Still Feeling Peckish

Sweet treats are the currency of love in my family. In general Asian cuisine is not huge on desserts and most families tend to end their meals with a serving of fresh fruit. Growing up I think special occasions did end off with some sweet red or green bean soup but cakes were a true rarity.

Sweetness of desserts must have increased over the years because I remember as a teenager feeling that American-style desserts like brownies or cakes were too sweet, but I suspect over the years our local desserts have also become a lot sweeter as well. So I realise my palate is no longer surprised at the sweetness of the dessert and instead there is a certain craving for something sweet at the end of the meal. No wonder most people exceed recommended sugar intake every day. And of course now the sheer availability of these desserts is crazy. What used to be a rare treat (for birthdays or special occasions), sweet desserts are now unmistakably entrenched in almost every meal.

I don’t bake that often at home – probably just once a week or fortnight, and this is with the awareness that these desserts do add calories to the meal. So we still keep it really simple at home. But recently when kid#2 came home tired and disgruntled from school I had to pull out something quick to cheer her up. I made super quick matcha mug cakes that night and that helped to boost her mood. I was surprised at how effective that simple dessert was as a mood lifter. So today I decided to make some peanut butter bars to keep in the fridge, hopefully to allow her a couple of treats to stand by for late night studying.

This is a no-bake recipe. It is completely easy and can literally be finished in 15-20 minutes. I used Ben Banter granola which is a really tasty and natural granola – I love all the coconut and almond bits in it. I also had a bottle of low carb peanut butter on hand – there was a period where the kids were demolishing peanut butter by the bottle and would lick spoons of peanut butter in lieu of dessert. Fortunately that peanut butter phase is over and I actually found an intact bottle of peanut butter in the pantry.

One of the nicest granolas available in the market.

Lily’s baking chocolate is a staple in the house.

The peanut butter granola bars were great – a fantastic way of using up granola and a quick and super easy snack. The kids haven’t got their hands on the bars yet but I suspect they may not last too long in the fridge.