Andy Sullivan: Against the Grain

Thu, 12/10/2020 - 2:31pm — Diane Dyer

Last week we talked Christmas movies. You know what goes well with Christmas movies? Snacks! From peanut butter balls to Christmas cookies, you can never go wrong with a good snack.

This week, I got one of my favorites through the mail-Archway Christmas cookies. There isn’t a Christmas cookie that I’ll turn down(thank God for that treadmil I run on every weekday). I’m not just a homemade and Archway Christmas cookie guy, though. I said peanut butter balls but I also like plantation crunch. What is plantation crunch?

Plantation crunch is white almond bark candy coating, ¼ cup peanut butter, 1 cup peanuts(the recipe I found online says Spanish peanuts but I bet you can use whatever you like), 4 cups Rice Krispies. Melt bark and peanut butter in top of double boiler. Combine peanuts and cereal in a bowl. Pour melted mixture over cereal, combine thoroughly. Spread on a cookie sheet or wax paper1/4 inch thick. When hard, break into pieces. I got this particular recipe off Plantation Crunch - Recipe | Cooks.com. They have several other recipes as well. Check it out!

You also can’t go wrong with good old Chex mix. If you want to shake it up a bit, you can try a favorite of mine. The website I went on calls it muddy buddy but I just call it chocolate. Actually, I just call it good!

9 cups Rice Chex, Corn Chex or regular Chex(or a combination).

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

½ cup peanut butter

¼ cup butter or margarine

1 teaspoon of vanilla

1 ½ cups of powdered sugar. Measure cereal into a large bowl and set aside.

In 1-quart microwavable bowl, microwave chocolate chips, peanut butter and butter uncovered on high 1 minute; stir. Microwave 30 seconds longer or until mixture can be stirred smooth. Stir in vanilla. Pour mixture over cereal, stirring until evenly coated. Pour into 2 gallon resealable food storage plastic bag. Add powdered sugar. Seal bag. Shake until well-coated. Spread on wax paper to cool. Store in airtight container in refrigerator. Gluten Free Chex™ Muddy Buddies™. It’s GOOOOOOD!