A Southern Grace: peanut butter, shmeanut butter

February 21, 2009

peanut butter, shmeanut butter

Yum

...give me the Barney Butter!


I think it's a pretty safe assumption that the majority of folks in the good ol' US of A have had a Rice Krispies Treat at some point in their lives. The quality I like best about them (aside from their chewiness, sweetness, and hey--vitamin enrichment) is their versatility. There are many twists and alterations one can make to the recipe.

Believe it or not, I decided to get creative. What can I say--I had a whim. I think my inspiration came from the Barney Butter I received thanks to Sandy of 4 Reluctant Entertainers. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the product, it's a completely peanut-free almond butter, which is a blessing for lovers of nut butters in this trying time of peanut butter crisis.


Another contributing factor to my epiphany was the new Banana Nut Cheerios I had bought and rejected (unfortunately, they just didn't do it for me). Bearing in mind that bananas and peanut butter make a darn good combination, I decided to make my treats with those Banana Nut Cheerios, using Barney Butter in lieu of regular butter, and with freeze-dried banana dices mixed in.


I was completely and wholly satisfied with my creation. There was just a hint of the almond butter, a tinge of banana, sweetness and chewiness from the marshmallows, and a fabulous crunch from the cereal. If bananas and nut butter aren't your thing, I encourage you to make up your own fantastic combination--the possibilities are endless!

Banana Nut Bars
6 cups Banana Nut Cheerios
1 cup freeze-dried banana dices
4 tablespoons Barney Butter
1 10.5-oz bag marshmallows

In a microwave-safe bowl, heat the Barney Butter and marshmallows for 1 minute; stir. Continue heating at 15 second intervals until the mixture is smooth. Dump in the cereal and banana dices and stir until well-coated. Using a buttered spatula, evenly press the mixture into a 13x9-inch pan lined with wax paper. Let cool and cut into squares.

54 comments:

The Blonde Duck said...

You're so creative Grace! Have you ever thought of doing a cookbook?

And I don't care about the crisis. Give me my PB or give me death!

Chef Fresco said...

Grace, this was very resourceful. The almond butter-banana combination sounds awesome! Looks like a delightful on -the-go snack.

Foodie with Little Thyme! said...

I think I'll try these this weekend. My kids will love them.
Thanks!

Amanda said...

I love almonds, bananas are the bomb, and Cheerios are pretty cool too! What a great creation!

kat said...

What a clever combination!

Sara said...

Wow, this sounds amazing. I much prefer almonds to peanuts :)

Culinary Wannabe said...

Can't go wrong with PB and bananas! What a nice flashback to junior high and a never ending supply of rice krispie treats!

Sophie said...

What a fun invention! Fun way to use up those Cheerios. I think my love for almonds is right up there with the cinnamon-low...complete adoration; almonds are an amazing little nut :D!

Anonymous said...

Hey Grace, thanks for stopping by my blog! My kids would love these, I'll have to give it a go!

Anonymous said...

Holy cow that is so cool. Nice combo with the cheerios.

Paula said...

You are so creative! Love that flavor combo! You should send this recipe to the Cheerio people! :-)

Sharon said...

I recently scarfed an entire box of those banana Cheerios so I can only imagine the damage that would be done with these bars!

Heather said...

mmmm. i love that you used the banana nut cheerios! what a great idea!

have you ever done fruity pebbles? that's my favorite cereal-marshmallow combo. ohh soo sugary and good. it's a sugar coma all the way.

Heather said...

a vitamin enriched sugar coma, of course.

Valerie Harrison (bellini) said...

I do love cheerios so this would be well worth giving a try:D

Pam said...

My kids would dig these - actually, so would I. They look fantastic Grace.

Anonymous said...

i have recently discovered almond butter and love it. this looks like a totally awesome way to eat it, besides straight out of the jar.

Junell said...

Peanut, almond, cashew, whateva' if it's got the word butter in the name I'm like a bottom feeding catfish; I'll eat it! Great spin on an old fav, clever lady!

vanillasugarblog said...

you know me, and the fact that I love to create and experi-mix with food combo's, but I never would have thought to use almond butter. how tasty! I will definitely print this baby out. Nice.

Laura said...

Yet another blog entry making me rethink my aversion to bananas.

I have actually never made rice krispy treats--after that peanut butter crispy bar I just did i think plain rice krispy treats will be next. Which is a$$ bakward. :)

Anonymous said...

I've really enjoyed the Banana Nut Cheerios. I usually mix in some pecan pieces and craisins to jazz 'em up a bit.

Leslie said...

mmm..I love your creation!!

test it comm said...

Almond butter and marshmallow bars sound good. I tried some cashew butter a while ago and liked it. I will have to look for some almond butter.

Y said...

Looks good! But I think PB will remain in my heart forever :)

Anonymous said...

That Barney Butter sounds interesting! And I like how your melded the Rice Krispie with peanut butter. The idea is genius!

Jaime said...

barney butter? what a silly name! looks like you made a wonderful treat w/it, though! :)

Lori said...

I like this combo! Good thinking. We have been known in this house to smear peanut butter on our bananas or have banana and peanut butter sandwich. Peanut butter on nearly everything.

Donna-FFW said...

Sounds like the perfect combination. I bet my children would so love these!!

Susan @ SGCC said...

Brilliant idea! I've made "treats" using fruit loops and cocoa krispies before, but the banana nut ones sound great!

Unknown said...

Hi, Grace! I so appreciate all your encouragment. I gave you an award! You can drop by my blog to pick it up. And if I already posted this comment, I apologize. Long day!

:) Karen

pam said...

How clever! Perhaps you have invited the new American snack!

Anonymous said...

These sound so good! I like to change up the usual rice crispy treat and use different cereals, but this takes it even further. Great combo!

Peter M said...

Look at that cross-section pic! Rice Crispie squares and your creation are the sweet versions of Mac &cheese.

Jessica@Foodmayhem said...

That just sounds fantabulous!

MaryBeth said...

Fabulous, I am not afraid of the peanut butter scare I am more afraid of not having my beloved peanut butter. This looks very sticky, gooey and Yum-o.

Albany Jane said...

Oh, yummy - I'm usually a PB fan, but man, Almond and Honey?? Sign me up!

Elyse said...

I love love love Almond Butter! I really need to try Barney Butter. These "bars" look amazing! Love your creativity!

Katie said...

After my husband saw the Banana Nut Cherrios all he wanted was peanut butter with that cereal made into bars. We are thinking on the same wavelength. :)

Ingrid_3Bs said...

You would think that I could be more creative with it but no the craziest I've gotten is to add whole mini marshmallows and it wasn't even my idea.
~ingrid

Anonymous said...

These look good! I have been very curious about the banana cheerios...so not good just for breakfast...but good in recipes???

Sandy said...

Oh yummy, girl! It really is delicious, isn't it? My kids LOVE to eat a 90-calorie packet with a banana.

Hugs!

Maria said...

What a dreamy treat!! Great creation!

Sandie said...

Almond butter. I'm intrigued! Fortunately your Banana Nut Bars sound like the perfect recipe to break the ice, and easy too. I'm in!

Nazarina A said...

I love almond butter, first starting eating this sensation about a year ago and now I am hooked. This is yet another recipe I will try with my almond butter. Thanks Grace!

Mike of Mike's Table said...

I've never tried almond butter yet, but this looks like a very tasty way to try it out. I'll have to give it a shot. And hey, rice krispy squares practically count as breakfast, so I'd be in the right eating it as such? Right?!

Anonymous said...

I only have one comment: YUM!

giz said...

I'd like to put electrodes on your brain just to see what kind of activity goes on in that head of yours when you sleep. How you dream up these most interesting combinations is a mystery to me. You'll be the one to invent the next rave in the snack food business, you'll get rich and famous and we'll need sunglasses just to view your blog :)

Anonymous said...

What a great idea!

Peanut Butter is one of my favorite things. I figure that since I buy the all-natural Whole Foods brand, I am okay (though this is probably poor logic). I hadn't heard of Barney Butter, but I will have to check it out.

Anonymous said...

wow that sounds very intriguing, I would probably like chocolate chips thrown in as well...

La Bella Cooks said...

Holy cow, these are treats to die for! Peanut butter makes everything better.

Dewi said...

Oh my, even a almost 44 yrs old woman will still like this delicious treat. Love that almond butter.
Cheers,
Elra

Anonymous said...

I was eyeballing the other butters at Trader Joes the other day and almost picked up a jar of almond butter. Impressive creativity you have there with these snacks. I know my son would sneak more than his share and dole them out at school.

Emily said...

Wow, those look fantastic!

Deborah said...

I almost bought some of those cheerios yesterday - now I'm wishing I would have so I could make these!