THE ELECTRIC KITCHEN
Baked treats taste like popular candies
Why bother baking up a batch of cookies that tastes like Almond Roca or Butterfinger candy? Because it actually tastes better! The flavor of real butter in freshly baked goods just can't be beat.
And the Quik Brownies recipe takes everyone's kid-time favorite chocolate drink mix to a whole new dimension. These brownies are crispy and chewy and chocolatey, all at the same time.
What's great about these recipes is that they're not only quick and easy to prepare, but also tried-and-true favorites of several of our employees -- who were happy to share. No trick, and what a treat!
Mock Almond Roca
1 14.4-ounce box honey graham crackers
1 cup (2 sticks) butter
1/2 cup sugar
1-1/2 cups slivered almonds or other chopped nuts
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with foil, folding up edges to form a rim to prevent spills. Lay a single layer of crackers on foil.
In a saucepan, melt butter; add sugar and cook until mixture is thick and bubbly.
Spread evenly over crackers. Sprinkle nuts evenly over top. Bake 7 minutes, turn pan and bake for another 7 minutes, or until golden brown.
Cool slightly and remove from foil. Makes about 26 bars.
Approximate nutritional analysis, per bar: 180 calories, 12 g total fat, 5 g saturated fat, 20 mg cholesterol, 140 mg sodium, 17 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 9 g sugar, 2 g protein.
Butterfinger Bars
4 cups rolled oats
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, melted
1 cup milk chocolate chips
3/4 cup peanut butter
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 13-by-9-inch baking pan.
In a medium-size bowl, combine oats and sugars. Stir in butter until well mixed. Spread mixture evenly in bottom of prepared pan. Bake 15 minutes or until golden brown.
Melt chocolate with peanut butter (see note), stirring occasionally until smooth; spread over baked crust. Cool; cut into bars. Makes 36 bars.
Approximate nutritional analysis, per bar: 170 calories, 10 g total fat, 4.5 g saturated fat, 15 mg cholesterol, 65 mg sodium, 19 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, 12 g sugar, 3 g protein.
Note: To melt chocolate, place in microwave-safe bowl with the peanut butter and microwave for 2-1/2 minutes at 50 percent power. Chocolate might not appear to be melted, but check by stirring. If unmelted bits remain, microwave again at 5- to 10-second intervals, stirring after each interval. Chocolate burns quickly; monitor carefully.
Quik Brownies
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, melted
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
4 eggs
2 cups flour
1-1/2 cups Nestle's Quik (also known as Nesquik)
1 cup mini M&Ms (optional)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a large bowl, combine all ingredients except M&Ms in order listed. Spread evenly in a 9-by-13-inch pan; sprinkle M&Ms evenly over top. Bake 40 minutes; cool and cut into bars. Makes 24 bars.
Approximate nutritional analysis, per bar: 260 calories, 11 g total fat, 7 g saturated fat, 60 mg cholesterol, 80 mg sodium, 38 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 28 g sugar, 3 g protein.
Hawaiian Electric Co. presents this weekly collection of recipes as a public service. Many are drawn from HECO's database of recipes, accessible online at
www.heco.com.