Real Snacks (9 page)

These cereal bars are made with my favorite ingredients, but this is one of the most easily customizable recipes you can make. Swap out the nuts, the cereal, the fruit, or the seeds and you have a whole new bar. Feel free to play!

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Place the pecans, oats, flaxseed, and pumpkin seeds on a parchment-lined baking sheet and toast until fragrant, 5 to 10 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl.

In a small saucepan, combine the sugar, honey, butter, and salt and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Continue to simmer until the mixture is melted and slightly thickened, 4 to 5 minutes, remove from heat, and stir in the vanilla. Drizzle the sugar mixture onto the toasted nut mixture. Add the puffed rice cereal and cranberries and stir to coat.

Line a high-sided baking pan with parchment, extending the parchment over the sides of the pan to create handles. Spread the cereal mixture evenly in the pan, cover with a second sheet of parchment or waxed paper, and press down with a second pan or the bottom of a glass to compress. Let the mixture set, still covered with parchment, for about 2 hours.

Lift the set mixture out of the pan by the parchment and place it on a cutting board. Cut into bars. Dip each bar into the Yogurt Coating or melted chocolate, if desired, and let them set on waxed paper before eating.

I first discovered this stunningly simple banana ice cream recipe on my good friend Jen Yu’s blog,
UseRealButter.com
. To get a really creamy mixture, I like to mix in a little bit of thick coconut cream, but feel free to leave it out if you want a stronger banana flavor. You’ll need to freeze the bananas overnight, so be sure to plan accordingly
.

In a blender or food processor, combine the frozen bananas, coconut cream, and vanilla bean seeds. Puree until smooth. Serve immediately or freeze for an hour for a more scoop-able texture.

There’s no need to worry about getting the custard right in this egg-free ice cream. A little brown rice sugar helps keep the ice cream from crystallizing and also adds a lovely buttery note—you’ll never miss the eggs
.

In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, combine the sugar, brown rice syrup, salt, and 1 cup of the heavy cream. Cook until the sugar dissolves and the mixture thickens just slightly, about 5 minutes. Stir in the milk, vanilla extract, vanilla bean, and the remaining 1 cup of heavy cream. Transfer the mixture to a covered container and place in the refrigerator to chill for at least 1 hour. Churn according to your ice cream maker’s directions, removing the vanilla bean before churning.

The trick to getting package-perfect ice cream sandwiches is to make sure your ice cream is very well frozen, so be sure to allow yourself enough time to freeze your treats before sharing them
.

Line a high-sided baking dish with waxed paper, extending the waxed paper over the sides of the dish to create handles. Pour the ice cream into the pan and use a spatula to spread it evenly; it should be about ½ inch thick. Cover with another piece of waxed paper and freeze for at least 1 hour, preferably overnight, until the ice cream is very firm.

While the ice cream is freezing, prepare the sandwich cookie. Sift the white whole-wheat flour, chestnut flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt together and set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until light, about 2 minutes. Add the flour mixture and mix on medium speed until well blended. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and form into a ball. Wrap with plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment.

Place the chilled dough onto a generously floured surface and roll it out to a ¼-inch-thick rectangle. Prick the dough all over with a toothpick or fork. With a knife or cookie cutter, cut out into your preferred ice cream sandwich shape. Don’t forget to cut out an even number! Place on the prepared baking sheets about 1 inch
apart and bake until the cookies start to darken at the edges, 8 to 10 minutes, rotating the baking sheets halfway through baking. Cool completely on a wire rack.

When you are ready to assemble the ice cream sandwiches, remove the ice cream from the baking dish using the waxed paper handles. Remove the top waxed paper. Using a knife or a cookie cutter, cut the ice cream out into the same shape as the cookies. Dip the knife or cookie cutter into warm water between cuts. Place the cut ice cream between 2 cookies and freeze the assembled sandwiches until firm.

While the jingle of the ice cream truck evokes a certain excitement, freezer-burned Drumsticks will probably no longer hold the same charm they once did when you’ve made your own chocolate-dipped, peanut-crusted ice cream cones. You’ll need a krumkake iron to make these cones; if you don’t have one, you can still create delicious cones following the alternate instructions below
.

Sift the white whole-wheat flour and ground millet flour together and set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine the egg and sugar. Whisk until the color lightens, about 2 minutes. Stir in the vanilla and salt. Add the flour mixture and stir to combine. Add the milk and butter and gently stir just to combine.

Prepare a krumkake iron with a light coating of cooking spray and preheat it. Once the iron is preheated, pour 2 tablespoons of batter onto the iron and follow the manufacturer’s directions for cooking. You want your wafers to turn golden brown and be very crisp.

If you don’t have a krumkake iron, preheat the oven to 400°F and line 2 baking sheets with parchment. Spread the batter into 4 rounds on each baking sheet, leaving 2 inches between the rounds. Bake until the edges just start to darken, about 5 minutes.

While the rounds are still hot, carefully lift each one with a spatula and shape into a cone. Let the cones cool completely. If the cones are still a bit moist, they will remain
limp after they cool. If this happens, place them in a 200°F oven until they are crisp, about 15 minutes. Allow the cones to cool completely again.