Not Your Momma's Cracker Jacks

This post is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group™ and Post Pebbles, but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia #PostWalgreens http://cmp.ly/3/8vNxcO.

A couple weeks ago I shared our family's favorite Easy Peasy Salted Caramel Popcorn recipe.  When you know you want a snack but can't decide between sweet or salty -- it is our go to.  However tasty it may be, sometimes we want a bit hardier of a snack.  Something that will give you a bit more energy and some protein too.  So was born our version of cracker jacks.

The Ingredients.

I'll start off by saying that these two recipes, the popcorn & the candied almonds, are two that I was pretty afraid of.  I am not a tried and true kitchen champion.  But they are both, I promise you, pretty easy to conquer.

The Almonds.

1/2 Cup Granulated Sugar

1/4 Cup Water

1 Cup Raw Almonds

1/4 Cup Grape-Nuts Post Cereal

1. Cover a cookie sheet with a silpat mat, or with foil sprayed with nonstick cooking spray, and set aside. 

 2. In a medium saucepan, combine the water and sugar over high heat. Stir until the sugar dissolves, then bring the mixture to a boil. 

 3. Add the almonds and reduce the heat to medium. Stir frequently until the sugar crystallizes around the almonds--this should take 5-8 minutes. 

 4. At this point it will be difficult to stir, but continue stirring, and eventually the sugar will start to re-melt. It will turn a deep golden brown color and coat the almonds. 

 5. Add in Grape-Nuts cereal (do this as last step sot they stay their crunchiest).  Once the sugar is caramelized and completely liquid, pour the almonds & cereal out onto parchment paper. Use a fork to separate the nuts while the sugar is still liquid. 

 6. Let the almonds set at room temperature. Once cool and hard, break them apart if necessary. 

(recipe adapted from about.com)

The Popcorn.

Check out the directions for the popcorn on this post.

Combine.

Immediately after laying the popcorn out, while it is still hot, crumble the almonds over top.  This way the nuts will stick to the corn and won't all fall to the bottom of the bowl.  Let all cool together and scoop up into a bowl.  Time to eat!

Super yum.  And yes, a bit unusual -- the Grape-Nuts.  But, the cereal adds the perfect crunch plus a great source of protein, fiber, and whole grains.  I think these candied grape-nut almonds would be the perfect addition to a salad too or added to a trail mix.    And Post Cereal Grape-Nuts are just something I am discovering to be an all around easy way to add nutrition to nearly any meal -- on top of yogurt or even sprinkled on top a baked potato!  It's far from just something you only pour in a bowl with milk.

If you want to try out this recipe for yourself you can get Grape-Nuts and other select Post Brand cereal on sale at Walgreens this week for just $1.99!