Zebra Cereal Dessert Bars

There’s nothing, quite, like getting all excited about completing my taxes under the impression the refund will be grand! — And then finding out that I actually owe enough to keep me in the black by $39. Yipee skippee! {sarcasm}

Perhaps these bars (not the recipe, mind you, but the experience) was a bit of a let down, too! I was so excited, thinking, ah yeah, foodgawker’s gunna like this one but when I began to try and style the finished product I came up short. Very short. Oh well, it’s just not my week! They . keep. rejecting. me. but. that’s. ok. a . little . #fail. here. or. there. AIN’T. gunna. stop. this. lady

I was using Ashley’s awesome tips only to realize that part of my problem was that my tripod was resting on a wicker deck chair which does not make for anything less than a trampoline-like effect on the foundations for the tripod’s feet. The photos were turning out so blurry that I wonder if me jumping on a mini-trampoline on the back deck would have helped the photos to expose more clearly

But enough with my sarcasm! The week’s almost over and what I’ve lacked in blogging, others’ like Chelsey, Teri, Kathleen, Katie, Ashley, etc., etc., etc... have certainly made up for it. I have just loved reading this week and will soon release my much anticipated {I promise, that’s the last of the sarcasm} “eleven Q&A” about crunchylittlebites!

For now, though, …. don’t forget now, this is my entry for the Cooking Creations contest courtesy of Appliances Online and Clean Eating Chelsey …ladie’s and gentlemen, I give you: Zebra Honey Cranberry Chocolate Cereal Bar recipe:

for the crust:

8 c. Cheerios cereal
1 c. light brown sugar
4 t. cinnamon
2 t. salt
1 1/2 unsalted sweet cream butter, melted

for the filling:

1 c. semi-sweet chocolate morsels
1 c. dried cranberries
2/3 c. honey
1 t. salt
1/2 c. organic shortening, melted

for the chocolate-coconut drizzle:

1/2 c. semi-sweet chocolate morsels (melted using double boiler)
2 T. coconut butter
pinch of salt

Instructions:

For the crust: In standard food processor combine 2 c. dried cereal + 1/4 c. light brown sugar + 1 t. cinnamon + 1/4 t. salt until well blended. Repeat this process for the remaining similar quantities of respective ingredients. After completing this process, add melted butter to dry ingredients, mix with spoon and then press into 9 in. x 13 in. x 0.5 in. baking pan. Set crust aside

For the filling: In food processor chop semi-sweet morsels to a fine, crumb-size and then add dried cranberries to food processor. Process chocolate and cranberries together until well blended (looks like a crumbly cocoa mixture). Add honey to food processor and blend chocolate, dried cranberries and honey until honey is evenly distributed throughout mixture. Pour melted shortening into mixture and process until smooth. Then add the salt and blend mixture once more. Spoon mixture onto crust and gently distribute filling over and around entire crust in baking pan. Set crust and filling to chill in refrigerator.

For the drizzle: After melting semi-sweet chocolate morsels over a double boiler, whisk in coconut butter and pinch of salt. Drizzle the mixture over, already, cooled and square or diamond (or whatever shape, really!) bars.

Attempt to style bars or just eat them with tea and loving family and friends! It was getting dark outside because I was at work all day…wondering if I would/wouldn’t get home in time for enough natural light with which try and shoot!

Again, I really really really really wanna win the $100 Amazon giftcard courtesy of Chelsey & Appliances Online so don’t forget!… This is my entry for the Cooking Creations contest courtesy of Appliances Online and Clean Eating Chelsey

Happy Friday yous guys <3 jasper naomi

P.S. Does anyone remember those “cereal and milk bars?” Those creeped me out so much, hehe!

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February 17, 2012 | Categories: amaranth, chocolate, cocoa, cookie, cranberries, dessert bars, photography, scrumptious, snackeroo | 6 Comments »