Something for the kids ...

... er and something for the mums too if you're anything like me!

I posted this on my other blog Busy Lizzie, but obviously it wasn't gluten free back then in BC. (Before Coeliacs).

I have found there is a bit of trial and error with baking, but also with bought stuff like biscuits or breakfast cereal. I have just been buying stuff because it was gluten free, but have found I'm becoming a bit more selective, now that I know I'm not going to starve to death from lack of variety. So with that I have had a box of gf cereal lying around the pantry giving me the guilts every time I looked at it. (Even on special it's more than I would normally spend on Rice Bubbles!) But it was so anemic looking and tasted a more like the box it came in, that I couldn't face it for breakfast. So like other cereals that get relegated to the weevil department I thought I should make something for the kids lunch boxes. So here is my gluten free version of the good old Kiwi classic, Bubble Log!

INGREDIENTS:

~125 grams of butter (about 4 oz in the old money)

~1 cup of brown sugar (or you can use a cup of white sugar and a drop or two of vanilla essence)

~2 tablespoons of honey (I had to use my best Manuka because I couldn't find the cheap one that I bought. Note to self: Tidy out the Pantry!)

~4 Cups of Cereal. (this cereal was rice bubbles with bits of fruit and a couple of seeds lurking in there, but I chucked in a small handful of pumpkin and sunflower seeds, because I somehow feel I am counter balancing the butter and sugar! Dream on Liz!)

~Melt the butter, brown sugar and honey in a decent size pot (because you are going to add the 4 cups of cereal to it), and then boil for 3 minutes. If you are using vanilla essence add this now.

Take off the heat and quickly fold in the cereal mixture. Press into a tin lined with baking paper. (Mine measures 32cm x 20cm.) Cut while still a bit warm, although if you have a really sharp knife you should be okay, because I forgot to cut mine until I got to this bit of the recipe!

You can replace the cereal with popcorn, which is really nice. I have a popcorn popper and it's cheap as chips to pop my own and make this up. You can add coconut (I don't because my kids aren't that keen on it), any dried fruit like raisins or craisins, and some nuts or seeds. Its up to you. Go for it! Beats paying a fortune for made up ones, and at least you know whats in it!