February 8, 2013

No cookin' required for these tasty vintage chocolate cookies

In the spirit of Valentine's Day upcoming arrival (just six more days to go!), it only seems fitting the the first vintage recipe of the month be one chocked fully of chocolaty goodness.

Today's is a complete and utter breeze to whip up. Indeed, as you may have noticed from this post's title, no actual cooking is involved with sweet and scrumptious recipe, making it perfect for those days when you're pressed for time, have zero desire to fire up the oven (be sure to tuck this away for summer, when such is often the case), or just want a no-fuss, quick dessert treat.


Vintage Sugar Crisp chocolate cookie recipe ad, Chronically Vintage

{This February, give your tried and true Rice Crispy Squares a day off, and whip up a batch of these terrific vintage Sugar Crisp No-Bake Cookies instead. Image via tikitacky on Flickr.}



If you're not a fan of, can't find, or can't eat (it contains gluten), Sugar Crisp cereal, you could easily sub in Rice Krispies (regular or the gluten-free variety) or EnviroKidz Organic Chocolate Koala Crisp Cereal (which is gluten-free). Really, you could use just about any crunchy breakfast cereal you desired here, so long as it compliments the cocoa powder nicely.

You can gussy these bars up a little further with the inclusion of things such as dried cranberries or cherries, pretzel pieces, milk or white chocolate chips (for even more delightful February 14th approved chocolateness!), pieces of caramel or butterscotch, dehydrated strawberries, coloured sprinkles, or even conversation heart candies if you really want to take them in a noteworthy Valentine's Day direction.

I've made this recipe before using some of my favourite gluten-free cereals, and can confirm that it's dead simple and very, very tasty. I don't always include nuts, as the recipe calls for, but when I do, slivered almonds are usually my first choice (pistachios, pecans and peanuts are all great choices, too). As well I sometimes drizzle a little melted chocolate or caramel overtop once they're done, for even more of a fun sugar hit.

If ever a month calls for at least one fantastic sweet treat, it's February. So why not try this charming 1950s recipe for Sugar Crisp Cookies, and inject a little extra chocolaty tastiness into your Valentine's celebration? I sure know I will be! Smile

21 comments:

  1. I'm sure sure what this cereal is, but I'm going to give it a go with Rice Krispies, I usually use Corn Flakes. I'd never thought of using fruit in them, I occasionally use vegan marshmallows (Dandies). Time to go and play in the kitchen!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I remember when I was kid I always tried to make rice crispy treats. They never came out well. So bad in fact that it my my siblings sick. Whoops. I stick to buying them pre-made know.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh no! Perhaps you'd have better luck as an adult. Have you ever tried the microwave version? Eons ago when I was single I lived in a super tiny little basement suit that didn't have a proper (aka, full) kitchen, but I did have a hotplate and a microwave. I could have made them on the hotplate, but usually opted to make my Rice Krispie squares in the microwave instead, as it was a lot quicker (and safer - the hotplate pretty much just had one temperature - HOT!). Here's a Cooks.com recipe that's quite similar to the one I used to use: http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1642,150160-224201,00.html

      ♥ Jessica

      Delete
  3. Yummm! This is making me so hungry for a sweet treat! :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. oh gosh, how neat! i adore this retro baking ad. rice crispie treats are one of my favorites. i am not sure if you are gluten free yourself, but i am a vegan, and the recipe i use is gluten free too! (i make a peanut butter rice crispie treat always! they are so yummy.) if you would like the recipe, let me know!

    lindsey louise

    hellomrrabbit.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Lindsey Louise, thank you very much for your comment and kind recipe offer. I am indeed GF myself (due to celiac disease - I'm ultra sensitive to gluten and become extremely ill from even the tiniest amount, so I avoid it like the plague!). I'd love to see the recipe you mentioned anytime. I can't eat peanuts (the bother a different GI condition I have), but can have almonds, so I usually sub in almond butter anywhere peanut butter is called for. It works just as well and even tastes relatively similar.

      Thanks again & have a wonderful weekend,
      ♥ Jessica

      Delete
  5. Mmmmmm, chocolate!!!! I so want these right now.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. If we lived nearby, I'd whip up a batch right now and invite you over to watch vintage romantic movies and nibble chocolate dessert squares to get us even more in the spirit for Valentine's Day.

      ♥ Jessica

      Delete
  6. Yum! I am lactose intolerant and have to be careful with Gluten so these would be perfect for me to enjoy ;) I find it can be difficult to find tasty treats that don't include dairy - so its always nice to find something, especially so tasty!

    Katy
    xox
    http://vintagewife.co.uk

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It can be for sure, Katy, I completely agree. Do you like/can you eat almond milk? I've found it works quite well in place of dairy milk in a lot of dessert recipes, especially those for things like cakes, cupcakes, cookies, and dessert loaves. Muffins, too, work great with almond milk (and rice milk as well), and I've made a GF, egg-free version of these muffins http://www.chronicallyvintage.com/2012/04/lovely-citrusy-1940s-muffin-recipe-for.html before with almond milk that turned out really nicely.

      ♥ Jessica

      Delete
  7. No cooking?! How interesting. Actually I remember eating snacks like this when I was little. My mom got most of her cooking ideas from popular processed foods.

    ReplyDelete
  8. YUM! I love no-bake recipes and as it looks like we'll be having a sweltering Valentines day in Melbourne this week, these could be perfect!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Those look yummy! I believe that Sugar Crisp cereal may now be Honey Smacks, at least in the US. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honey_Smacks). Another healthy sub might be puffed wheat...to cut down on the sugar. But who wants to do that, really? :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Wonderful to know, thank you for sharing that. I so rarely venture down the regular (as in not gluten-free) cereal aisle any more (Tony is eating a super low carb diet and not doing any grains, so cereal is out for him these days), so I'm not super up-to-date on what's still around, what's changed names, etc.

      Thanks again & have a fantastic weekend, sweet dear,
      ♥ Jessica

      Delete
  10. Hello Jessica,

    This is just the type of goodie my daughters love to make! Well, they really like making lot of goodies, but this will sure to be a big hit with them.

    Thanks!
    ♥Hope

    ReplyDelete
  11. Oh i'm definitely trying these. They sound super yummy! :) Thanks for posting!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. My pleasure, Mary, I hope they turn out wonderfully for you.

      Sweetest countdown to Valentine's Day,
      ♥ Jessica

      Delete
  12. I too will give this a try! They sound similar to rice krispie treats, which we make with chocolate (I think in America and Canada, marshmallow is the norm)? Deeeelicious!

    Ruby xx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. They're quite similar to Rice Krispie treats for sure - and soooo yummy! Marshmallow squares are quite common, but ones like this with corn syrup aren't that uncommon either. One classic version is made with cocoa powder and puffed wheat cereal. My mom used to make both types when I was growing up.

      Hope your squares turn out fabulously, sweet dear,
      ♥ Jessica

      Delete
  13. Wow this blog is awesome! I love vintage things! :D
    xo

    ReplyDelete