Crackers and Crumbs

Specifically graham cracker crumb crusts. For pies and cheesecakes. Does everyone know how to make a basic graham cracker crust? I thought I did -- for years. It was super easy. You went to the grocery store straight to the baking aisle and you bought one from Keebler. And, while I've still been known to do that in a pinch, there are drawbacks. First, the tin they come in is so thin that when you slice the pie, you often slice right through to the countertop. Bummer.

So, I thought I'd give you some basic, starting off recipes for graham cracker and other assorted crumb crusts that you can make from scratch. They are simple and inexpensive.

All you need to do is combine the ingredients and then press them onto the bottom and up the sides of an ungreased pie tin. Also, depending on what type of dessert you are planning, you then either bake the crust for 8-10 minutes at 375 degrees and let it cool before filling it, or you chill it in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. NOTE: if you are making a cheesecake, you will need to increase the proportions accordingly, depending on if you are using an 8-inch or 9-inch springform pan.

To press the crust into the pie tin, I use the flat side of my measuring cups.

For a Graham Cracker Crust:

1 1/2 cups (about 24 squares) graham cracker crumbs

1/4 C sugar

1/3 C butter, melted

For a Chocolate Wafer Crust:

1 1/4 C chocolate wafer cookie crumbs

1/4 C sugar

1/4 C butter, melted

For a Vanilla Wafer Crust:

1 1/2 cups (about 30 cookies) wafer cookie crumbs

1/4 C butter, melted

For a Gingersnap Crust:

1 1/2 C gingersnap cookie crumbs

1/4 C butter, melted

For an Oreo Cookie Crust:

1 1/2 C Oreos (about 15 cookies)

1/4 C butter, melted

This is just meant to be a starting off point for you. You can add other ingredients as well to vary the flavors. For example, when I make a gingersnap crust, I often reduce the amount of gingersnap crumbs by 1/4 C and add 1/4 C of finely chopped pecans. Also, when making a crust for cheesecake, I will add finely chopped almonds and reduce the amount of graham crackers crumbs accordingly.

For Sunday dinner this week, I made a Chocolate Mint Cream Pie with an Oreo Crumb Crust. It was a quickie pie. Didn't get a photo until I only had one slice left. The picture isn't great, but at least it gives you the idea of how it looked.

Chocolate Mint Cream Pie

1/2 C cold milk (I used whole)

1 small pkg. instant chocolate pudding

2 3/4 C whipped topping, divided

1 pkg. (4.7 oz) Andes mint candies, chopped fine and divided

1/4 tsp mint extract

2 drops green food coloring

recipe for 1 Oreo crumb crust

Make the crumb crust and press into pie tin. Chill in refrigerator while you continue with the recipe.

In a small bowl, whisk milk and pudding mix for 2 minutes. Let rest for 2 minutes or until soft-set. Fold in 3/4 C whipped topping until well combined. Fold in 3/4 C mint candies.

In another bowl, combine extract and remaining whipped topping; add food coloring and stir well until no streaks of green remain. Spoon pudding mixture into prepared crust. Spreak whipped topping mixture over pudding layer; sprinkle top of pie with remaining mint candies. Cover and refrigerate for 4 hours or until set.

With A Little Help From My Friends

It really helps to have foodie friends. Especially ones that have food blogs. I have to give a serious shout-out to Rookie Cookie. Not only did she save me from a boring dinner Monday night with her Roasted Chicken with Sweet Potatoes, but she also posted a delicious-sounding recipe for Swirled Chocolate Pumpkin Gingerbread.

As I read through that one, I kept thinking, “Flake, not only would that be delicious as written, but imagine it with Dulce de Leche instead of chocolate.” For three days I spun it around in my head. Finally last night, I made it, just a bit modified from Rookie's original.

Mr. Doughboy and I were at another friend’s house for dinner and a movie. I kind of took over her kitchen and said, “Don’t worry about dessert. I’ve got it covered.” After making myself at home pulling out flour, sugar and spices from her cupboards, I whipped out the can of pumpkin puree, a bottle of molasses, and a container of dulce de leche that I had brought from home. (Well, okay, actually I forgot the dulce de leche so Mr. Doughboy ran home to get it. As you can see, dessert production is a full-family commitment.)

Fifty minutes later, we were all blissfully eating this delectable gingerbread -- warm out of the oven.


Dulce de Leche Pumpkin Gingerbread
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
3/4 tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp white pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup molasses
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 cup boiling water
4 Tbsp dulce de leche, divided
Whipped cream, for serving

Set oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x13 inch pan with non-stick spray and set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, white pepper and salt; set aside. In a large bowl, combine the sugar and butter and beat until light and fluffy. Add eggs and mix until incorporated. Stir in molasses and pumpkin. Stir in the boiling water. Add the flour mixture and stir until well incorporated.

Pour half the batter into the prepared pan. Place two 1-Tbsp dollops of dulce de leche on top of the batter and, using a butter knife, swirl to incorporate. Pour on the remaining batter and then top with the final two dollops of dulce de leche. Use the butter knife again to swirl the dulce.

Bake for 30-40 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Serve with a dollop of whipped cream.

Telling Myself I'm On a Health Kick

It's still a dessert. It still has sugar and butter. But, hey, there are pieces of fresh fruit in there... and the topping tastes like granola. That counts for something, right?

Around here we love fruit cobblers and fruit crisps. Each year during peach season we help ourselves to lots of these warm desserts. I have a "go-to" recipe for peach crisp that we all enjoy. But today, I decided to try something a little different. You see, I had some Cinnamon Honey Butter still in the fridge and I wanted to use it up. So... I decided to use it instead of just regular butter when making the topping for the Peach Crisp. It definitely changed the flavor and the texture (what with the honey in it). I'm not sure Mr. Doughboy liked it. It's different and his first reaction to different is, well, doubtful. But, the more I ate it, the more I liked it.

Here are some of the differences I found: This topping comes off a bit chewy, like some honey granola bars. There isn't a lot of liquid in the fruit/sugar mixture, so the texture of the peaches is front and center along with the taste. The honey definitely makes it a different type of sweet. The pecans also give it a bit more flavor that what your brain is expecting. All in all, I like it. The granola taste gives it a breakfast-y kind of option, too. I had some this morning, at room temperature. It was yummy.

Granola Peach Crisp (enough to fill a 2-quart casserole dish)

For the filling:

4-5 ripe peaches, peeled and sliced

2 Tbsp light brown sugar

For the topping:

1/2 C all-purpose flour

1/4 C light brown sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/2 C + 2 Tbsp oatmeal

1/4 C Cinnamon Honey Butter, cut into pieces

1/4 C pecan pieces

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl, combine the filling ingredients and stir to combine. Pour into baking dish and spread evenly.

In a medium bowl, combine all the topping ingredients EXCEPT the pecans. Use your hands to mix together, incorporating the butter until the topping mixture is a bit lumpy. Crumble topping over the fruit mixture. Sprinkle the top with pecan pieces.

Bake for 40-45 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm. If you'd prefer, you can serve it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream.

Everything's Peachy

Mr. Doughboy's sister and her husband have moved to Salt Lake City, the closest "big city" to us. They have decided to forego the whole "buying a house with a yard and commuting to work" routine this time around and have decided to have the true urbanite experience -- living in an apartment in the heart of downtown, walking to work and church, riding Trax (public rail transportation) to get anywhere that's not within walking distance. They are taking note of all the events happening within the city and planning their social calendar to try them out.

Last weekend while we visited with them in their apartment, an advertisement came on TV about downtown's annual "Dine-O'Round" event. 31 restaurants in downtown Salt Lake City will offer three-course dinners for $15 or $30 per person. Some eateries also will offer a two-course lunch for $10. Food options include Asian, Italian, Lebanese, American, Austrian and Mexican cuisines, as well seafood, steak and vegetarian fare. It sounds like a really good time. If that sounds like something you might enjoy, check out this link for a list of participating restaurants.

During our get-together, I was in charge of the dessert. Since I've got a bushel of peaches at my house, I figured a quick and easy peach dessert was in order. It was tasty. Later that night, I began to think of other things to do with it. I did a version 2.0 of the same dessert the next night by adding pecans and vanilla ice cream. Mr. Doughboy liked it so much he had seconds. Doughnut Hole #5 was also there and gave his seal of approval.

Here they are all ready to be put in the oven. Please ignore the wicked butter hiding camouflaged amongst the pecans. Trust me, when these come out of the oven and go in your mouth, you will be thrilled there was wicked butter involved.


Caramel Baked Peaches
3 large freestone peaches (peeled and cut in half)
lemon juice
3 tsp butter

2 Tbsp chopped pecans
1/4 C brown sugar
1 Tbsp cinnamon
caramel sauce or dulce de leche

vanilla ice cream

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Combine sugar and cinnamon together. Place the peeled peaches cut side up in a shallow baking dish. Drizzle a bit of lemon juice on each peach. Place 1/2 tsp butter in the center of each peach half. Top the butter with chopped pecans. Sprinkle at least 1 tsp cinnamon sugar on top of each peach. Cover the baking dish and place in oven. Bake for 15-20 minutes. Remove peaches from dish and place onto single serving plates. Drizzle dulce de leche or caramel sauce over each peach half. Place a scoop of ice cream alongside the peach. Serve warm.

Note: You can also serve with a dollop of Cinnnamon Whipped Cream or sprinkle granulated sugar on the top after baking and if you have a kitchen torch, use a creme brulee approach and burn the sugar topping just before serving.

Dressing Up Leftovers

Leftover frosting. Both my favorite chocolate frosting and some dulce de leche frosting. Did you have a mom or a grandma that put leftover frosting on graham crackers and made graham cracker sandwiches? I did. So did Mr. Doughboy. I used to do that for my kids as well. But now our Doughnut Holes are 27, 24, 21, 19, 18 and 18 respectively. (Here's a riddle: the two 18-year-olds are not twins. They are a day apart.) So, I'm thinking graham cracker frosting sandwiches wouldn't be high on their favorite dessert list.

My solution for Sunday dinner's dessert was to make a chocolate cake. I put the dulce de leche frosting in the center and then frosted the top and sides with the chocolate frosting. It was ruled a hit by those that ate it (none of whom happened to be our children).

This chocolate cake recipe ranks right up there for taste, crumb and height. It is dense and rich with flavor. It tastes best if you make it the day before and give the flavors a chance to ripen.

The Best Chocolate Cake Ever
4 C all-purpose flour

2 tsp baking soda

1 C unsweetened cocoa (best quality you've got)

1 C unsalted butter, softened

2 C sugar

2 large eggs

2 Tsp vanilla extract

1 C sour cream

1 C hot water

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly oil two 9-inch round cake pans. Line them with parchment paper and then grease and flour the paper.

In either a medium bowl or on top of a piece of wax paper (my preference), sift the flour, baking soda and cocoa together; set aside. In a separate bowl, using your electric mixer, mix the butter and sugar until it is pale yellow and fluffy (about 3 minutes). Then add the eggs, one at a time, beating until they are well incorporated. Add the vanilla and mix well. Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture in thirds, alternating with the sour cream and the hot water. Begin and end with the dry ingredients.

Divide the batter between the pans. When filled, tap the pans sharply one time on the counter to release any air and settle the batter. Bake in the center of the oven for about 45-50 minutes or until the cakes are puffed and spring back when lighly touched.

Transfer the cakes to a wire rack to cool. When they are cooled, remove them from the cake pans. Trim the domed top off of one layer so that it is flat. Invert that layer on a serving plate so that the cut side is down. Frost the top of that layer using whatever frosting you desire. Place the second layer of cake, domed side up, on top of the first. Cover it with the remaining frosting. This cake is best served the next day.

Note: Because I was making this cake to use up leftover frosting, I used a dulce de leche frosting in between the layers and My Favorite Chocolate Frosting on the top and sides. To enhance the subtle dulce de leche flavor, I also placed three tablespoonfuls of dulce de leche (not the frosting, but actual dulce de leche) on top of the batter in each cakepan and swirled it with a knife to incorporate it into the batter before baking.

The Heat Never Ends

So, it's September... and it's still hot. Too hot. I'm about ready for that crisp feel in the air that says apples (er... I mean, autumn) is coming. But... it's still hot as blue blazes. I need something to help me cool off. I'm a little tired of ice cream. So I decided to switch to sorbet.

When I went berry picking crazy last month and brought home 12 pounds of blackberries, I made some of them up into a blackberry sauce that will keep through the winter. This sauce can be used for lots of things like sorbets, granitas, souffles, syrups, etc. I thawed out a container of the sauce and made up some sorbet. We have the monthly whole family get together this week and if this heat continues, it'll be nice to have a light, cool sorbet for after dinner.

I, unfortunately, don't have an ice cream maker of my own. However, it pays to have foodie friends. Rookie Cookie loaned me her mother's (HenPecks) ice cream maker. Of course, Rookie has one of her own, but she claims it's all packed away in a box in the garage. (That... or she doesn't trust me with it. She was over here a month ago learning how to make croissants, and I'll bet the way she saw me beat butter with a rolling pin made her a little leary to loan me anything of value.) Anyway, I'm here to report that the machine worked just fine and the sorbet is delicious. The complex fruit base gives it a depth of flavor that leaves all the grocery store sorbets tasting flat and mass produced.


Blackberry Sorbet (adapted from Desserts by the Yard)
2 C warm Prohibition-Style Blackberry Sauce
2 Tbsp fresh orange juice
2 Tbsp light corn syrup
1 Tbsp fresh lime juice
scant 1/8 tsp salt

Make the sorbet base by stirring together the above ingredients in a large bowl. Pour it into an ice cream maker and churn according to the maker's instructions. The maker I used took about 25 minutes. When done, remove from ice cream maker and place into a freezer container. Freeze for a minimum of 4 hours before serving. This sorbet will last about 3 months in the freezer -- not that you have to worry about that. Trust me... it won't be around in 3 months.

I Collect Moose (and Mousse)

No, really, I do. I used to collect penguins, but since moving to the great American wilderness and having elk, deer, coyote, and cougar walk through my back meadow, I seem to have shifted over to admiring a different ecosystem now. I have become entranced with moose. So, now I collect them. I have moose mugs, moose Christmas decorations, stuffed toy moose (we're not talking taxidermy here like a toy poodle), carved wooden moose,... well, you get the picture.

Hint to gift-givers: If you're ever at a loss as to what to give me, you can never go wrong with a moose. Or MOUSSE for that matter. I love that, too.

Chocolate, caramel, marionberry, ginger, pumpkin, mango, and likely any other kind you could dream up. Light and rich at the same time. Smooth and satisfying. So wonderful! Some mousse recipes use raw egg; others don't. So I decided to include a recipe of each. Some mousse recipes use a ganache base; others use a straight chocolate base. So, again, in this post I'll include one of each.

White Chocolate Mousse with Sweet Berries
1 C white chocolate ganache

3 large eggs, separated - at room temperature
pinch of cream of tartar

1 Tbsp sugar
1 C heavy cream
4 C assorted fresh raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, etc.
6 macaroon cookies, crushed (for garnish)

Melt the ganache in a microwave in 30-second intervals. Don't worry if the ganache separates. It'll come back together when you add the eggs. Set aside to cool. In a separate bowl using an electric mixer on medium speed, whip the egg whites until they are frothy and large bubbles appear. Add the cream of tartar. Continue to whip until soft peaks form. The peaks should barely hold their shape. Slowly add the sugar, beating as you go. Take about 30 seconds or so to add all the sugar into the egg mixture. Whip until the mixture reaches medium peaks. Set aside. It is very important that you do NOT beat the whites until stiff peaks form. The whites will be too dry at this stage and you will not be able to fold in the remaining ingredients without losing the form of the mousse.

In a separate bowl, whip the cream until it reaches soft peak stage. Then refrigerate it while you continue with the recipe. Whisk the egg yolks by hand and pour them into the warm ganache. Stir them together. Now gently fold in the egg whites, using a wide rubber spatula. It's okay if some lumps remain. When you add the cream, they will incorporate into the mixture. Remove the whipped cream from the refrigerator and very gently fold it into the mousse mixture.

Pour the mousse into serving dishes and refrigerate for at least one hour. Just before serving, top each serving with assorted berries (I used blackberries and raspberries). Crush the macaroons and sprinkle the crumbs on top of the berries and mousse. Serve.

Chocolate Raspberry Mousse
1/3 C semi-sweet chocolate chips (or 2 oz semi-sweet solid chocolate, chopped into small pieces)
1 cup + 2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream, divided
2 tablespoons raspberry syrup
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
fresh raspberries for garnish (optional)
chocolate shavings for garnish (optional)

In a medium bowl heat the chopped chocolate, the 2 tablespoons heavy cream and the syrup in the microwave at 30 second intervals, whisking in between, until melted and smooth. Set aside.

In a large bowl combine the remaining cream, powdered sugar, almond, and vanilla extract and beat with an electric mixture until soft peaks form. Remove 1/2 cup of the whipped cream and beat it into chocolate mixture by hand until well blended. Now transfer the chocolate mixture into the remaining whipped cream and carefully fold it in until no white streaks remain.

Divide into serving dishes and chill for at least one hour. Garnish with raspberries and chocolate shavings, if desired. Makes four servings.

Zucchini's Redeeming Grace

I am not a big zucchini fan. My friends tell stories of squash gone wild. A few cute little seeds put in the ground and next thing you know: A zucchini invasion. For this reason I never plant zucchini. I simply don't like it enough to endure all the zucchini casseroles and breads responsible home gardeners everywhere have to come up with to use up what these overactive plants create.

However. However. There is one thing I love. It's a specific recipe for Chocolate Zucchini Cake that my friend Michelle introduced me to about four years ago. She says she got it from Penzey's Spices. All I know is I got it from her. Twice. The first time I tasted this cake I loved it. Seriously. It was at a church social function. I immediately went into stealth mode and stole two extra pieces. Yes, I said "stole" and "church" in the same paragraph. Glass houses, people. Glass houses and stones. That's all I've got to say about that.

I immediately requested the recipe and blissfully used it. Unfortunately I lost it a couple of years ago when we packed up and moved. This summer, as my friends began to bemoan their overabundant zucchini harvests, I began to fixate on that cake. So another lovely friend, Julie, was kind enough to give me three zucchinis. Which I promptly grated up and used to make this cake. Ahhh bliss.

Now, normally, this cake batter is topped with chocolate chips and nuts and then you put it in the oven. This is the best way to taste the essence of the zucchini that's in it. When you make this cake for the first time, I recommend you do that. This time, however, I was in a serious chocolate mood. (My youngest son moved to Florida yesterday and my daughter has been gone for a week into her own place. As you can see, I was in serious need of chocolate.) So, I decided to shake things up a little. I incorporated the chips and the walnuts into the batter and baked it. After letting the cake cool, I frosted it with my all-time favorite chocolate frosting. The cake is delicious and the flavor that is front and center is total chocolate.


Chocolate Zucchini Cake
1/2 C butter, room temperature
1/2 C vegetable oil
1 3/4 C white sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 C milk mixed with 1/4 tsp white vinegar (sour milk)
2 1/2 C all-purpose flour
4 Tbsp cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4-1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
2 C peeled and finely grated zucchini
1 C chocolate chips
1/4 C chopped nuts (optional)

Grease and flour a 9x13 baking pan. If using a glass pan, preheat oven to 325 degrees F. If using a metal pan, preheat to 350 degrees F. Mix butter, oil and sugar until well blended and creamy. Add the eggs, vanilla and sour milk. Blend well. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, baking soda, cloves, cinnamon and salt. Add to the butter mixture and stir by hand to combine. Add grated zucchini and stir well. Sprinkle the chocolate chips and nuts on top and bake for about 45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

It's All About Embellishments

I found an absolutely divine Cobbler recipe on Joy the Baker's blog. It's for Nectarine and Cream Cobbler. (My friend Sue at Hen Pecks is going to love this, since as far as she's concerned nectarines are evidence that God has never abandoned us.) I had company coming for dinner on Sunday and decided this would make the perfect dessert. However, I made a few adjustments to suit what I think is evidence that God is always near: Peaches. I'm a peach girl, much more than a nectarine girl. So I decided to substitute peaches for the nectarines. I had one remaining bag of frozen peaches from last year's harvest. However, in the interest of full disclosure, I didn't really like the consistency of the dessert with the frozen peaches. I decided to make the dish again on Monday, but this time use fresh fruit.

I ran to the store and bought a few peaches. They're not quite in season, but they were good enough. Additionally, since I have an appointment tomorrow morning to go to a 'pick your own' berry farm and get raspberries and blackberries, I needed some motivation to get me ramped up for the hard labor camp I've enrolled in. So I decided to throw in some blackberries as well. Every once in a while I have strokes of brilliance. (It worked. I am now very motivated to harvest berries by the sweat of my brow so that I can have Blackberry Souffles, Raspberry Syrup, White Chocolate Mousse with Fresh Berries and Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake in the coming month.)

The final touch, however was to use cinnamon whipped cream to really set this dish off. And it did. I knew it would as soon as I dipped my finger into the newly-whipped Nirvana to taste test it. Being the responsible baker and hostess that I am, I told my daughter to commandeer the whipped cream that very instant before I took a super-sized spoon and simply had my way with the whole bowl. I told her that no matter how hard I cried, begged, thrashed around or threatened her, she was not to give me back the bowl. Talk about good parenting gone bad. Either that girl is phenomenally obedient or she is just plain heartless. She was not moved in the least by my desperate pleas for just one more spoonful. Of course, the upside is there was enough whipped cream for everyone to enjoy on their Peaches and Blackberry Cobbler.

Cinnamon Whipped Cream
2 C heavy whipping cream
3/4 C powdered sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp vanilla

Combine all ingredients in a medium mixing bowl. With a hand mixer, whip on high speed until the cream is the desired consistency.

The Secret to Getting Teenagers to Attend Family Functions

When my children were 5, 3, and 2 (yes, be impressed), I became acquainted with a woman who amazed me. Her name was Avonell (cool name, don't ya think?) and she had 10 children. They were all grown and out of the house by the time I met her. As I lived through my bleary tired days and my interrupted nights, I wondered how in the world she had mothered 10 children and kept her sanity... not to mention her refined and classy aura. My meeting her when she was 62 years old was proof positive that young children, and even teenagers, were survivable. Whenever she spoke, I would listen. One little bit of wisdom she gave out always stuck with me: "If you want your teenagers to participate in family home evenings, family get-togethers or family meetings, make sure the food is good... and always serve dessert." Avonell had a veritable arsenal of delicious desserts that she could be counted on to bring to any church pot luck or neighborhood block party. And, lucky for me, she was willing to share recipes.

This recipe is a favorite of my children, and now my stepchildren as well. It's quick and easy because it uses a boxed cake mix. I like it because it is cool. Not as in Joe Cool, but as in temperature cool and refreshing. Because of the whipped topping frosting, any leftover cake (as if!) has to be kept in the refrigerator. Somehow, that makes it taste even more satisfying to me when I sneak a second (who are we kidding??? um... third) piece after everyone else has gone to bed.

(Sorry about the quality of the picture. It got eaten so quickly I didn't have time to snap any good pictures before it was served up.)

Heath Bar Cake
Mix together:
1 box yellow cake mix
2 C warm water
2 eggs

Add 1 small pkg instant chocolate pudding. Mix well. Grease 9x13 pan and pour mixture in it. Bake at 350 degrees F. for 35-40 minutes. Cool.

Frosting:
Mix together 1/4 cup melted butter and 1 cup powdered sugar. Fold in 8 oz whipped topping. Spread on cake. Sprinkle 3-4 crushed Heath or Skor bars over top of whipped topping mixture. Store cake in refrigerator. Hint: It helps to freeze the candy bars and then crush them with a hammer while they are still in the package.