Afghan Biscuits

I had vaguely heard of Afghan biscuits, or cookies, before but wasn't too sure what they were all about. It turns out they are a traditional biscuit from New Zealand that contains chocolate and cornflakes and is topped with a chocolate icing and often a walnut. My brother's girlfriend made them, but made a gluten-free version using brown rice crisp rice cereal instead of cornflakes and they were delicious! Soft and chocolaty, with a crisp texture from the cereal and a not-too-sweet chocolate icing.

Beaver Balls

What in the world are beaver balls? Well, I didn't know either until very recently. Basically they are round, fried doughnuts - cake like and soft on the inside and crisp on the outside. We made homemade versions - both regular and chocolate. Beaver balls are classically then covered with a sweetened condensed milk drizzle, fresh fruit, fruit coulis, and the signature fruit loops cereal. I cannot explain how this originated or why. They are both the most disgusting ans sugary items and the most delicious and indulgent items. I don't know that I would ever make them again but it was interesting to try them. We used blueberries and cut up strawberries and an amazing raspberry coulis.

Peanut Butter Energy Bars

This is another energy bar recipe I developed, which is high in protein and full of flavor and texture. The dominant flavor here is definitely peanut butter, but a different type of nut butter could be used if preferred. Likewise, ingredient substitutions could be made - such as chocolate chips for the raisins and chopped nuts for the sunflower seeds. 

Peanut Butter Energy Bars
2 cups granola or multigrain cereal mix
2 cups old-fashioned oats
2/3 cup ground flaxseed
1 cup raisins
1 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 cup pitted dates
water, to cover
1 1/3 cups smooth natural peanut butter
1/3 cup smooth almond butter
2/3 cup honey

Place the granola, oats, flax, raisins, seeds, and spices in a large bowl and mix well.
In a large saucepan, bring the dates with just enough water to cover them to a boil. Boil for a few minutes until dates soften, then reduce to a simmer. Stir in the peanut butter, almond butter, and honey and heat until melted and smooth.
Pour this mixture over the dry mixture in the bowl and stir to coat. Press this mixture into a parchment-lined 9x13-inch rectangular pan. I find it easier to use your hands to mix and press this mixture. Refrigerate for several hours until firm, then cut into bars. 

Peanut Butter Cereal Bars

These bars could constitute as breakfast - chock full of three types of cereal and some peanut butter, but the addition of brown sugar and corn syrup makes them incredibly rich and sweet enough for a dessert. Whenever you enjoy them, you can have them ready in less than 15 minutes!! Feel free to use whatever cereal you have on hand as well. Unfortunately, this recipe is so simple and delicious, I didn't get a chance to photograph the ones I made!

Peanut Butter Cereal Bars
1 cup smooth peanut butter
1 cup corn syrup
1 cup packed brown sugar
4 cups corn flakes cereal
1 cup bran cereal
1 cup oat O's cereal

In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt together the peanut butter, corn syrup, and brown sugar until smooth. Stir in the cereal. Press evenly into a greased 9x13 inch pan.

Overnight Pumpkin Oatmeal

Overnight Pumpkin Oatmeal
1/3 cup pure pumpkin purée
3/4 cup milk of choice
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1 cup large flake rolled oats
chopped pecans, walnuts, or pumpkin seeds

Stir all ingredients together in a mug or small bowl and allow to refrigerate overnight to thicken. Enjoy as is, or microwave until warm. 

Another pumpkin spice breakfast! Prepare the night before and enjoy in the morning. It does not have to be refrigerated overnight, but will be much thicker if you do so, and should be especially if you plan to eat it hot, which will thin it out a little more. 

Apple Oatmeal Parfait

Apple Oatmeal Parfait
1/2 cup hot whole grain cereal (see NOTE)
2 Tablespoons Greek yogurt (I used plain)
1 large apple, chopped 
2 Tablespoons hazelnuts
honey or maple syrup, to taste
ground cinnamon, to taste

NOTE: For this recipe, you will need about 1/2 cup of prepared hot cereal. I use my favorite hot cereal mix, see {Hot Cereal Mix}. You will need 1/4 cup dry mix and 1/2 cup water, then cook according to recipe directions. Alternatively, you can simply use 1/4 cup rolled oats and 1/2 cup water or milk and cook them.

Prepare the cereal as required. The cereal can be used hot or cold. If you desire a cold parfait to transport, I recommend either allowing the cereal to cool, or making it up the night before and putting it in the fridge - even less prep work in the morning. Some people do not like the combination of the cereal and yogurt - as the cereal heats up the yogurt and the yogurt cools down the cereal. I happen to like this mixture of flavors, textures, and temperatures, but do as you wish.

I just kept this in a bowl and didn't layer it in a glass or parfait dish, but do this if you wish, or wish to transport it. Simply layer all ingredients as desired!

Throw It Together Granola

I love homemade granola. Usually I am more of a hot cereal fan, but I do enjoy bowls of homemade, nutritious granola, catered to my personal tastes. Something slightly odd though, is that I rarely eat my cereal with milk. I occasionally eat it with yogurt, but usually I just add fresh fruit and keep my cereal crunchy instead of soggy in the milk. 

Making granola usually requires baking up a large batch of cereal, which then only has a short shelf life since it has no preservatives, and would need to be refrigerated or frozen, which often causes it to lose its crunch.Another thing about granola is that it usually requires some form of fat or sweetener to make it hold together in chunks, and must be baked for a long time at a low temperature and stirred frequently. I personally prefer looser granolas without the chunks.

Therefore, I have discovered a nifty way to make just enough granola quickly. This only works for loose granola though. You just combine all the ingredients in a bowl, approximately a small spoonful of each, and add fresh fruit, milk, or yogurt. The bowl of granola featured here is a combination if cereal squares of cracker pieces, whole hazelnuts, dates, wheat germ, ground flaxseed, ground cinnamon, ground ginger, and fresh sliced strawberries. 

Homemade Porridge Bread

This is an old-fashioned, homemade bread that I was taught to make recently. This is different from most of the breads I have been making lately - no bread machine involved! This bread is so soft and moist and simply, homey. It has a beautiful rich texture, and is hearty without being too heavy. Unfortunately, I do not have the actual recipe, because this recipe was never actually written done, simply done from touch, look, and memory. Here is my best crack at it.

Heat up one cup of leftover porridge (or plain oatmeal). Heat two cups of milk with a little lemon juice until hot and bubbly. Add a little sugar and a little margarine, and 4 Tablespoons of yeast. Add in a little whole wheat flour, then white flour. Mix this all up using a stand mixer, until it is well mixed and forms a soft dough. Dump it onto a counter dusted with white flour, and dust the top with more white flour. Knead just very briefly until it is smooth, then put it in an oiled bowl, cover with a tea towel, and let rise in a warm spot until it is risen. Then oil six loaf pans and divide the dough evenly among them, let rise again. Once risen, bake the bread, and remove it from the pans. Then brush with margarine and cover with a tea towel immediately for a soft top crust. 

Molasses Wheat Machine Bread

Machine True Whole Wheat Bread
1 1/2 cups water
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
2 Tablespoons blackstrap molasses
1 cup cereal mix (see note) 
3 cups whole wheat flour
2 1/4 teaspoons yeast
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger (optional) 
Place all ingredients in bread machine pan in order given, or according to manufacturer's instructions for whole wheat cycle. This makes one large loaf, although size setting will depend on machine. 

NOTE: For this recipe, I used my own homemade hot cereal mixture that I keep on hand, which contains oats, oat bran, wheat germ, flax, and wheat bran. The recipe can be found at this link: {Hot Cereal Mix}. 

Chocolate Cheerio Crisp

Chocolate Cheerio Crisp
2 Tablespoons semisweet chocolate chips
2 Tablespoons packed light brown sugar
2 Tablespoons almond butter
1 Tablespoon butter or hard margarine
pinch salt

3/4 cup Cheerios cereal or honey nut Cheerios
1/3 cup chopped dried apricot
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup whole natural almonds

Line a small pan with parchment paper.
In a medium saucepan, melt the first five ingredients over medium heat, simmer for one minute, stirring constantly. 
Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, stir together the next four ingredients.
Pour the chocolate mixture over the dry ingredients and quickly stir until coated. Press mixture into prepared pan and refrigerate until hardened. 

Makes a healthy, nice light snack with a chocolaty hit. Great for on-the-go bars, quick dessert, special breakfast, or garnish. It can be broken into smaller pieces (like granola) to use as cereal, in parfaits, as crusts, and more. Will keep for at least one week in the refrigerator. 

Overnight Hot Oatmeal

This is an overnight oatmeal recipe using the {Hot Cereal Mix} that was made for {Multigrain Hot Cereal}. This is just a version that can be made the night before, like all of my overnight oatmeal recipes {there are way too many to link here, just type "overnight oatmeal" into the search bar}. This version is a bit heartier and more filling, and you can add to it as well.

Use 1/2 cup of cereal mix and put in a small bowl with a lid or a jar. Add 3/4 cup milk of any kind, some ground cinnamon or other spices, and some dried fruit or chopped nuts if you wish. Then cover it, shake it up, stick it in the refrigerator, and forget about it until morning. When you wake up, put it in the microwave for a few minutes to warm it up, then enjoy, because you have a warm, hearty breakfast that was already made for you! 

Strawberry Cinnamon Oatbran

Take some oat bran
Take some fresh, ripe and juicy local strawberries.
Take a little bit of cinnamon.
Add some water and cook it up for a delicious breakfast.

This is hardly a recipe but simply something I threw together one morning that turned out to be so pretty and tasty I just had to share it. I just diced up some strawberries and mixed them in with my oat bran and water, then cooked it as normally, adding a little cinnamon. Since the cooking time was quick, this gave the strawberries just enough time to become warm and plump and juicy in the cereal. 

Peanut Butter Banana Porridge

Peanut Butter Banana Porridge
1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
2/3 - 3/4 cup milk or water
1/2 large ripe banana, mashed
2 Tablespoons peanut butter
1 Tablespoon ground flaxseed
cinnamon, vanilla extract, honey, if desired

Cook the oats in the liquid in the microwave or on the stove as directed. Meanwhile, mash together the banana, peanut butter, and flax. Swirl this mixture into the cooked oatmeal, and add a flavoring or other garnish is desired. Serve immediately.

Peanut butter, banana, and oatmeal are three of my favorite foods - put them together and you've got a warm, hearty, and delicious breakfast. 

Oatmeal Bites

This is a quick snack idea I came up with that is super easy to whip up. The idea likely came from no bake oat cookies and energy bites that are popular snack or healthy dessert ideas today. This recipe takes a shortcut though. This idea came to be one day when I made a batch of one of my overnight oatmeal recipes (type that into the search bar of this blog for the recipes). I happened to make a big batch the night before, which was too much for me to eat. I couldn't save the oatmeal for the next day, since this was right before I was going for my tooth surgery, and I knew I wouldn't not be able to eat the oatmeal after that (not that oatmeal is hard, but I had added many nuts to it for some crunch). So I put the oatmeal back in the refrigerator for a little while. Once it was cooled and firm, I rolled the oatmeal into small balls and stuck them in the freezer to keep longer, so I would be able to eat them once I could chew again. 

This concept should work for a variety of oatmeal recipes, especially overnight oats. So if you have some leftover oatmeal on hand or if you want to make a super quick small batch of cookies without baking, whip up some oatmeal first and then make these. It is best to use oatmeal that is firmer rather than thinned with milk, and it is easier to roll into balls when cold. The balls can then be stored in the refrigerator, or the freezer for longer storage. So many flavor ideas are possible with this recipe idea - use any type of oatmeal, even instant oatmeal if you wish. The bites could be chocolate, fruit, nut, maple, spice flavored and more! For an extra special treat, dip the cooled balls in melted chocolate and for an even further touch, roll them in crushed nuts or coconut afterwards. Decadent, healthy and delicious! 

For this recipe above, I used a batch of Very Nutty Overnight Oatmeal. You can find that recipe {here}.

Coconut Candy Squares

Sometimes, I create my own recipes using inspiration from others I saw as the basis for my creation. Sometimes I create my own recipes completely on a whim. This recipe is a combination of both, but my real inspiration came from the cupboards. I like to try to use up what I consider my "basket ingredinets" - those are those small quantities of random ingredients you have lying around that you would like to use before they go bad. I combined cracker crumbs, cereal, coconut, and milk chocoalte into this very rich, very very sweet candy-like bar that is sticky and ooey-gooey delicious. 

Coconut Candy Squares
CRUST
1/2 cup butter or hard margarine, melted
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup honey nut flavored oat cereal O's, crushed
1/4 cup honey graham cracker crumbs
1/3 cup all-purpose (plain) flour
COCONUT FILLING
2 cups flaked coconut
1 can (300mL or 10 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
CHOCOLATE TOPPING
1 1/2 cups chopped milk chocolate (or milk chocolate chips)

Preheat oven to 350◦F. Line an 8x8 inch square pan with parchment paper.
CRUST: In a medium bowl, stir together the butter and sugar. Add remaining ingredients, mix well. Press firmly into prepared pan. Bake for ten minutes.
COCONUT FILLING: Sprinkle one cup of the coconut evenly over the hot crust. Drizzle evenly with the milk. Sprinkle evenly with remaining one cup coconut. Bake for another 15 minutes.
CHOCOLATE TOPPING: Melt the chocolate until smooth. Pour evenly over coconut filling. Let cool, then chill until firm. Cut into squares. 

These are messy and soft, so they are better kept in the refrigerator but they do keep well. Don't wait too long to cut them or the chocolate will get too hard and crack, though milk chocolate does tend to stay softer. A long, sharp knife dipped in hot water and wiped off helps. Although these have three layers, they don't require a lot of ingredients and are quick and easy to make. 

Overnight Kefir Oatmeal

This is yet another overnight oatmeal. I completely made this one myself, and I basically took everything (well, not everything, but the best things) from the last three overnight oatmeal recipes and put it into this one to make one big, hearty, flavorful, and delicious bowl of cereal. It also has kefir - which I mentioned the benefits of in my kefir smoothie post from two days ago. This is the first time I tried heating up the cereal as well, usually I just eat it cold. But I wasn't going for that with fresh snow on the ground. Since it is coming from a cold fridge, it does take awhile to heat, about three minutes. This could be sped up a little if you transfer the cereal to another bowl, so it won't be cold from the fridge. 

Overnight Kefir Oatmeal
1/2 cup old-fashioned oats
1 Tablespoon oat bran
1 Tablespoon ground flaxseed
1 Tablespoon unsweetened shredded coconut
1 Tablespoon chopped walnuts
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/3 cup frozen blueberries
1 Tablespoon raisins
1 Tablespoon almond butter
1/4 cup kefir milk
1/2 cup water

In a medium jar or a bowl with a lid, place the first eight dry ingredients and shake to mix. Add in the almond butter, kefir, and water, and stir in. Place in the refrigerator overnight and enjoy in the morning cold or heated. 

The other three overnight oatmeal recipes can be found here:  {Overnight Almond Oatmeal}, {Overnight Apple Spice Oatmeal}, {Overnight Blueberry Oatmeal}.

Choco Marshmallow Cereal Trees

This chocolate marshmallow treat could not be simpler and faster to make! Only four ingredients that all get mixed together and formed. No baking or pans required. It is not exactly a Christmas recipe, but was turned into one sort of by mistake. As with many icebox cookie doughs as well, which are chilled in a log then sliced to bake, when you roll it into a log, it doesn't always stay perfectly round, especially while resting on a refrigerator shelf. Sometimes this can be overcome by placing the dough in a paper tube, such as an empty paper towel roll, but some doughs are thicker than that. So in this case, when my mother took the log out of the fridge after chilling, it was not a perfectly round log. It was a bit trickier to form this into a round log since it is cereal treats and not a dough, so it turned out to be sort of triangular shaped. No problem here, now the slices simply look like Christmas trees! Especially since the marshmallows seem to end up one the inside of the log, so they look like little ornaments. See, sometimes mistakes are awesome! 

Choco Marshmallow Cereal Trees
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted
1/2 cup milk chocolate chips, melted
2 cups miniature marshmallows
2 cups crisp rice cereal

Mix all ingredients together. Turn mixture onto waxed paper and shape into a log, approximately eighteen inches long. Wrap tightly and chill for at least one hour, until firm, before slicing. 

The types of chocolate may be varied, additional chocolate chips or chopped nuts may be mixed in with the cereal, and the form may be varied - try putting it in a pan like squares, rolling into balls, eating as is, or making trees!

Apple Pie Granola

Here is my latest granola creation. I call it apple pie granola because it has the flavor of apples due to the applesauce, pecans, and the spices typically used in apple pie. The applesauce makes the granola moister and healthier, and also replaces some of the oil. If you like your granola to be full of clusters instead of loose, you may want to add a little extra oil and sweetener. Of course the nuts, seeds, spices, and fruits can be varied or replaced as you like. This makes a hearty, crunchy bowl of breakfast! 

Apple Pie Granola
4 cups old-fashioned oats
1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (or a mix)
1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1/4 cup ground flaxseed
1/4 cup wheat germ
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/3 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/4-1/2 cup sweetener (honey, molasses, sugar, brown sugar)
2-3 Tablespoons oil (optional)
1 cup raisins

In a shallow pan, mix together the dry ingredients. Drizzle the applesauce, sweetener, and oil over top and toss to combine. Bake at 350◦F for 30 minutes, stirring every ten minutes, until golden. Stir in the raisins then cool before storing. It will keep for a few days, in the refrigerator for a week or two, or much longer in the freezer, and doesn't require any thawing time. 

Blueberry Almond Oatmeal

Blueberry Almond Oatmeal
1/2 cup old fashioned oats
3/4 cup water or milk
1/4 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen
1-2 Tablespoons almond butter
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-2 Tablespoons almonds

Mix all ingredients except for the almonds in a medium microwave-safe bowl. For an oatmeal with more texture and crunch, use crunchy almond butter and/or stir in a spoonful of chopped almonds. Microwave on medium (50%) power for 2 minutes. Stir, and microwave for an additional 11/2 - 2 minutes on medium power, until thickened and set. Garnish with whole almonds, and additional cinnamon or almond butter if desired. 

This is an oatmeal recipe I created myself on the fly one morning, when I was looking for something a little different. Almonds and blueberries seem to be a good combination, and a hint of cinnamon ties them together. This quick, simple, and piping hot bowl of breakfast contains hearty whole grains, fruit, protein, and calcium if you choose to use milk. It is a complete and tasty breakfast, and far from a bowl of bland oatmeal. 

Overnight Almond Oatmeal

Overnight Almond Oatmeal
1/2 cup oats
1 Tablespoon ground flaxseed
2 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tablespoon almond butter
1-2 Tablespoons raisins or chopped dates
1/2 cup milk of choice

Put everything in a bowl or jar and stir well. Store in the refrigerator overnight. The next morning, the mixture should be thickened like oatmeal and ready to eat. It may be enjoyed cold, or heated if desired.

This is a nutritious breakfast that is quick to throw together the night before  and is ready to grab and eat in the morning. There is a lot of variation that could be done with this of course, but the principle is oats and liquid, which "cooks" overnight in the fridge. The raisins or dates add some sweetness, especially the dates which will caramelize overnight. The cocoa adds a hint of chocolate, the almond butter adds protein, and the milk adds nutrients. Even if you are not an oatmeal fan, you may enjoy this dish!