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Puffed wheat squares
Prairie chocolate-toffee puffed wheat bars
Puffed wheat squares are the Prairie kids' party treat, made in Alberta and Saskatchewan kitchens for hockey bake sales and lunchboxes since the 1950s. Puffed wheat is stirred into a quick toffee of butter, brown sugar, golden syrup and cocoa, pressed into a pan and cut once set. They are chewy rather than crunchy and very hard to stop eating. A common mistake is boiling the syrup too long, which sets them rock hard; one minute of boiling is enough. Chef's tip: butter your hands, not just the pan, to press the mix down evenly.
- Total time
- 15 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 16
Ingredients
- 7 oz puffed wheat cereal
- 3 ⅛ oz butter
- 5 ½ oz brown sugar
- 2 tbsp cocoa powder
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Butter a 23 × 33 cm tin. Put 7 oz puffed wheat cereal in a large, buttered bowl.
2 minStep 2: Melt 3 ⅛ oz butter, 5 ½ oz brown sugar, ½ cup golden syrup or corn syrup and 2 tbsp cocoa powder in a pan over a medium heat, stirring. When it comes to a full boil, boil for exactly 1 minute, then take off the heat and stir in 1 tsp vanilla extract.
5 minStep 3: Pour over the puffed wheat and stir quickly until every piece is coated.
2 minStep 4: Tip into the tin and press down firmly with buttered hands.
3 minStep 5: Leave to set for 1 hour before cutting into squares. Keep in an airtight tin.
60 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 150 kcal
- Protein
- 1 g
- Carbs
- 24 g
- Fat
- 6 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does puffed wheat squares take?
- About 15 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 5 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 16 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of butter?
- The same weight of ghee or coconut oil (for frying and most baking).
- What can I use instead of brown sugar?
- White sugar + 1 tbsp molasses or treacle per 200g.
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