Browsing Tag

chocolate

Sweet Snacks

Chocolatey Fruit and Nut Energy Bars

A few weeks ago, a friend asked me if I could make “Energy/Protein Bars that don’t break the bank”. A box of 12 of the kind that he likes costs $25, which is $2.08 per bar. To be honest, I didn’t think that it was possible, and this experiment pretty much proved it: cost per bar ended up at $1.88, not including my time. Nuts, dried fruit, coconut butter, cocoa powder and nibs … all very pricey. I could probably bring the price down for 10 or 15 cents if I bought in huge volumes / bulk, but seeing this was an experiment, I went with normal sized purchases. Also, never having made energy bars before (and to be honest, I never really even thought about making them before now), I didn’t know how they would turn out, or if he would like them. If you like energy bars, these are pretty good. If you are “eh” on the topic of energy bars, you might not like them. I think that they are “good not great”.

Vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, no bake… all that.
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Cookies, Desserts, Sweet Snacks

Browned Butter Bourbon Pecan Blondies

Here’s a recipe that is quick and esy and you probably have all the ingredients readily available. Well, provided that you have bourbon. Not everyone has stashes of booze around, but I do (though that is a long story). And if you don’t have pecans, walnuts or almonds will do just as well. Start to finish under an hour, so if you are in a rush for your kid’s bake sale, this recipe might be for you. And yes, as a matter of fact those are mini-binder clips holding the parchment paper sling in place. I’m funny like that.
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Cookies, Sweet Snacks

Chocolate Pecan Snowcap Cookies (GF)

Here is the second cookie type in a mini-series that I am calling “Winter of Discontent”. The latest snowstorm has passed, but it has been replaced by an arctic wind and wind chills that could easily kill a person after not too long. That is a good excuse to use the oven though, because it keeps the flat nice and warm. These cookies are pure chocolate and sugar, contain no wheat flour and are topped with crushed sugar cubes to sort of make it took like snow. They are also really simple to make.
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