Chocolate Caramel Crispy Bars

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Chocolate Caramel Crispy Bars

Chocolate Caramel Crispy Bar

As the car barrels down the highway at a steady pace, I find myself sitting in the backseat, writing to you. The sun is shining through the window, sending a brilliant glare onto my computer screen; so bright I find myself needing a pair of sunglasses. Between reading books and staring out at the brown, snowless landscape through the window, I've successfully passed seven hours strapped in one place. I'm headed to the mountains for a weekend getaway filled with warm fireplaces, fresh snow, and a pair of skis strapped to my feet.

Everyone needs a vacation now and then.

Chocolate Caramel Crispy Bar Chocolate Caramel Crispy Bar

As anyone who has ever taken a road trip knows, they require a different class of food altogether. There are traditions and rituals that must be followed, either passed down from parent to child or evolved from assorted friendships. For instance, I have a friend who insists on buying a bag of Fig Newtons before we take on the road. A healthy snack, she claims (but they are not quite so healthy after you've eaten your way through nine or ten).

Another friend and I always stock up on beef jerky and soda at the nearest gas station. We eat until parched from the salty meat and sick from the carbonation. Why we insist on doing this, I'll never know, but it is a sin to break a tradition once it has been set. Beef jerky and soda it will always be, whether I like it or not.

Chocolate Caramel Crispy Bar

Growing up and traveling with my own family, road trips were one of the rare occasions my mother would fill the car with candy, cookies, soda, and other forbidden delights. With so many prohibited treats within reach, it made the fact that we were stuck in a car for countless hours bearable (and, thinking back, perhaps that is where my mother's tradition started in the first place). Even as I sit here now, surrounded by bags of candy and pretzels, I've found myself contributing to this madness. In preparation for the trip, I made a batch of these chocolate caramel crispy bars. After testing them out on the road, I can attest that they were a very good idea.

Nevertheless, the mountains have started appearing over the horizon. Living on the flat, golden plains, I often forget how tall they really stand. So, if you'll excuse me, it seems I have a bit more window watching to do.

What are your road trip food traditions?

Chocolate Caramel Crispy Bar

These Chocolate Caramel Crispy Bars are crispy rice cereal bars with attitude. Made in the same method as the traditional, a healthy portion of chocolate and rich caramel sauce are added to the melted marshmallows to create the only variant. When taking a bite, the chocolate and marshmallow hit the tongue first, followed by a smooth caramel finish. These are simple to make and you may find them disappearing before you were ready to see them go.

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Rosemary Sea Salt Crackers

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Rosemary Sea Salt Crackers

Rosemary Sea Salt Crackers

The thermometer sitting out on the snow-covered deck is incorrect; the needle always pointing to a temperature that stands to be a little too good to be true. Having stood out of the window for as long as my memory can trace, it is an old soul, surviving the chill of winter and the high heat of summer without complaint for decades. I like to imagine the thermometer has become an optimist in its old age, telling me the temperature I long to see while protecting me from the stark reality of winter temperatures.

Right now the thermometer tells me it's a balmy 60° F. The floorboards of the deck are obscured by hard ice and crackling snow (such a temperature certainly cannot be true), but the fabricated temperature still plays up my warm weather fantasies.

Rosemary Sea Salt Crackers Rosemary Sea Salt Crackers

With the sun arising earlier each morning, lending natural light to accompany my breakfasts, I think my winter blues are nearing their end. It feels like the end to the dark winter season—the sun has finished hibernating and is rested enough to spend the day dancing across the sky. Even so, there is still a winter chill in the air and the first signs of spring are far from arriving.

The warmth and heat from the oven is still welcomed in my home.

Rosemary Sea Salt Crackers

The past weekend I set out to make and bake crackers. Though I've made them once before, I wanted to tackle a new set of flavors and textures. Crackers, if you may not know, are easy to prepare by hand or machine, with the act of rolling out the dough taking up the most time. Boxed crackers pale in comparison to the homespun version, as is often the case with anything bought that can be made homemade.

Rosemary has quickly become one of my favorite spices, with its earthy tones and bright green shade. I enjoy it both in winter or spring, which is perfect for me since the winter weather outside my window never quite matches the spring temperatures listed on the thermometer.

Rosemary Sea Salt Crackers Rosemary Sea Salt Crackers

These Rosemary Sea Salt Crackers have a crunchy exterior with a soft and tender interior, mimicking the coveted texture of a perfect chocolate chip cookie. Made with a mixture of whole wheat and all purpose flours, the crackers are flavored with fresh rosemary, cracked pepper, and coarse sea salt. These salty crackers truly pack a punch of flavor. While they would shine with a wine and cheese tray (and impress those lucky enough to give them a try), I ate them plain and by the handful. These crackers didn't last more than 5 hours in my home.

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Chocolate Toffee Scones

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Chocolate Toffee Scones

Chocolate Toffee Scones

There is a brunch served in a nearby restaurant that I dream about on Sunday mornings. I use the term "nearby" loosely—it is a three hour North Dakota drive away, but I find myself there more often than you'd think. I always eat too much, as one does when faced with a buffet line of dozens of favorite brunch delicacies. There are the scones, the eggs Benedict, the biscuits and gravy, and the pasta dishes (of which I make sure to sample at least once).

However, the french toast is the reason I keep coming back.

Chocolate Toffee Scones

Like an ice cream sundae bar lined with the best toppings, so does this restaurant treat their french toast. Oreos, nuts, chocolate shavings, and crumbled heath bars accompany the crushed strawberries, the jellied blueberries, and the classic maple syrup. It's a brunch lover's dream come to fruition. And mine, all mine, for the taking.

This brunch is where I discovered my true love for toffee. Atop a hot piece of french toast drowned in maple syrup, I crumbled these chocolate toffee pieces, allowing the chocolate to melt and pool over the top of the french toast while the toffee retained its textured crunch. Though I considered this my "dessert," it was never rare to go back for seconds or thirds of this sweet, indulgent treat.

As long as I ignored the sidelong glances of my concerned, horrified companions, nothing would stand between me and my coveted french toast.

Chocolate Toffee Scones

Since discovering my weakness for chocolate and toffee, I've found myself imagining all of the terrifically wicked ways to use it in every day baking. As an homage to the toffee-covered french toast that started this madness, I thought scones would be a fitting first start. We can save my other toffee-covered fantasies for later.

A decadent breakfast every now and then never hurts anybody, right?

Chocolate Toffee Scones

These Chocolate Toffee Scones are subtle, kind, and never too sweet. The sweetness comes from the multitude of chocolate toffee pieces scattered throughout the delicate scone. Never to be outdone, I dipped the bottoms of the scones in a rich chocolate glaze to give an added touch of chocolate. These are delicious with a cup of coffee for an afternoon snack, but if you choose to eat them for breakfast with a cup of tea I won't send a judging glance your way.

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