Ep 74: Cereal Offenders - Delicious Cookies and Bars
Corny, crispy, crunchy and malty. Featuring a LOT of peanuts and flaky salt
Breakfast and Ascetic Christianity
You may have heard about cornflakes being invented to suppress carnal desire. There's much more to the relationship between Christian views on the body and breakfast, going back hundreds of years.
“Too eat too early in the day is to commit the sin of gluttony.” - St Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica, 1485 CE
While many people needed to eat a simple breakfast to fuel their work as peasants, subsistence farmers and labourers, the ruling elites of medieval Europe somewhat looked down on breakfast and preferred to eat larger meals later in the day. As you can see from the quote from Aquinas, arguably one of Christianity’s most influential theologians, it was viewed with religious suspicion, too. Centuries-long ideas concerning the separation of body and soul in the trichotomy or Augustinian dualism have tended to view the body as a polluting influence on the soul in a post-Eden “Fall world.”
Trends changed with events like the trading of chocolate, the industrial revolution and changing religious doctrine from the Catholic Church. Nevertheless, ascetism reared its head again in a different way in Protestantism and nonconformist sects and cults in the Jacksonian era of the United States. It took the forms of the temperance movement (which was also fuelled by a large, unhealthy dose of racism and anti-Catholic sectarianism) and Grahamism (which promoted wholegrain flour and ridding our diets of meat, alcohol, coffee, tea, sugar and spice). Along with this also came pseudoscientific theories such as phrenology, the idea that masturbation led to madness and eugenics.
I mentioned Grahamism - can you see where this is going? Sylvester Graham’s name was used to sell the famous Graham bread, Graham flour and Graham crackers. He never endorsed these, though, and never received any money from their sales. Similar ideas around “clean living” helped promote the similarly plain Rich Tea and Digestive biscuits in Britain.
Can you guess who was heavily influenced by Sylvester Graham? One John Harvey Kellogg. JH Kellogg promoted bland foods so as to ‘minimise excitement, sexual arousal and masturbation.’ The Kellogg family, who were Seventh Day Adventists, invented a baked oat mixture they called ‘Granola’ as well as (of course) corn flakes, and were heavily involved in the Battle Creek Sanitarium, which I can only describe as a kind of wellness retreat of the late 19th century, albeit one with a heavy dose of hardline nonconformist Protestantism.
Charles William Post (usually styled as C.W. Post) was one of the many historically significant visitors of the Battle Creek Sanitarium. Post was accused of stealing the Kelloggs’ recipes, such as Caramel Coffee Cereal / Postum, Cornflakes / Toasties and Malted Nuts / Grape Nuts (which he claimed could cure appendicitis).
Thus ends our strange-but-true tale of Christian asceticism and breakfast! In Britain, Christian asceticism is also (weirdly) heavily tied up in the chocolate industry - but that’s a story for another day…
Further reading:
Garber, M. 2016: ‘Egged On: A Brief History of the Most Contentious Meal of the Day’. The Atlantic
Salty-Sweet Cornflake and Peanut Caramel Squares
Recipe very slightly adapted from Benjamina Ebuehi’s A Good Day to Bake. (This book is brilliant and I thoroughly recommend buying it.)
170g (6oz/ 6 3/4 cups) cornflakes
100g (3.5oz / 3/4 cup) salted roasted peanuts
250g (9oz/ 1 1/4 cups) caster/ granulated sugar
60g (roughy 1/4 cup or 4 tbsp) cold unsalted butter, cubed
180ml (6.33 fl oz/ 3/4 cup) double/ heavy cream
1/2 tsp flaky sea salt
100g peanut butter - your choice as to creamy or crunchy
Line an 8x8inch / 20x20cm pan.
Mix the cornflakes and peanuts in a bowl and set aside.
Heat the sugar in a large frying pan until it begins to melt. Swirl in the pan to help it melt evenly. Once the sugar starts to turn a deep amber colour, add the butter and stir in. Then add the double cream and stir in. Boil for 1 minute. Remove from the heat.
Stir the salt and peanut butter into the caramel. Pour the caramel into the cornflakes and melt until evenly coated. Transfer to the pan and press firmly into all corners. Cool in the fridge completely before slicing (about 1 hour).
Puppy Chow/ Muddy Buddies Bars
We all know that milk chocolate and peanut butter is a winning combination.
Various recipes I found for these online used marshmallows, but since I can’t stand sweetness of commercial marshmallows or the texture of rice crispy treats, I chose not to bulk these out with marshmallows.
In the UK we have Shreddies - the closest thing I can find in the US is Wheat Chex, but our Shreddies have a malty flavour. In all honesty, though, the taste of the chocolate-peanut butter is pretty strong and the cereal is more-or-less a vehicle for it, so just go with what you have.
The beauty of these is their simplicity, but I still got my scales out. I don’t only use them for precision but also because you don’t have as much washing up! It’s one bowl, a few spoons and a spatula, if you use scales - no cup measures in sight.
200g / 4 generous cups Wheat Chex / another Chex / Shreddies / equivalent
60g / 1/4 cup butter
175g / 1 cup milk chocolate chips
200g / 3/4 cup creamy/smooth peanut butter
A pinch of salt, to taste - depending on how salty your peanut butter is
About a dessertspoon of icing sugar, for dusting
About 1/2 tsp flaky salt, optional
Equipment: 8 x 8 inch / 20x20cm pan
Butter and line an 8x8inch / 20x20cm pan. Butter the lining as well.
In a microwaveable bowl, measure out the peanut butter, chocolate chips and butter.
Melt together in short bursts, stirring. Mine literally took 2 thirty-second bursts, but I have a pretty powerful microwave. If you don’t have a microwave, you can do this in a bowl over simmering water.
Add 3/4 of the cereal. Crumble in the remaining 1/4 with your hands. Stir to coat in the chocolate-peanut butter mixture.
Pour into the tin and press down with the back of a spoon to make it even-ish without crushing. Refrigerate until completely set. Cut into squares. Serve.
Hazelnut Anzac Biscuits
Recipe slightly adapted from Benjamina Ebuehi’s A Good Day to Bake. (Again, this book is brilliant and I thoroughly recommend buying it.)
I love these so much I’ve made them about 5 times so far. They’re one of my absolute favourite biscuits, which is saying a lot as I’m worryingly obsessed with biscuits. The coconut isn’t overpowering but is well balanced with the oats and hazelnuts. Hazelnuts aren’t usual in Anzac biscuits but they are a wonderful addition - another triumph from the incomparable Benjamina Ebuehi.
Since golden syrup isn’t widely available in some countries, I tried this out with runny honey and it worked, but they spread more and were chewier. It didn’t make a huge difference in terms of flavour. Golden syrup produced a crunchier, thicker biscuit. I’m told corn syrup is a good substitute for golden syrup.
NB: Golden syrup isn’t a fancy ingredient in the countries it’s commonly used (UK, Australia, perhaps others). It’s a byproduct of sugar production. It isn’t nutritious. So please feel zero guilt about using corn syrup instead. Neither of them are winning any health awards!
90g (3.2 oz / just less than 1/2 cup) blanched/skinned hazelnuts, roughly chopped
80g (2.75 oz / scant 1 cup) jumbo oats
190g plain/ all-purpose flour
90g dessicated (grated unsweetened) coconut
1/2 tsp fine salt
150g unsalted butter
150g soft brown sugar
70g golden syrup, corn syrup or honey
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda/ baking soda
Preheat the oven to 180C/ 160C fan / 350F. Line two sheets with baking paper.
Toast the nuts and oats in a large frying pan, stirring, until they smell toasty and take on a bit of colour. Transfer to a large bowl, along with the flour, coconut and salt. Mix these and set aside.
In a medium saucepan, melt the butter, sugar and golden syrup together. Bring to a simmer, then add the bicarb/ baking soda, stirring constantly to combine. Once the mixture begins to foam and thicken, remove from the heat and pour immediately into the dry ingredients. Stir thoroughly until the dry ingredients are evenly coated.
Use a scoop (or your hands, if the mixture is cool enough) to measure our 12-16 balls of dough (I prefer slightly smaller balls personally). This is one of the rare instances I don’t weigh the dough. This is because the mixture dries out and becomes harder to cohere together so it’s best to work quickly. Flatten the tops a little bit (not really necessary if you use honey as they spread more).
Bake for 12-16 minutes or until the edges are firm, or, if you prefer a crunchier biscuit, bake for 16-19 minutes. Cool completely before eating.
Cinnamon Crunch Cookies
Recipe adapted from Kickass Baker and one in Sugar and Spice Cookies by Megan Neveu.
These are very sweet for my usual tastes, but the cinnamon and salt really temper it down to more reasonable levels. Wonderfully crunchy and caramelised. They were a hit at work.
225g (2 sticks) butter
200g (1 cup) dark brown sugar
1 egg (UK/EU medium / US/Aus large)
1.5 tsp vanilla extract
240g (2 cups) plain / all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda / bicarbonate of soda
1/4 tsp fine salt
1 tsp cinnamon
About 1-2 tsp flaky salt
100g (2 cups) cinnamon crunch cereal, plus more whole (48 squares) for topping
Preheat the oven to 190C / 170C fan / 375F.
Line a couple of baking trays.
Put the cinnamon cereal in a food processor with the blade attachment in place. Whizz to a flour consistency.
Cream together the butter and sugar. Add the egg and combine well. Add the vanilla and combine well. Add the flour, fine salt, crushed cinnamon cereal and raising agents and combine. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours or up to 1 day.
Scoop or roll out balls of 34-35g (generous 2 tbsp) to get about 24 cookies.
Place on baking trays, spaced quite far apart as they spread quite a bit. In the UK we have small ovens but I got about 6 on my baking trays. Press in 2 bits of cereal to the top of each cookie. Bake for 12 minutes in batches. Crumble a couple of flakes of salt on the top of each cookie while warm, if wanted.
Peanut Rice Crispy Cookies
These are crispy, crunchy, soft, nutty, caramel-y and salty. As someone I work with said, “These have no business being this good.”
Make for a crowd so they don’t last long - the rice crispy cereal goes soft quickly.
Makes 24
113g / 1 stick unsalted butter (room temperature)
200g (1 cup) light muscovado sugar, or another light brown sugar
1 egg (UK/EU medium / US/Aus large)
1.5 tsp vanilla extract
150g (1 1/4 cups / 5.3 oz) plain / all purpose flour
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda / baking soda
1/2 tsp fine salt (less if you use salted butter)
50g (1.76 oz) rice crispy cereal, plus plenty more for rolling
100g (3.5 oz) peanut butter chips
100g (3.5 oz) unsalted roasted peanuts (or use salted peanuts and remove the fine salt)
About 1 tsp flaky salt
Preheat the oven to 180C/ 350F / 160C fan. Line baking trays.
Cream the butter and sugar. Add the egg and combine well. Add the vanilla and combine well.
Add the flour and fine salt and combine.
Add the peanut butter chips and roasted peanuts and stir in.
Add the 50g rice crispies and fold in.
Roll into balls of 30g/ 2 tbsp.
Fill a bowl you might serve pasta in with a layer of rice crispies. Roll each ball in the rice crispies to coat.
Space out a little on the baking trays (a couple of inches is fine). Bake for 12 minutes in batches.
As soon as you remove from the oven, crumble over a few flakes of coarse flaky salt on each.
Cool completely and eat!
Those look great!