Caramel Bars and Peanut Butter Bars

“Bonfires, Masala Chai and Nourished Food”

Hello Cold Days! India is embracing frosty winds with the warmth of bonfires, spirited ‘masala chai’ and nourished food.

The men wrapped in shawls, ladies wearing cardigans and the children laden with woolens. The tittle-tattling among women while guzzling down ‘gazak or chikki’ (peanut-jaggery bars), the profound exchange of dialogues in between men while holding some dry-fruits in fist to devour with the ‘garma-garm chai’ (hot tea) and warming hands over bonfire lit on the verandah and the kids stealing some bars and kaju-kishmish (cashews-raisins), playing around the fire and giggling. I can recall these wintry evenings as it’s all happening right in front of me.

Caramel Bars and Peanut Butter Bars is a contemporary genre of those classic peanuts, dry-fruits or sesame bars. These bars hold the sustenance of oats, puffed rice and various dry fruits. A nectarous and healthy bar for those partly nutritious and partly guilty winters. Let’s reminiscence those freezing days with the warmth of memories and take our loved ones on to the trip down memory lane with some twist of novelty.

INGREDIENTS

Dry Ingredients

• 1 cup Rice Puffs (Murmura)
• 1/2 cup Instant or Rolled Oats
• 1/3 cup Desiccated Coconut
• ¼ cup Melon Seeds
• 1 tablespoon Peanuts
• 1 tablespoon chopped Cashews
• 1 tablespoon chopped Almonds
• 1 teaspoon chopped Pistachios
• 1 teaspoon Raisins

Wet Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons Peanut Butter
• 3 tablespoons Salted Caramel
• 1/4th cup Dark or Bittersweet Chocolate

DIRECTIONS

• Grease a tray with ghee (clarified butter) or butter and set aside.
• Dry roast peanuts in a small pan for 2-3 minutes and remove in a bowl. Peel off the skin and set aside.
• In a large pan, add oats and almonds and dry roast on medium heat for 2 minutes. Keep stirring.
• Add rice puffs, cashews and melon seeds in oats and almonds. Roast all together for 5-7 minutes until becomes crispy. Keep stirring continuously.

• Switch off the flame and add coconut and stir for a minute.
• Transfer the roasted ingredients in a plate.
• Mix all the dry ingredients along with the roasted ingredients. Divide the mixture in two equal parts.

• Add caramel in one portion and peanut butter in other.
• Fold the ingredients in caramel and peanut butter respectively.
• Spread the mixture on a greased tray and set in a rectangular or square shape. Press firmly to set it well.

• Freeze them for an hour.
• Remove from tray and cut in bars shape.

• Melt the dark chocolate in bowl on double-boiler or microwave oven.
• Dip half of the bar in melted chocolate and keep on a parchment paper. Sprinkle over some grinded roasted peanuts over chocolate. Repeat this for all the bars.

• Let the chocolate set for half an hour or freeze for half an hour.

• Serve them in any gatherings or devour on with your regular tea-time snacks.