THE ELECTRIC KITCHEN
Energy bars are a treat with a few tricks
THE ELECTRIC KITCHEN
Hawaiian Electric Co.
ENERGY BARS are a quick and easy treat to make for the kids to take to school for a Halloween party, or for you to take to work. Even the kids can mix up a batch in 30 minutes or less.
The trick tricky, though, is the potential stickiness. Measure all your ingredients before you start mixing, as you'll have to work quickly. When melting the marshmallows, peanut butter and butter, we've found that using glass-ceramic cookware that's suited for range-top use makes for easier cleanup. After adding the cereals, work quickly to spread the mixture -- as it cools, it gets stickier and harder to handle.
Don't let these cautions put you off trying this recipe. It's really quite easy to do well.
Energy Bars
2-1/2 cups crisp rice cereal (such as Rice Krispies)
1 cup quick oats
3/4 cup toasted sesame seeds
1 package (10 ounces) marshmallows
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1/4 cup peanuts
1/2 cup raisins (or other dried fruit)
Grease a 13-by-9-inch pan. In a saucepan or skillet, combine rice cereal, oats and sesame seeds; toast over medium heat a few minutes.
In large saucepan, combine marshmallows, peanut butter and butter; melt over low heat. Stir in cereal, peanuts and raisins. Press firmly into prepared pan. Cool; cut into bars. Makes 36 bars.
Approximate nutritional analysis, per serving: 110 calories, 6 g total fat, 2.5 g saturated fat, 50 mg cholesterol, 60 mg sodium, 13 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 6 g sugar, 2 g protein.
Golden Squares
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate pieces
1 cup raisins (or other dried fruit)
1/2 cup chopped nuts
1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Grease an 11-by-7-inch pan.
Combine ingredients in bowl. Spread evenly in prepared pan. Bake 12 to 15 minutes, until golden brown. Cool. Cut into squares. Makes 24.
Approximate nutritional analysis, per serving: 150 calories, 6 g total fat, 2.5 g saturated fat, 5 mg cholesterol, 75 mg sodium, 25 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 19 g sugar, 3 g protein.
Chocolate Peanut Butter Crunch Cake
1 package (18.5 ounces) devil's food cake mix
4 cups mini marshmallows
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate pieces
2 cups peanut butter
3 cups crisp rice cereal (such as Rice Krispies)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease two 13-by-9-inch baking pans. Prepare cake batter according to package directions. Pour evenly into 2 prepared pans. Bake 15 minutes.
Sprinkle marshmallows over cakes; bake 3 more minutes. Cool.
In medium saucepan, heat chocolate pieces and peanut butter over medium heat, stirring constantly, until melted. Remove from heat and stir in cereal; spread over cakes. Cool. Serves 40.
Approximate nutritional analysis, per serving: 200 calories, 11 g total fat, 3.5 g saturated fat, 5 mg cholesterol, 180 mg sodium, 23 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 15 g sugar, 5 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.
