I was craving a snack one afternoon and I couldn’t decide if I wanted a sweet snack or a salty one.  So, I made these haystacks, a great combination of sweet and salty.

I had a box of Kashi cereal that I had previously bought for a recipe that I never actually got around to making.  This recipe was on the side of the box and I had everything but almond butter on hand to make it.  A handful of almonds, my handy food processor and I was good to go.  These haystacks did not last long in my house.  Even the skeptics came back for seconds, and thirds…

These can be made to suit your tastes and what is currently taking up space in your pantry.  Have another kind of cereal?  Use that instead.  Don’t have almond butter?  No problem, try peanut butter or another nut butter.  Prefer dark chocolate?  Sounds great.  These are very easy to make your own.    

Puffs and Pretzels Haystacks
adapted from kashi.com

3 ½ cups Kashi® 7 Whole Grain Puffs cereal
1 cup shredded coconut
1 cup broken pretzel sticks (about ¾ inch pieces)
⅔ cup coarsely chopped almonds
12 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips
½ cup smooth natural almond butter
large pinch of kosher salt
 

In a large mixing bowl, combine Kashi® 7 Whole Grain Puffs cereal, coconut, pretzel pieces and almonds. Set aside. Place chocolate chips in a small microwave-safe bowl and microwave in 10-second intervals, stirring until melted. Add almond butter for the last 10 seconds then stir until smooth. Pour melted mixture over cereal mixture and stir until well coated. Drop by heaping tablespoonful onto waxed paper. Sprinkle each haystack with kosher salt.  Refrigerate until firm. Serve.

MessyCook note:  If you don’t have almond butter on hand, make your own.  To make the 1/2 cup needed for this recipe, put 3/4 cup of raw or toasted almonds into the bowl of your food processor.  Blend until a smooth paste forms, it may take a few minutes.  Add a few drops of vegetable oil if the butter is too dry.

I am a home-body.   I love to be at home, preferably in my pajamas, with my puppy, my kitchen, my husband, and my iPod. 

On the other hand, my husband and I love to be surrounded by friends.  So, I do everything I can to make our home “the place” everyone wants to gather.  One way that I have found to entice friends over: food.  It is amazing how easy it is to whip up a quick pan of say, pumpkin blondies, stick them in the oven, sit back and listen to the swooning.      

The combination of butterscotch chips, white chocloate chips and pumpkin is out of this world.  In the fall, and winter when I am craving pumpkin, I prefer these bars to brownies. 

Pumpkin Blondies

Adapted from Annie’s Eats, originally from Martha Stewart

MessyCook Note: I used dark brown sugar for the sweetener in this recipe, but regular brown sugar, light brown sugar, or granulated sugar can all be used interchangeably.  I love the deep rich flavor and amber color that the dark brown sugar gives to these bars. 

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tbsp. pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp. baking soda
¾ tsp. salt
16 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
1¼ cups dark brown sugar
1 large egg
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 cup white chocolate chips
1 cup butterscotch chips
¾ cup walnuts

 
Preheat the oven to 350° F.  Line a 9×13-inch baking dish with foil.  In a medium bowl, combine the flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda and salt.  Stir together and set aside.

 In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat together the butter and sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.  Beat in the egg and vanilla until well combined.  Mix in the pumpkin puree.

 With the mixer on low speed add the dry ingredients and mix just until incorporated.  Fold in the white chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, and nuts with a rubber spatula.

 Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan.  Bake until the edges begin to pull away from the sides of the pan and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with just a few crumbs, about 35-40 minutes.  Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool completely before cutting.  

 To serve, lift the cake from the pan using the foil and transfer to a cutting board.  Peel off the foil and using a sharp knife, cut into 24 squares.  The blondies will stay fresh 3-4 days at room temperature.

Why is deciding what to make for dinner so much harder than actually making it?  At our house, if you come up with the idea for dinner, it is just as good as spending an hour in the kitchen cooking the meal… well, almost.  I often turn to my husband when it comes to the age old question “what do you want for dinner?”  I have so many recipes bookmarked that I am dying to try, I find it hard to decide which one to make. 

The other day, before I even had a chance to talk to him about dinner plans, he preempts me with a request, his only request.  “I don’t care what we have for dinner as long as we have dessert.”   After several follow up questions, it turns out that his request was a little more specific.  Brownies and ice cream.  No problem, I say, and head to the computer to find a kick-ass ice cream recipe. 

We have been making homemade ice cream for a few years now.  It all started when we bought a nice ice cream maker as a gift for ourselves a few summers back.   Ever since then, we have been working our way through a Ben and Jerry’s cookbook.  Dozens of great ice creams have passed through our freezer.  While we love this cookbook, I have been itching to try some of the famed David Lebovitz’s recipes from The Perfect Scoop. 

Sitting down with a bowl of this Salted Butter Caramel Ice Cream sitting atop a chewy brownie was a surreal experience.  It was so rich and creamy I could only eat one small scoop, but was completely satisfied (and for that, I consider this diet-friendly ice cream.)  The pairing of the crunchy little praline bits, the subtle saltiness, and deep caramel flavor was fantastic.  I love a chewy brownie and this one did not disappoint.  The dark brown sugar adds a faint hint caramel, so fits nicely with this ice cream.  Not to completely overshadow the brownie here, but if you opt to make just one of these recipes, it should be the ice cream.  No doubt in my mind.

I will always love my Ben and Jerry’s cookbook for introducing us to the basics of ice cream, but we have outgrown it.  This is a whole new level of ice cream that I didn’t know I could create and I am looking forward to trying many more.  Thank you David Lebovitz for opening my eyes to the hidden potential of my beloved ice cream maker.

Both recipes can be found at the links below.

Brownies:
http://www.davidlebovitz.com/recipes/sup_brownies.html

Ice Cream:
http://www.davidlebovitz.com/archives/2007/04/salted_butter_c.html