Cookie Dough You're Supposed to Eat

Today I've got an easy but very dangerous recipe to share with you all.  (dangerous to the waistline, anyway, and any slivers of self control that you might have remaining after making it!)  I call it "Cookie Dough You're Supposed to Eat" (fancy title, no?) because that's exactly what it is - chocolate chip cookie dough that you can eat without fear of getting sick from raw eggs.  (I'll wait a moment while you clean that drool off your chin...)

Okay, so here's what you need:

1/2 cup butter, softened

3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tbsp. vanilla extract

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

4 to 6 tbsp. water

Take the butter and sugar and cream it together.  Stir in the flour, salt, vanilla extract, and chocolate chips.  Gradually add the water until you get a nice cookie-dough-like consistency.  Spread it into a container with a lid and put in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.  (This takes great self discipline, by the way.)

Then take it out of the fridge and help yourself to a few spoonfuls.  If necessary, hide in a closet or other kid-safe place so you don't have to share. 

If you're wondering how long this stuff lasts when kept in the refrigerator, I have no idea.  Mine has never made it past one day.  (No, I didn't eat the whole thing by myself!  At least not all in one sitting...)

Homemade Granola Bars

For snack time, invariably my kiddos will choose granola bars. They love the ones with mini chocolate chips in them and scarf them down like cookies. Between my own kids and the one I watch each afternoon, we can finish off a box of ten in two days. And at $2.50 a box, that gets to be quite a pricey snack!

So, I decided to attempt making my own granola bars. With our long road trip coming up soon, I figured it would be very beneficial to have lots and lots of granola bars on hand for the munchies. I found this easy and yummy recipe at Kitchen Stewardship, one of my favorite cooking blogs.

When the Beast learned I was making granola bars, he quickly volunteered to help. He especially enjoyed adding the honey and then mashing the whole mixture into the pan as firmly as his muscles would let him.

Of course, we decided on mini chocolate chips as our add-ins. The coconut and sunflower seeds sound delish, but unfortunately I would be the only one eating the bars if I used those ingredients. The Drama Queen also assisted in making a batch of bars.

By following the recipe and putting it into two 8x8 pans instead of the 13x9 pan, we were able to cut 24 bars. Then came the taste test. Amazing! Sweet, thick, and absolutely granola-y, everyone enjoyed our first attempt at making granola bars. I made them a week ago, and they are still as fresh as ever. The Nerd grabs one for breakfast on his way out the door, and the kids all clamor for them at snack time. In my opinion, these are a lot more filling and tasty than the store-bought kind. Best of all, I know exactly what ingredients are in each bar. And since it looks like there are not that many bars left, it looks like we will be making these again soon. ;)