Trail Mix Marshmallow Treats

Spring has finally, belatedly found its way to our Deep South doorstep! Perhaps the strangely long-lived presence of winter this year has been a blessing - disguised, at the time, by less-than-welcome sleet and snow tromping over our one day hint of spring - for I have never before been quite so grateful for the arrival of warmer temperatures, softer breezes, and burgeoning flowers. Yesterday I could scarcely bring myself to come inside, instead enjoying walking around the neighborhood, watching the sun set on the patio, and even doing my sit-ups and upper-body workout on the back lawn, enjoying the new grass!

(I'm hoping this darling little branch will sprout roots so we can have a flowering pear in the backyard, too, as well as the front yard... I'm cheering for you, little branch! :-)

The only downside of Spring, I've noticed already, is that the warm weather makes me thoroughly disinclined to come inside to keep up with evening chores! During springtime, I long to fill my evening with only outdoor chores! Most days, I try to do a little of both - a little weeding, a little laundering - but yesterday I simply succumbed to temptation and savored the day, laundry be darned. :-)

I did come inside eventually, though... To make a little healthful marshmallow treat I saw on Nicole's blog, Prevention RD, and simply couldn't resist! I wasn't surprised at all about the cleverness of this recipe, though, for Nicole always has great nutrition advice and deliciousness in each of her informative posts! I changed the ingredients just a wee bit - the only almonds I had in residence were dusted with garlic powder and cayenne pepper, which I didn't think would quite go with marshmallows, so I wound up leaving out the almonds and increasing the dried cranberries, and I used dark chocolate for the chocolate chips... and at every step I wondered at the magic of Nicole's recipe, and the sweet nostalgia of melting marshmallows for the first time in years! Thank you, Nicole, for this brilliant idea! After all, who could resist a desert with marshmallows, dried cranberries, and chocolate, that's also high in fiber?

Trail Mix Marshmallow Treats

(Adapted from Nicole's Recipe)

3 T light, nonhydrogenated vegan margarine (such as SmartBalance Light)

1 (10.5 oz) bag miniature marshmallows (make sure to use vegan marshmallows if you'd like to make this a vegan recipe)

5 cups Original Fiber One Cereal, or another high-fiber cereal
3/4 cup dried cranberries

3/4 cup dark chocolate chips (at least 60% cacao)

~ Coat a 9X11" baking pan with cooking spray.

~ In a large pot over medium-low heat, melt the vegan marg.

~ Add the marshmallows to the melted vegan marg, and stir constantly over the medium-low heat until almost all of the marshmallows have melted. Remove from the heat, and keep stirring until the last few marshmallows have melted as well.

~ Quickly stir the cereal and dried cranberries into the melted marshmallows.

~ Add the chocolate chips, and fold in as gently as possible - too much stirring will cause the chocolate chips to melt and turn your marshmallows brown... Some melting is inevitable, though, and perfectly yummy!

~ Press the mixture into the baking pan, allow to cool, then cut into squares...

Ah, wonderful gooey sticky mess!