Almond Cherry Cereal Recipes

ALMOND CHERRY PEPITA BARS

Steps:

• Preheat an oven to 325 degrees F. Coat an 8-inch square glass baking dish with cooking spray. Line the bottom with a piece of parchment or waxed paper leaving a 4-inch overhang on two opposite sides and spray the paper with cooking spray.
• Put 1 cup of the rice cereal in a resealable plastic bag and crush to a fine powder with the back of the measuring cup. Combine the remaining 1 cup rice cereal, pepitas, almonds and cherries in a large bowl. Heat the rice syrup and almond butter in a small saucepan until warm and bubbling and remove from heat. Stir in the almond extract and salt, and pour into the nut mixture. Fold with a spatula until it is everything is moistened and well combined. Add the crushed rice cereal and continue to fold until evenly incorporated.
• Press the mixture very firmly and evenly into the prepared pan using the overhanging pieces of parchment to prevent sticking. Bake until beginning to brown, about 25 minutes. Cool 15 minutes on a wire rack, then press again to compact the mixture. Chill until firm but not completely set , about 45 minutes. Remove the block by the paper handles and invert onto a cutting board. Gently peel off the paper. Cut the block in half, then cut each half into 6 bars for 12 total. Refrigerate until fully set.
• Store the bars individually wrapped or layered between sheets of parchment or waxed paper in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. The bars will soften up and become chewy as they come to room temperature.

CHOCOLATE DIPPED CHERRY ALMOND NOUGAT ON RASPBERRY SHORTBREAD WITH CARAMELIZED RICE CEREAL

Steps:

• For the cookies: In a mixer with a paddle attachment cream the butter and powdered sugar until you reach a uniform consistency. Add the raspberry puree and raspberry powder, mix until incorporated. Add the flour and cornstarch and mix just until combined. Shape into a log, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Cut 1/8-inch slices from the log of dough, and bake on silicone mat until the edges begin to brown. Reserve until ready to assemble.
• For the nougat: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spray with nonstick cooking spray, set aside. Place 6.6 ounces water, 21.9 ounces of the granulated sugar and the glucose into a very large pot. Cook until the candy thermometer reads 260 degrees F.
• While the sugar is cooking, boil the honey in a separate pot. Once the sugar mixture reaches the proper temperature, pour the honey into the syrup and continue cooking until the thermometer reads 275 degrees F. Pour the sugar mixture into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Add the egg whites and the remaining 1.3 ounces granulated sugar while whisking on high speed. Once the mixture has cooled down, add the melted cocoa butter and continue mixing until just incorporated. Turn off the mixer, then fold in the almonds and cherries. Roll out onto the prepared baking sheet, and cool.
• For the caramelized cereal: Place 2 ounces water, granulated sugar, corn syrup and the vanilla paste in a pot and cook over medium heat. Do not stir. Once mixture reaches a golden-brown color, stir in the rice cereal and pour onto a silicone mat until cooled.
• In a double boiler, melt two-thirds of the dark chocolate. Pull from the heat. Slowly add in the remaining chocolate, and stir until it is completely melted. Your candy thermometer should read 90 degrees F. If it is too hot add more unmelted chocolate and repeat the same process. Check the temperature, once it reaches 90 degrees F, use immediately.
• To assemble: Roll a piece of nougat into a ball and place on top of a shortbread cookie. Dip in the tempered dark chocolate and top with the caramelized rice cereal. Allow the chocolate to set.

OVERNIGHT CHERRY-ALMOND OATMEAL

Steps:

• In a 3-qt. slow cooker coated with cooking spray, combine all ingredients. Cook, covered, on low until oats are tender, 7-8 hours., Stir before serving. If desired, serve with additional milk.

ALMOND CHERRY ENERGY BAR

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Lightly spray a 9x13-inch rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray and line with parchment paper, leaving excess paper on edges.
• Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and spread into pan, pressing firmly.
• Bake for 10 minutes.
• Pull on parchment paper to remove from pan and cut into 24 bars while still warm.

TAHINI ALMOND CHERRY COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets, or line with parchment paper.
• In a large bowl, cream together the butter, tahini, brown sugar, 3/4 cup of turbinado sugar, and almond paste until smooth. Mix in the egg, vanilla and orange juice. Combine the flour, baking powder, salt, almond meal, and cinnamon; stir into the batter until well blended. Mix in the cereal and sour cherries.
• Drop dough by heaping spoonfuls onto the prepared cookie sheets. Sprinkle the remaining 3 tablespoons of turbinado sugar over the tops.
• Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, until golden at the edges. Cool for a few minutes on the cookie sheets, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

CHERRY BREAD WITH ALMONDS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x5x3-inch loaf pan.
• Stir flour, white sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt together in a large mixing bowl.
• Stir milk, egg, oil, and almond extract together in a small bowl until well combined. Add to dry mixture all at once. Stir until just moistened. Fold in cherries and almonds. Pour batter into the prepared pan.
• Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center of the bread comes out clean, about 1 hour. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove loaf from the pan and cool completely on the wire rack, about 30 minutes. Wrap and store for 8 hours to overnight before slicing and serving.

CHERRY ALMOND GRANOLA

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, combine the brown sugar, milk powder, honey, apple juice concentrate and oil. Cook and stir over medium heat until sugar is dissolved; stir in extract. In a large bowl, combine the oats, cherries and almonds. Drizzle with sugar mixture and mix well., Spread in a thin layer in two 15x10x1-in. baking pans coated with cooking spray. Bake at 375° for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown, stirring occasionally. Cool completely. Serve with yogurt if desired. Store in an airtight container.

CHERRY ALMOND OAT BREAKFAST COOKIES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F. Line 2 cookie sheets with silicone baking mats or cooking parchment paper.
• In large bowl, stir together sugar cookie mix, flour, butter and egg until combined. Add remaining ingredients; stir just until combined.
• With hands, roll tablespoonfuls of dough into balls; place 2 inches apart on cookie sheets.
• Bake 10 to 15 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from oven; cool on cookie sheets 2 minutes. Remove from cookie sheets to cooling racks.