No-Bake Chewy Granola Bars

I have found the no-muss, no-fuss bite for you and another no-bake recipe for Kathleen. In less than half an hour, these chewy granola bars will be ready to satisfy both your sweet and salty cravings with plenty of leftovers for the rest of the week.

This is the simplest granola bar recipe I've come across and it's versatile that you can use whatever is hanging out in your cupboard. On this occasion I chose to add chocolate chips and peanut butter chips to the mix, but dried fruits, pretzels, cereal, candy, and marshmallows are all welcome here.

Granola bars are indispensable when it comes down to a snack on the run or breakfast on the fly. You get your grains, fruit, and a little sweet treat all in one. What more could you want?

No-Bake Chewy Granola Bars
adapted from Rachel Ray

Ingredients:
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
pinch of salt
2 cups granola
1 cup rice/puffed cereal (Rice Krispies, Kashi Go-Lean Honey Puff, etc.)
1/4 cup chocolate chips*
1/4 cup peanut butter chips*

*You can substitute anything you like here or add more.

Directions:
In a medium saucepan, combine the butter, honey, brown sugar, and salt.

Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat. Then lower the heat to medium-low and simmer until the sugar dissolves (about 2 minutes). Remove the saucepan from the heat.

Add the granola and rice cereal (and pretzels if using them) to the saucepan and fold the ingredients to evenly coat with the sauce.

Transfer the granola mixture to a 9 x 13 inch ungreased baking pan. Press firmly with a spatula to evenly fill the tray. Gently press the chips onto the top.

Place the pan in the refrigerator until the mixture is firm (about 15 minutes). Cut into 2 1/4 x 3 inch bars.

Store in an airtight container or wrap in waxed paper.
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Best Chocolate Pudding for Kathleen

My good friend Kathleen just moved to Istanbul. I admire her for a great many reasons, but in this case particularly for going to an entirely different place with nothing but courage and enthusiasm. She just began teaching, an unexpected fork in the road, but one that will allow her to share her gifts and knowledge while learning in turn from her experiences about this new culture. I am so proud to be friends with someone who can take up a challenge like that.

Kathleen's between her old life and her new one, and unfortunately this transition does not involve a kitchen with an oven. She asked me if I could post some no-bake dessert recipes. She was tired of only eating fruit and whipped cream, which is a pretty good problem to have as far as problems go, but some days you just want something rich and filling. I have those "some days" every day that ends in the letter y.

Luckily, chocolate is always a solution.

This is my favorite chocolate pudding recipe. It's like being a kid again, but with higher quality chocolate than Jello. The rewards are reaped in under an hour with this pudding, made on the stovetop for 20 minutes and then set in the fridge for 30 minutes.

So I send my chocolate-covered wishes of happiness, hope, and good dessert half way around the globe and into your kitchen. Fruit with whipped cream can be the addition here, not the main focus, allowing you to enjoy the best of both worlds.

Best Chocolate Pudding

adapted from Smitten Kitchen

yields 6 servings

Ingredients:
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
3 cups milk
6 ounces chocolate (I used 71% cacao Swiss dark. Use your favorite!)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract*

*You could add any number of flavorings to this: peppermint extract, orange juice, Baileys, Kahlua, fruit liquors...

Bring 2 inches of water in a medium saucepan to a simmer on medium-low heat. Combine the cornstarch, sugar, and salt in a bowl heatproof bowl (not plastic). Place bowl over the saucepan (double broiler) and slowly whisk in the milk, scraping the bottom and sides with a spatula to incorporate the dry ingredients.

Stir contents of the bowl occasionally, scraping the bottom and sides. Use a whisk as necessary should lumps begin to form. After 15 to 20 minutes, when the mixture begins to thicken and coats the back of the spoon, add the chocolate (chopped, if not using baking chips).

Whisk for about 3 minutes, or until the pudding is smooth and thickened. Remove from the heat and stir in the extract.

Pour into serving bowls. If you like pudding skin, pull plastic wrap over the top of the serving dishes before refrigerating. If you dislike pudding skin, place plastic wrap on top of the pudding itself and smooth. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 3 days.

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