Summer holidays are almost here. There has been lots of focus on cleaning and tidying up before we start our summer vacation. Now that we have the Volkswagen Westfalia, it has become a bit of a tradition to take a 2 week driving holiday, and this year we will be no different. While our original intent would have taken us in a different direction, the two week vacation time steered us to an alternate path. We will be exploring Vancouver Island while meeting up, here and there, with friends and relatives. As usual.....I have lots to do and very little time to do it.....
With not a lot of time to waste, it seemed like a good choice to make some puffed wheat squares to have for a lunch box snack this week. I had not realized, but chocolate puffed wheat squares, it seems, while common in Canada are relatively unknown in other parts of the world. They are similar to rice crispy squares in their preparation, but the gooey candy that holds them all together is chocolate flavoured, and the cereal is puffed wheat rather than crisp rice. To me, they are so much obviously better than rice crispy squares.......to DH......he prefers rice crispy squares. His choice still perplexes me, but to each his own. This is a lunch box snack that is quick and easy and quite common place. You can often find them individually wrapped for sale in gas station convenience stores around here. Here they are common....but you never know....they might seem a little different to you.....and they are very easy too:)
Puffed Wheat Squares
1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup corn syrup
1/2 cup brown sugar
3 Tbsp cocoa
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp vanilla
7 cups puffed wheat cereal
Heat first 5 ingredients over medium heat unit bubbling. Let bubble 2 minutes and remove from heat. Immediately stir in vanilla, then cereal. Stir well until all cereal is coated. Press into a buttered 9 inch square baking pan with buttered fingers and set aside to cool. Once cool slice into serving sized pieces.
Note: Make sure cook at a boil for 2 minutes. If you simply melt all together and do not boil for 2 minutes......the candy will not set up. If this happens, keeping the pan in the fridge will help, but you'll need to leave them in there. Conversely, overcooking the candy can make it too hard.
8 comments:
This is one of the things we missed when we moved from Canada to the States because it's even difficult to just find the puffed wheat here to make them. When we lived in Canada, I used to make them quite often for the kids for after school snack.
So when I do come across a bag or box of puff wheat at a grocery store down here, I stock up. It's funny how something we used to have whenever I wanted to make them has become a special treat for us now.
Iv'e never tried these before and they sure look good!
Oh, does this take me back! I haven't had these for years. Yum. Puffed wheat never tasted so good. Thanks for sharing.
Yum! I haven't made those in years. Might have to make a batch for the Hubs lunches.
Thanks for stopping by! I should mention that this pan evaporated in 2 days and I will not say who ate the bulk of it.
These were my total favorite when i was growing up in Regina Sask. and at 4-H meetings they would always have these! Thank you so much for sharing this i have been looking for a long time....can a person use the golden smacks or has to be plain puffed wheat thank you!
You should use plain puffed wheat. I've never tried them with Sugar Smacks.....no reason why it shouldn't work...just more sugar.
can it be frozen?
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