If you want to lower the amount you spend at the grocery store each week, one sure fire way to do that is not to buy pre-packaged foods. It still surprises me how many people still buy their kids snacks for lunchboxes but this easy 3 Ingredient LCM Bars recipe is a keeper.

So what is an LCM Bar and what does the LCM stand for? I don’t think anyone really knows but as soon as you mention “LCM Bar” everyone knows that its a treat for kids made with rice bubbles (rice krispies) and somehow glued together to form a bar. They are sold in boxes and individually wrapped.

To be honest, I’ve never bought them no matter how much my kids screamed for them. I can’t justify the price for something that is so simple to make at home. I’m not saying they’re the most healthiest of treats but if you’re buying them, you might want to know how easy it is to make them. I decided to make some as an end of school holiday treat for my kids just recently.

As a comparison, a box like the above normally retails for around $4 for 6 bars, which works out to about $0.66 each. To make them yourself:

• 4 cups (or 100gm) homebrand rice bubbles – 360gm box @ $1.85 = $0.51
• 80gm homebrand butter – 500gm @ $3.00 = $0.48
• 250gm homebrand marshmallows (or make your own) = $2.45
• Total: $3.44 for 16 bars  ($0.21 each) 

To be honest, I very rarely have normal rice bubbles in the house. Not that my children are gluten intolerant but I’ve found they prefer the puffed quinoa cereal. Sure, it’s a little more expensive so it’s only bought for a treat every now and again and when the kids get sick of it, I love using it in bar recipes similar to these Peanut Butter Puffed Quinoa Bars.

So if you’re going to buy the pre-packaged LCM Bars, think twice about what it is your kids are eating and don’t forget it’s a third of the store bought price to make them at home, as a treat. Also, if you have uneaten boxes of cereal in the pantry, try using it in this recipe instead of the rice bubbles. I’ve done it with cornflakes and cocoa pops before and it works great.

Easy 3 Ingredient LCM Bars

• 4 cups rice bubbles (rice krispies)
• 80gm butter
• 250gm packet marshmallows (or make your own)
• sprinkles or chocolate chips (optional)

1. In a microwave proof bowl, melt butter for approximately 30 seconds in the microwave.
2. Add the marshmallows and heat in 30 second increments, stirring each time until marshmallows have melted and butter is combined.
3. In a mixing bowl, combine rice bubbles and melted butter/marshmallow mixture.
4. In a 20x25cm baking pan lined with baking paper, add rice bubble mixture.
5. Sprinkle on chocolate chips or sprinkles.
6. Allow to set in fridge for approximately an hour then slice into 16 (or smaller) bars.

So there you have it. When the cupboard is bare and you need a quick treat for the lunch box or afternoon snack, give these easy 3 Ingredient LCM Bars a try, in moderation of course.

No Bake White Chocolate & Marshmallow Bars

I don’t know whether I’ve just become lazy, more creative with my time or my kids are getting bored with my usual baking but I’ve become more and more reliant on no bake bars for the kid’s snacks and lunchboxes. As you know, I never go out and buy an ingredient especially for a recipe and how these bars ever came about is a mystery but believe it or not, I had a few white chocolate chips and a handful of small marshmallows in my pantry along with a packet of plain store bought biscuits. It was absolutely delicious. These kind of recipes are fantastic for using up all the leftover biscuits from the bikkie barrell.

It goes back to my point I’ve made before about being frugal with your baking and keeping a well stocked pantry so you can always make something out of nothing even when it seems like you’ve got nothing in your pantry. I always like to keep a tin of condensed milk in the pantry for times like this as well. It’s just a matter of topping up from standard pantry lists each week which helps you keep your grocery shopping budget in check and a good supply of ingredients on hand.

This recipe is not unlike any other no bake bars I’ve made before like the No Bake Orange Slice but it’s just a little bit more decadent with white chocolate chips. Any flavour chocolate chips would do well here.

Once you’ve combined the biscuit crumbs, coconut, choc chips, marshmallows, condensed milk and melted butter, press into a slice pan and chill. That’s it. So simple.

Everyone loves Mum’s cooking in this house and please note, no one licked the whisk after Willy had his turn and it was washed well.

After a couple hours (or overnight) the bar will be set and easy to cut into bars. You could drizzle melted white chocolate on top but mine didn’t last that long. With summer just around the corner, I think I’ll be relying on these no bake bars more and more.

Do you have any good no bake recipes you’d like to share?

No Bake White Chocolate & Marshmallow Bars

• 80g (3 oz) butter, melted
• 1 small can sweetened condensed milk
• 250g biscuits, crushed into crumbs
• 1 cup coconut
• white chocolate chips
• small marshmallows

1. Combine biscuit crumbs, coconut, chocolate chips and marshmallows.
2. Add condensed milk and melted butter and mix well.
3. Press into a 25x20cm slice pan lined with baking paper.
4. Refrigerate until set (approximately 2 hours or overnight).

Double Chocmallow Muffins

It’s funny how recipes just ‘evolve’ due to lack of ingredients or ingredients going off. Such was the case when I was all set to use things up in my pantry for Rocky Road Cupcakes but wasn’t sure how long the peanuts had been there until I tasted one and yep, they’d gone off. I needed something for the lunch boxes that week so omitted the nuts and decided to do muffins instead and add cocoa, chocolate chips and marshmallows so the Double Chocmallow Muffins evolved.

This is just my basic muffin recipe which is so good and so easy. I can add any flavourings to them and they always turn out.

I don’t normally ice my muffins either but I had a bit of leftover chocolate icing in the freezer (I don’t throw anything out) so thought I’d finish these muffins off with a bit of extra sweetness. Just another version to mix things up a bit. 

What’s your favourite muffin flavour or more to the point, your kid’s favourite?

Double Chocmallow Muffins

• 2 cups self raising flour
• 1/4 cup cocoa
• 1/2 cup small marshmallows
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup oil (I used Canola)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 cup milk
• 1 egg
• quantity chocolate icing (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 170 deg C.
2. Add all ingredients, mix lightly and pour into cupcake papers and bake  for 15 minutes. 
3. Makes a dozen large sized muffins, 18 cupcake sized muffins or 24 mini muffins.

Marshmallow Jam Slice

This is one of my favourites from my ‘ripped out recipe’ folder that I picked up out of one of those seasonal supermarket recipe books. You know the ones with about 5 recipes and about 25 pages of ads for the supermarket? Sometimes you’ll stumble across a good one and this is a pretty good one. It’s easy, the kids love it and if you’ve got a packet of marshmallows lurking in the pantry, great to whip up in no time.

Marshmallow Jam Slice

3 Weetbix, crushed
1/3 cup sugar
1 cup desiccated coconut
1 cup plain flour
150gm butter, melted
2/3 cup jam (I used raspberry but have used strawberry many times before)
375gm packet marshmallows

Preheat oven to 180 deg C. Line an 18 x 28cm slice tin with baking paper. Combine Weetbix, sugar, coconut, flour and add melted butter. Bake until golden brown (approx 20 mins). While still warm, spread jam onto base. Top with marshmallows and return to oven for about 5 mins or until marshmallows have just started to melt.