Peanut Butter Granola Bars

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I feel almost guilty calling these granola bars. While they contain oatmeal and peanuts, they are missing some of the other ingredients you'd expect to find in true granola bars. I, actually a young visitor, found the recipe while searching for peanut butter bars. He found them on the Cindy Shopper site, and because we made no changes to the recipe he found there, we thought we should stick with the name they had originally been given. This is a quickly assembled cookie bar that requires no baking, and if you like peanuts and chocolate with the added crunch of puffed rice you'll be in 7th heaven. The bars are quite nice and because they are so easy to make they would make great kitchen project when you have young helpers in the house. I keep the bars in the refrigerator to keep them from becoming too soft and sticky. I can attest to the fact that kids love these, and if given free rein, they would eat them in one sitting, and you'd never have to worry about leftovers. Do try these. They are fast and easy to make and they are delicious. Here is how they are made. 

Child's Play - Mocha Pecan Balls

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...If your children are at all like mine were, the lead-up to Christmas is almost unbearable for the six and under crew. An elf, as long as one is placed on every ledge in the house, may help, but I think they're going to need a bit of structured activity to keep them from killing themselves, or their siblings, over the course of the next few days. Why not some time in the kitchen? I have a no-bake recipe that is a sanity-saver for moms. It can be made by the kids, without adult intervention, and it will keep them busy for the better part of an hour or so. You can also factor in another couple of hours for kitchen clean-up and the baths they'll need after shaping the chocolaty balls. Please remember, I promised you cookies, not the garden of Eden. We are, all of us, old enough to know that everything has a price and a light dusting of cocoa powder covering the surface of the earth is a small price to pay for your sanity and a bit of peace and quiet. When I am working with kids under six, I get them started with pre-chopped nuts and crushed wafer crumbs. It's just easier. Strangely enough, this simple recipe makes a really nice cookie that even adults who like tea parties will enjoy. The kids will not make perfect balls, but Christmas is about God's perfection, not theirs, so if an occasion oval or amoeba surfaces, steady as you go girl. Their grandparents will love the cookies almost as much as the hands that made them and the cookies, regardless of who makes them, will make a nice additional to your holiday cookie tray. Here is how they are made.