Coconut Macaroons

I had some egg whites in the fridge - leftover from my Secret Recipe Club recipe, which you will get to see on July 7, so be sure to come back for that - so I went looking for a recipe to use the egg whites.  I had a recipe saved from a while back, but I decided to try something else, even though I haven't tried that one yet.  It looks really good, so I am going to have to try it next time.

These just sounded interesting.   Once again, I am making cookies with cereal.  These also called for cornflakes, and I still don't have any, so I used a combination of Wheaties and Honey Bunches of Oats.

Coconut Macaroons
from allrecipes.com

Ingredients:

• 3 egg whites
• 1-1/2 cups sugar
• 1-1/2 cups flaked coconut
• 3 cups cereal, crushed (I used 2 cups Wheaties and 1 cup Honey Bunches of Oats)

Directions:

1. Grease cookie sheets (or use silicon baking mat).  Preheat the oven to 350° F
2. In a large glass or metal bowl, whip egg whites until stiff peaks form. Stir in sugar. Fold in coconut and crushed cereal. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto prepared cookie sheets.
3. Bake for 18-20 minutes in preheated oven, or until golden.  Remove from oven and let sit for a few minutes before moving from cookie sheets to cooling racks.

Makes about 3 dozen

These turned out really good.  They're kind of gooey in the middle with a nice crunch from the cereal.  The only thing I want to change next time is to cut down the sugar.  I should have read the reviews before making these, instead of after, because several people mentioned cutting the sugar down. 

A couple of the reviewers also mentioned that these weren't really like macaroons, which I don't really know because I've never made them before, or even had any as far as I can remember.  All I know is that these are really yummy, and it's hard to stop eating them!

Tip: Measure cereal into mixing bowl and use a plastic cup to crush it.

No Bake Cereal Cookies

I got this recipe from a family friend years ago, and I had almost forgotten about it.  So, when I found it again this week, I just had to make some.  They're a sweet and gooey treat and perfect for when you don't want to heat up your kitchen by turning on the oven.

The original recipe uses corn flakes, but I didn't have any so I decided to use Honey Bunches of Oats w/ Almonds.  I think they turned out great!  These would probably be good with any kind of flake or mixed cereal that you like.

 

No Bake Cereal Cookies

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup corn syrup
• 3/4 cup peanut butter
• 1 t. vanilla
• 3 cups cereal (Honey Bunches of Oats or corn flakes)
• 1 cup old fashioned oats

Directions:

1. Measure cereal and oats into large bowl.
2. Combine sugar, corn syrup and peanut butter in saucepan.  Bring to a boil and boil for 1 minute.
3. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.
4. Pour syrup over the corn flakes and oatmeal; Stir to combine.
5. Drop by spoon onto greased cookie sheets (or silicon mat) to cool. Do not use waxed paper. The cookies will stick. 

Makes about 2 dozen

Of course, on a hot day you will be tempted to store these in the refrigerator.  That's fine, but you will want to bring them to room temperature before attempting to eat them.  They will be a bit hard!  Trust me, they're better when they're all ooey gooey and chewy.

Enjoy!

Crockpot Granola

Granola in the crockpot?  Did you know that was even possible?  The idea never even occurred to me until I saw this recipe for crockpot granola on Pinterest.  And then, I had to try it!  Here's what I did:

Crockpot Granola

Ingredients:

• 3 cups rolled oats
• 2 cups wheat flakes
• 1 T flax seeds, ground
• 2 T raw sunflower seeds
• 1/4 cup sliced almonds
• 1/4 cup chopped pecans
• 1/4 cup coconut (plus a bit more)
• 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 cup melted butter
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries (can use other dried fruits like raisins or dried apples or a combination)

Directions:

1. Mix dry ingredients in 5 qt. crockpot.
2. Add melted butter and honey and mix well.
3. Cover, but vent with a chopstick. Cook on high for 3-4 hours, stirring every so often - every half hour or whenever you smell the granola cooking.  Cook until granola is browned nicely the way you like it.
4. Scoop out onto a cookie sheet to cool.  Stirring occasionally while it cools.
5. Store in air-tight container.
6. Enjoy!

I have a couple other granola recipes, both are supposed to be baked in the over, but I think I will be trying them in the crockpot.  I think any combination of ingredients you like in your granola will work in the crockpot.  The granola really does cook and brown nicely!  But you don't have to worry about burning it. 

If you like clumps in your granola, you'll need to add more honey or butter or both - or maybe peanut butter like some of the commenters suggested on the other recipe.  I might try the peanut butter next time, but this is very good! 

Another change I'll probably make next time is to either add the dried fruit halfway through the cooking time or even at the end.  The cranberries are still good, but they dried out a bit more than I'd like.