are made with honey nut cheerios plus with chocolate chips and mixed nuts.You've got your sweet, crunchy, savory and salty all in one.Super easy to make and I basically threw anything I liked.  Also dried fruit would be awesome with theses or any other kind of cereal.Ideas are endless with a bar like this, along as you have the marshmallows to have it come together your on your way. These are the kind of recipes that are done really quickly and you end up with great results.Really good treat for the summer because you eliminate using the oven and just sticking with using a element for a short time.Also this is a really good children's recipe for them to learn the basics of baking and creating their own treats.I remember making cereal bars many times with my mom when I was a child especially for school.It was probably my start of loving to bake.

Anyways everyone have a great weekend and I'll be around.Mail is to come soon for Monday. Never know some giveaway wins and coupons should be flooding in lol.

Chocolate Chip Nut Cereal Bars (Adapted by Cranberry Oat Cereal Bars)

2 tbsp margarine

Half a bag of marshmallows

1/4 tsp salt

3 cups honey nut cheerios

1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Handful of chopped salted mixed nuts

1.Line square pan with foil and set aside.

2.Chop a hand full of salted mixed nuts, set aside.

2.In a large pot on medium heat, add the margarine. Once melted add the marshmallows and salt.Gradually stir. Once melted, remove from heat and add the honey nut cheerios and chopped nuts, mix.Let cool for a bit and then add the chocolate chips. Some will melt so try to work fast. Quickly spread the cereal mixture in the square pan, use a rubber spatula to press down and even out. Cool in the fridge for an hour and then cut into bars.