Snacks for school bake sales

Facebook SuperMom Sonja Vermaak asked you to help her with some clever ideas and these are just a few of the creative suggestions you gave her:

Pat Roux: Peanut butter and oatmeal cookies

Photo: Pat Roux

You’ll need:

875 ml (3½ c) dry quick-cooking oats, divided

125 ml (½ c) peanut butter

10 ml (2 t) vanilla essence

125 g butter, cut into pieces

500 ml (2 c) sugar

125 ml (½ c) milk

60 ml (4 T) cocoa

Do this:

1. Place several sheets of wax paper on your counter or kitchen table.
2. Measure 3 cups of oats, the peanut butter and the vanilla essence into a large heatproof bowl. Set aside.
3. Place the butter, sugar, milk and cocoa in a small saucepan. Give a quick stir. Turn the heat on high, and leave the mixture alone. (No more stirring.)
4. Bring the mixture to a full, rolling boil, and let it boil for exactly 1 minute. Remove immediately from the heat, and pour the chocolate mixture over the oats and peanut butter.
5. Use a large wooden spoon to quickly stir the ingredients together. (If the mixture seems runny or it’s a very humid day, stir in the remaining half cup of oats.)
6. Working with two spoons or a small ice-cream scoop, drop the mixture by onto the wax paper.
7. Let the cookies cool until set for about 50 minutes.

Debbie Prinsloo: Sherbet with lollipops

Photo: Chelsea.co.nz

You’ll need:

5 ml (1 t) citric acid

5 ml (1 t) baking soda/bicarbonate of soda

250 ml (1 c) icing sugar

5 ml (1 t) jelly crystals (any flavour)

Do this:

1. Put the citric acid in a bowl.
2. Add the baking soda and jelly crystals.
3. Add the cup of icing sugar.
4. Gently stir together. Taste and adjust as needed: need more sourness? Add citric acid. Too bitter? Add icing sugar. Take care though; always add additional ingredients in small amounts and then retaste each time.
5. Sieve the sherbet to make it finer and more appealing.
6. Enjoy fresh sherbet! It can be eaten with a spoon, a straw, a lollipop or even clean fingers.

TIP: Sherbet is best stored in a snap-lock bag, away from moisture, or in an airtight bag.

Nadia Fincham: Caramel Rice Krispies cones

You’ll need:

45 ml (3 T) margarine

250 g  marshmallows

1 can caramel condensed milk

750 g Rice Krispies

slab of chocolate

Do this:

1. Melt the margarine and marshmallows over low heat.
2. Beat in the caramel condensed milk.
3. Mix in the Rice Krispies. Mix well.
4. Press firmly into a greased pan.
5. Once set mould into balls and place on top of the cone, or even just cut into squares and sell as is.
6. Pour melted chocolate over for a variation.

Anita Marsili Booyse and Sumari Cloete: Marshmallow pops

Photo: craftcrawlers.com

You’ll need:

One bag of marshmallows

Lollipop sticks

Chocolate

Sprinkles

Do this:

1. Push a lollipop stick into each marshmallow.
2. Melt some chocolate (chocolate chips aren’t recommended). You’ll probably need 110-225 g of chocolate, depending on how many marshmallows you dip.
3. Dip one marshmallow at a time into the chocolate.
4. Allow excess chocolate to drip off then dip the marshmallow in your choice of sprinkles.
5. Set the marshmallow pop (stick down) in a mug to allow the chocolate to set (you can put the mug of pops in the fridge or freezer for a few minutes).
6. Once the chocolate is set, if desired, wrap each pop in a small cellophane bag.

T=tablespoon, t=teaspoon, c=cup