Category: Recipes

We hope you all had a wonderful 4th of July and are enjoying your summer! Summer is a great time to break away from the day-to-day, relax, and spend time with family and friends. What better way to spend time with friends or family this summer than a cookout or backyard barbeque?  S’mores and Rice Krispie treats are quintessential treats for summer gatherings. Our S’mores monkey bars blend the best of all worlds into a delicious afternoon snack or after-dinner dessert. So when you are looking for a special treat, try our s’mores monkey bars!  

Ingredients:

• 1 10oz bag mini marshmallows
• 5 cups Crunchy Monkey Granola
• 1 cup Teddy Grahams or crumbled graham crackers
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1/3 cup butter
• 1 tsp vanilla
• Parchment paper

Instructions:

1. Line a 8.5”x 8.5” baking pan with parchment paper, butter the parchment paper, and set aside.
2. Crush the Crunchy Monkey Granola lightly with a rolling pin. 
3. Mix crushed granola, Teddy Grahams or graham crackers, 1 cup mini marshmallows, salt and vanilla in a medium bowl. 
4. In a large pot, heat butter over medium heat.
5. As the butter melts, add in the rest of the marshmallows and stir with a wooden spoon until the marshmallows are completely melted.
6. Remove from heat and pour the granola mix into the melted butter and marshmallows.
7. Blend quickly using a rubber spatula or wooden spoon until the mixture is evenly incorporated.
8. Spread mixture into the greased 8.5 x 8.5 pan and use parchment or a flat spatula to lightly press the mixture evenly into the pan.
9. Allow mixture to set for approximately 15 minutes.  Lift out parchment paper and cut into squares.
10. Enjoy and store leftover s’mores monkey bars in an air-tight container at room temperature.

We hope the summer weather is treating you well. As schools start letting out for the summer, vacations begin, and the weather starts to warm up we could all use some simplicity in our day. Parfaits, like this Crunchy Monkey Granola Parfait, are a simple treat that can be a quick breakfast, an afternoon snack to cool off from the hot weather, or a light refreshing after-dinner dessert.

A parfait can’t be beaten for its simplicity, but also offers infinite variations to satisfy the pickiest of eaters. You can adjust the protein level, flavor profile, and sweetness level based on the yogurt you choose. Parfaits are also a great opportunity to use in-season fruit or whatever you have in the house. My favorite Little Red Wagon Granola is Crunchy Monkey, so I’ve used it here, but feel free to make the parfait your own using your favorite granola flavor.

Ingredients:

• ½ cup vanilla yogurt
• 1 small banana, sliced, strawberries and blueberries or other fruit of choice
• ½ cup Chunky monkey granola or your favorite Little Red Wagon Granola
• Options: fruit jams or peanut butter

Directions:

• Pull together fresh fruit, your favorite Little Red Wagon Granola and vanilla yogurt.
• Dice fruit of choice into bite size pieces
• In a mason jar or clear glass, spoon half of the yogurt into the bottom of the jar or glass. Top with half of the banana slices and chopped granola. Then, repeat by adding a layer of yogurt then fruit and granola.
• Options: parfaits are versatile, feel free to jazz up the parfait by adding a fruit jam or peanut butter as a part of the layers of the parfait or drizzle on top of the parfait.
• Serve parfait immediately to keep granola crunchy.  If you need to make the parfait ahead, only add granola to the top layer.

I don’t know about where you live, but the weather has certainly gotten warmer for us!  Even if it’s not the official start of summer, Memorial Day weekend always seems to be the informal start of summer.  We hope you have special plans to honor the fallen heroes that have served our country well. If you are looking for a quick and refreshing treat to share with loved ones or friends this holiday weekend, try our cosmopolitan cream puff recipe! The orange cream is particularly refreshing on a warm summer evening and the cosmopolitan granola adds a nice crunch. Whether you are planning to travel or just taking a break from your routine, we hope this summer brings you special memories!

Ingredients:

• 1 package of puff pastry shells or puff pastry sheets
• 2 cups of heavy cream
• ¼ to 1/2 cup of sugar, adjust based on your preference for sweetness
• 2 tsp orange oil or extract
• 1 cup fresh berries such as blueberries or strawberries
• Cosmopolitan granola, chopped for garnish

Instructions:

1. Bake the puff pastry shells or pastry sheets according to the directions on the package. If you are using pastry sheets rather than shells, cut the pastry sheet into 2” squares or circles. To turn your pastry sheet into a shell, lightly score/perforate a circle across the shell. 
2. While the puff pastry is baking, whip together heaving cream, sugar, and orange oil/extract for 5 minutes on high or until stiff peaks form with either a hand mixer or stand mixer.
3. Once the puff pastry is cooled, remove the extra pastry in the center of the shell or sheet to create a well for the cream filling.  
4. Pipe or scoop whipped orange cream into a puff pastry shell or sheet.
5. Garnish with Cosmopolitan granola and fresh fruit.
6. Enjoy!

This cream puff recipe works great as a make-ahead dessert if you store the pastry cream in your fridge and then add it to freshly baked puff pastries the day of.