Sometimes you just need an overload of peanut, which is exactly what you are going to get with these cookies: peanuts x3, in the form of peanut butter, peanut butter chips and actual roasted peanut. Oh, and strawberry jammie bits, which make them sort of like having a sandwich, minus the bread. There’s oats in here too, so I guess they are healthy [wink wink].
Looks kind of crazy, doesn’t it? I’d seen crazy breads (aka pull-apart breads) before, but this was a first attempt. I think that the yeast went crazier than expected though, because the loaf bloomed like mad and quite overflowed the pan. Oh well, nice effect, I guess. The cranberries and walnuts are a nice contrast to the funkiness of the camembert. Not sure if I should consider this a “sweet” or “savory” bread, but I do think that the presentation will wow.
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”.
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.