In 1922, a box of Washburn’s Whole Wheat Flakes (later known as General Mills’ Wheaties) called it “A Perfect Food; Ready to Eat.” Post Toasties dubbed itself a “4 Star Breakfast Treat,” combining flavor, nourishment, vitamins and “economy” in one box. More than anything, these cereals promised ease for the American housewife. She could make her life more convenient while still nurturing and providing for her family. And the idea was catching.

Anyone who bought two boxes of Corn Flakes would receive the Funny Jungleland Moving Pictures Booklet, a colorful book of animal illustrations, either from their grocer or through a mail-in order. The campaign persisted for a whopping 23 years—Kellog’s had discovered that children could be just as valuable of a market as their parents, and soon competitors were following suit. By the middle of the 20th century, especially in the post-war years, advertisers were catering to children and teenagers as a distinct and profitable demographic. With radios, and then televisions, in the household, products could be advertised to them directly, which they in turn requested by name.

But Post beat Kellogg to the wider market with his ready-to-eat Grape Nuts, developed in 1897. On this box (apparently made in the US but marketed to an English audience), Post claimed that consumers would get more “nourishment from 1 pound of Grape Nuts than from 10 lbs of MEAT, WHEAT, OATS OR BREAD.” Another advertisement from 1903 promised that Grape Nuts were the key to kicking your liquor habit. These claims were largely accepted since, unlike other more straightforward cereals, no one knew what the hell a Grape Nut was. “Grape Nuts was people eating advertising,” Carin Gendell, senior brand manager in the 1980s, told The Wall Street Journal.

By 1906, Will Kellogg had pried the rights to both Corn Flakes and the Kellogg name from his brother, following a dispute over ingredients—namely, Will’s desire to add sugar to their original recipe. The first boxes of Kellogg’s Corn Flakes were surprisingly simple, and their campaign focused on flavor (honestly, not all that much has changed in the last 100 years). They promised flakes “deliciously flavored with sugar, malt and salt,” and so “delicious, and distinctive in flavor” that children would beg for it. But there were no screeds about health benefits, perhaps because Kellogg didn’t need to advertise; at that point, their nutritionally-minded reputation preceded them. Kellogg also focused on ensuring customers bought the “genuine” product, as numerous competitors with their own corn flake cereals began to crop up.

At this point, Americans were buying cereal because they were intrigued by notorious figures like Kellogg—it was, first and foremost, a popular curiosity. To achieve real legitimacy, the industry still had to wage a war on two fronts. The first, against competitors; the second against the deeply entrenched idea of what really constituted a hearty American breakfast. It was one thing to have a product on the shelves, but another entirely to make consumers see it as a daily necessity. Many package designs, then, focused on the completeness of a bowl of cereal; how, Fannie Farmer be damned, this one box contained everything you needed. To be fair, there had been earlier innovations in porridge, such as Granula, “The Cereal You Have To Soak Overnight,” but that catchy tagline didn’t exactly communicate convenience. Then, in 1895, C.W. Post, a former patient at the Battle Creek Sanitarium, became so impressed with Kellogg’s grain experimentation that he founded his very own cereal company. His creation was Postum, a “cereal beverage intended to replace coffee in the morning,” explains Tony Shurman, General Manager of Post Foods. Early ads warned consumers of the “evils of caffeine,” assuring them that their children would benefit from a steady diet of Postum in its place.

“In 1949, Sugar Crisp had the distinction of being the first cereal to have an animated television commercial,” says Shurman. It featured three bears—Handy, Dandy and Candy—though years later, the cereal’s mascot would change to the affable Sugar Bear. It was also one of the first cereals to come substantially pre-sweetened, though Shurman explains that’s just because technology finally caught up to what everyone was already doing at home—dumping sugar on their grain flakes. With this new development, you didn’t even need milk. Sugar Crisp boasted “It’s fun to eat plain—right out of the package!” Even without their mascot, Sugar Crisp demonstrated how advertising was switching gears from focusing on parents to focusing on kids. “Ask your mom to get a package of our favorite cereal, Post Sugar Crisp,” says Roy Rogers in this ad at the end of his TV show. Original box designs, advertisements, and supplementary nutritional inserts were geared toward adult concerns like health, cost, and convenience—nobody saw the value of marketing to children. That changed in 1909, when Kellogg’s introduced the first-ever cereal box prize aimed at younger demographics.

Other brands were deploying the same techniques, with Kellogg introducing Corn Pops in 1950 and Frosted Flakes in 1952, and General Mills unveiling Trix in 1954. Early boxes of Corn Pops made sure consumers knew about these new developments, emphasizing “Pre-sweetened” and “No sugar needed.” Many of these new flavors also came with their own cartoon mascots, though they were more likely to grace kids’ TV screens than the boxes of cereal themselves. TV was where the kids could get hooked, with Tony the Tiger (debuted in 1952), the Trix rabbit (1959) and Sonny the Cuckoo bird (1962). They didn’t care what the box looked like yet, as long as what was in it was what the mascots were telling them to eat. The boxes were still aimed at parents, concerned more about the health of their child than the cartoons they wouldn’t shut up about. This box of Cocoa Puffs from the late 1950s still highlights that it’s a corn cereal, as does this 1964 box of Trix, even though the rabbit was there, too. And Lucky Charms’ original box advertises the “goodness in toasted oat cereal.” They didn’t even coat the oat bits in sugar until 1967.

Cereal consumption was going strong; cereal was so ubiquitous that it no longer had to sell itself as “a perfect food.” There was a range of different markets, and brands were beginning to diversify. Cereal could appeal to kids by being sweet and colorful, like Cocoa Pebbles or Sir Grapefellow, and include toys, giveaways, and games right on the box. Children were told not just about the sugary taste, but the figurines they could win, the sweepstakes they could enter, or the athletes and celebrities who graced the box. The ad copy may have told parents about its vitamin content, but that information was increasingly obscured by other advertising campaigns and flashy designs. A 1971 box of Cap’n Crunch doesn’t even say what it’s made of, just that it “stays crunchy even in milk.” Cereal had to be as fun as the mascots made it look in the ads, and sometimes even the healthy cereals couldn’t resist getting in on the promotions. For a while, you could send away to Cheerios for Confederate money.

Healthy cereals seemed to double down on their efforts to convince consumers they were full of vitamins, protein, fiber, or whatever else they were seeking. Sugar Crisp was renamed Golden Crisp. Kellogg’s and General Mills both introduced granola cereals as more interesting and flavorful alternatives to the grain flakes and puffs that had dominated the healthy cereal market. In the early 1970s, Cheerios let consumers know that it was made of “the grain highest in protein,” and in 1977 Wheaties proclaimed that it provided 25% of your daily vitamin needs, while continuing its long association with sports. In 1984 they had their first female athlete on the box, and by 1986 they had their first NFL player, a huge jump from the golfers and Olympians of the past. The End of an Era
By the 1970s and 1980s, our belief that a bowl of cereal—any cereal—could suffice as a complete breakfast began to crack. Sugar that had once been a selling point was increasingly vilified as a dietary enemy. Then, in 1972 Dr. Atkins and others began preaching the dangers of carbohydrates, and low-carb diets became increasingly popular. Suddenly, those grains weren’t looking so healthy anymore. We had ceased to believe that a bowl of Grape Nuts could cure your alcoholism, or that a bowl of Lucky Charms had enough oats in it to counteract all those marshmallows.

This spread is unbelievable. just so perfectly thick, smooth, sweet and creamy. it melts perfectly on hot toast over a layer of crunchy almond butter, tastes delicious drizzled across a bowl of sliced banana & juicy berries and works a treat eaten straight out of the jar with a spoon!
ingredients
• 380g roasted hazelnuts
• 5 tablespoons maple syrup
• 4 tablespoons date syrup
• 3 tablespoons cacao powder
method
1. bake the hazelnuts at 180c, fan setting for about 10 minutes, then take them out of the oven and allow them to cool. i like to remove the skins, but you can leave this bit out if you don’t have time.
2. once cool, place the hazelnuts into a food processor and pulse for about 10 minutes, until totally broken down. keep blending until a runny hazelnut butter forms, then pour this into a bowl.
3. slowly pour in the maple syrup and date syrup, stirring continuously to combine. then do the same with the cacao powder, adding one spoonful at a time, until a you have a thick, creamy spread.

ingredients
230g desiccated coconut
6 tablespoons of maple syrup
200g dark chocolate
method
Place 200g of the desiccated coconut and maple syrup into a powerful food processor and blend until the mixture becomes a slightly liquidy substance, this can take up to 8 minutes of blending time. When the mixture is right, it will hold together when you press it in your hands.
Place a large pan over a medium heat and add the rest of the desiccated coconut. Cook for a few minutes, stirring continuously, until golden. At this point, remove from the heat and pour into the mixing bowl with the rest of the mixture.
Mix really well to ensure everything is evenly distributed in the mix.
Spoon equal amounts of the mixture into 4x 60g moulds and press down firmly. The bites that we make are quite big, so if you don’t have moulds or you would like to make them a little smaller, you can simply roll them into small balls using your hands and place them onto a plate.
Melt half of the chocolate in a pan over a low heat, ensuring the chocolate does not burn. Pour the over the coconut bites and place in the freezer to set for at least an hour. If you have made them into little balls, simply drizzle them in the chocolate and place in the freezer.
Once the chocolate has set, remove the bites from the freezer and melt the rest of the chocolate. Pour the melted chocolate over the other side of the bites (or balls) and place back in the fridge to set.

Divan celebrates World Chocolate Day with special praline chocolates
Divan Patisseries, which have been serving under the umbrella of Divan Group for more than 60 years, celebrate the 7th of July World Chocolate Day with their special chocolate varieties. Divan Patisserie celebrates World Chocolate Day with praline chocolates prepared by talented chefs. Divan Patisserie invites those who want to get full of chocolate on a day celebrated with great enthusiasm all over the world. Divan Patisserie, the first name that comes to mind when it comes to chocolate, will offer its delicious chocolates with a 15% discount today. Handmade praline chocolates, reinterpreted with Divan quality, stand out with their stylishly designed boxes. The dark chocolate, which leaves a soft and sharp taste on the palate, and the praline chocolate varieties prepared without adding sugar, madlen chocolates, delicious dragees, Divan’s indispensable flavor, slate chocolates, Origin Tablets prepared with cocoa beans carefully selected from different corners of the world are available at Divan Patisseries. possible.

Blend 200 g boiled chickpeas with 1 tablespoon peanut butter, 1 teaspoon tahini, ½ teaspoon baking powder. It can reach the consistency of dough within 2 minutes. Then add 50 grams of chocolate drops, mix and form a cookie. Bake in the oven for about 15 minutes at 180 degrees.

It is also seen in 2018 food and beverage trends that Middle Eastern cuisine will enter more menus all over the world next year, and of course, falafel and hummus made from chickpea flour will add to its reputation. On the one hand, we will meet with unfamiliar uses of chickpeas.

Nowadays, the shelves of supermarkets, especially in America, are full of innovative chickpea snacks. These include ready-made hummus packages flavored with vegetables such as spinach and beetroot, popped chickpea kernels, baked and spiced chickpea chips, gluten-free and protein-filled cookies and crackers made from chickpea flour. Offering many different snacks by baking or frying chickpeas, the brand named Chickpeatos has recently released a product that can replace bread crumbs from chickpeas. It seems that we will see chickpeas on the shelves in many different ways.

There is also the “Aquafaba” type. This is the water in which we cook dried legumes like chickpeas (Aqua: Water Faba: Legume). If you are using ready-made boiled chickpea products, you may want to consider the water in the can. Our elders do not throw out the legume water, they always use it when baking cakes and pastries, and of course they know something. When we whisk this water at high speed, its consistency is very similar to the foam state after whisking the egg white. Chickpea juice, which is used in desserts such as Pavlova and mereng, offers an excellent alternative for those who are allergic to egg white, eat vegan and do not prefer to consume eggs.

Ingredients
100g smooth and creamy peanut butter
100g pitted Medjool dates
100g crushed peanuts
100g dark chocolate
method
Place the peanut butter and dates into a powerful blender and blend until a smooth, thick paste forms.
Using a large tablespoon, spoon out equal amounts of the mixture and roll into balls using your hands, the mixture should make 6 balls. Place the balls into a lined loaf tin before placing in the freezer for at least 1 hour.
After 1 hour, break the chocolate up into pieces and place it into a pan over a low heat, mixing with a wooden spoon every so often to ensure it doesn’t burn. Once melted, mix through the crushed peanuts.
Remove the balls from the freezer and roll each in the melted chocolate and crushed peanut mixture. Place the balls back in the fridge or freezer until set.
These peanut butter chocolate bites are the perfect little treat to enjoy when you’re in need of a chocolate fix. made with only 4 ingredients, they couldn’t be more simple to make and taste delicious with the sweet peanut middle and crunchy chocolate coated outside.

Ingredients
25g coconut oil
90g coconut sugar
100g plain flour, we use gluten-free flour
1 teaspoon of baking powder
35ml almond milk
60g dark chocolate chips
A pinch of sea salt
method
Preheat the oven to 190C (375F), fan setting.
Melt the coconut oil over a low heat, ensuring it never comes to the boil or else it’ll taste burnt. Once melted, remove from the heat and leave to cool a little – you want it to reach room temperature, but still be in liquid form.
In a large bowl, mix the coconut sugar, flour, baking powder and salt, until there are no lumps.
Pour in the almond milk and cooled coconut oil and mix well until a thick mixture forms – I find it easiest to do this part by hand
Add in the chocolate chips, and bring the cookie dough together using your hands. We really recommend using your hands for this part, it works a lot better than using spoons or mixers in this recipe.
Shape the dough into six balls.
Place the balls onto a baking tray. Space them out evenly across the baking tray, leaving at least 3cm between each ball (as they will expand).
Bake for 10 minutes until golden.
Once cooked, leave the cookies to cool for at least 5 minutes – during this time they will harden.
gooey in the middle, a little crunchy on the outside with big chunks of melted chocolate. really easy, really speedy, completely delicious. can’t wait to hear what you think.

Ingredients
3 ripe bananas (300g)
2 carrots
6 tablespoons of almond milk
3 tablespoons of melted coconut oil
250g plain flour
200g coconut sugar
1 teaspoon bicarb
1 teaspoon baking powder
90g dark chocolate chips or raisins
For the topping (optional)
1 small bar of dark chocolate, melted
1 tablespoon of flaked almonds
method
Preheat the oven 190C, fan setting. Line a 12-hole muffin tray with 12 muffin cases.
Peel the bananas, place into a large mixing bowl and mash with a fork until smooth. Peel and grate the carrots into the bowl and mix well. Add the almond milk and melted coconut oil and mix well until a smooth mixture forms.
Cook for 25 minutes until the muffins have risen and are cooked through. If not, place back in the oven for 5-10 minutes until cooked through.
For topping; we like to melt a small bar of dark chocolate and drizzle it over the top, before sprinkling with flaked almonds.
these banana & chocolate muffins are the perfect mid-afternoon snack. they’re soft, sweet and deliciously chocolatey thanks to the dark chocolate chips. if you want to turn them into the perfect breakfast muffin you can swap the chocolate chips for raisins and add a pinch of cinnamon.

So in 90 bajillion degree Cebu, Philippines, back in fateful 2012, yes I WAS trying to bake chocolate chip cookies. In true Pinch of Yum must-have-the-food-now style, it made 0% rational sense. I had butter that was literally melted from sitting out on the counter for, like, three seconds, I had NO brown sugar, and I added a little too much extra flour. I proceeded to bake the accidental cookies in my oven which I had to start by lighting a FIRE with a MATCH inside of it and which had NO TEMPERATURE MARKINGS other than the numbers 1-5. I am laughing out loud over here – howwww did I do anything?
WHAT MAKES THEM THE BEST
I’ve always loved that old Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe, but I’ve always kind of been annoyed about it, too. Like why does it need to melt only half of the butter? Does it really not work to melt ALL of it? And why does it need the spoonful of brown sugar? Or does it? Sheesh, how annoying is the person who wrote that recipe anyway?

All the good cookie eaters of the world!

We were made for such a time as this.

These cookies are soft, thick, bricks of chocolate chunks and buttery dough baked into a heavy, milk-loving cookie that is my most favorite chocolate chip cookie of all time. ♡

Wait, though. They are singing a love song to you: BAKE ME.

BAKE ME IN YOUR OVEN RIGHT NOW.
HOW THESE COOKIES CAME TO BE
A loooong time ago, when we were living in the Philippines, I accidentally discovered my new favorite way to make cookies. The recipe is many many years old, but if you like to creep, they can be located here.

And let me just take a moment to acknowledge that seriously without fail – everything good that I make is always inspired by haphazard accidents, including but not limited to broken refrigerators and lacking ingredients and my really strong tendency towards laziness. Everything including these cookies and all their iterations.

Gooey in the middle, a little crunchy on the outside with big chunks of melted chocolate. really easy, really speedy, completely delicious. can’t wait to hear what you think.

ingredients
25g coconut oil
90g coconut sugar
100g plain flour, we use gluten-free flour
1 teaspoon of baking powder
35ml almond milk
60g dark chocolate chips
a pinch of sea salt
method
preheat the oven to 190c (375f), fan setting.
melt the coconut oil over a low heat, ensuring it never comes to the boil or else it’ll taste burnt. once melted, remove from the heat and leave to cool a little – you want it to reach room temperature, but still be in liquid form.
in a large bowl, mix the coconut sugar, flour, baking powder and salt, until there are no lumps.
pour in the almond milk and cooled coconut oil and mix well until a thick mixture forms – i find it easiest to do this part by hand
add in the chocolate chips, and bring the cookie dough together using your hands. we really recommend using your hands for this part, it works a lot better than using spoons or mixers in this recipe.
shape the dough into six balls.
place the balls onto a baking tray. space them out evenly across the baking tray, leaving at least 3cm between each ball (as they will expand).
bake for 10 minutes until golden.
once cooked, leave the cookies to cool for at least 5 minutes – during this time they will harden.

With the whisk attachment, turn the stand mixer to low and beat for 2 minutes. Increase the speed to high and whip until the marshmallows double to triple in size and are fluffy and white, about 10-15 minutes.
When the marshmallows are full and white and fluffy, use your buttered spatula to help pour them into the prepared 8×8 pan. Smooth out with the buttered offset spatula and lightly dust the tops with powdered sugar. Let cure in the pan for 3-6 hours.
Remove the marshmallows from the pan and place on an icing sugar dusting cutting board. Lightly butter a 1 inch round cutter and cut out snowmen heads.
Dust with powdered sugar and use melted orange candy melts and dark chocolate to pipe on eyes, mouths, and noses. Let set then enjoy as is or in hot chocolate!
1 tbsp gelatin 1 envelope
1 cup sugar
2 tbsp corn syrup
1 pinch salt
1/4 tsp mint extract
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup candy melts orange
1/4 cup dark chocolate

We’re always trying to eat a little better around here. Right? Maybe.

But there is one thing that I love more than anything in the world – yep – going there, and that is a really good, thick, soft, chocolate chip cookie with a glass of milk.

Today, tonight, whenever it is, if you’re going to eat a cookie, please make it count.

Please make it a soft, hugely huge and always soft, and buttery and chocolate chippy and perfectly soft (did I already say that?) chocolate chip cookie that will take your life to the next level.
I replicated the ULTRA THICK, ULTRA SOFT texture (it called for bold, right?) and maybe even improved the flavor with this version that is similar, but way easier and more sensible than the original.

And by sensible, I mean… just… like, lazy sensible, okay? I don’t mean THAT kind of sensible. You might need to start looking for another blog if you need your cookies to be sensible.

There is nothing sensible about this beautiful sugar and butter perfection.

This spread is unbelievable. just so perfectly thick, smooth, sweet and creamy. it melts perfectly on hot toast over a layer of crunchy almond butter, tastes delicious drizzled across a bowl of sliced banana & juicy berries and works a treat eaten straight out of the jar with a spoon!
ingredients
• 380g roasted hazelnuts
• 5 tablespoons maple syrup
• 4 tablespoons date syrup
• 3 tablespoons cacao powder
method
1. bake the hazelnuts at 180c, fan setting for about 10 minutes, then take them out of the oven and allow them to cool. i like to remove the skins, but you can leave this bit out if you don’t have time.
2. once cool, place the hazelnuts into a food processor and pulse for about 10 minutes, until totally broken down. keep blending until a runny hazelnut butter forms, then pour this into a bowl.
3. slowly pour in the maple syrup and date syrup, stirring continuously to combine. then do the same with the cacao powder, adding one spoonful at a time, until a you have a thick, creamy spread.

Oatmeal Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookies
I’d like to introduce you to my new favorite cookie. I’m not trying to reinvent the wheel here…. I’m just trying to coax good cookies out of my oven.
These cookies are soft and hearty. I like using old fashioned oats because they add all sorts of body to the cookie dough. It’s also nice to use the best chocolate you can get your hands on. It just makes life better. These cookies bake up soft, slightly chewy, with a depth of sweetness and a hint of spice. They’re sort of my version of a granola bar… but really, I know better. Yum. Seriously.

Putting chunks of dough in the oven? Also a great idea.
Yea… I was on a good idea roll.
The best idea ever? Putting these warm cookies in my mouth and calling it dinner. Excellent.
Just thought I would share my good ideas with you. Yea… I’m kind of a show off.

This is the ultimate chocolate tart. a thin base made from crushed almonds, coconut, dates and cacao is covered in a rich, velvety cacao butter filling.

ingredients
For the base
100g ground almonds
100g desiccated coconut
16 pitted medjool dates
1 heaped tablespoon of cacao powder
1 tablespoon of melted coconut oil
For the filling
440g cacao butter
12 tablespoons of cacao powder
6 tablespoons of maple syrup
10 tablespoons of date syrup
50ml almond milk
Method
Simply place all the base ingredients into a food processor.
Pulse until a crumbly mixture forms.
Pour the base mixture into a lined cake tin and press down hard.
Leave in the freezer to set for 10 minutes.
Place all of the filling ingredients into a small pan over a low heat and stir until melted, ensuring not to bring it to the boil.
Once everything has melted, pour the filling over the base layer.
Place back in the fridge to set for 1-2 hours.

Gooey in the middle, a little crunchy on the outside with big chunks of melted chocolate. really easy, really speedy, completely delicious. can’t wait to hear what you think.

ingredients
25g coconut oil
90g coconut sugar
100g plain flour, we use gluten-free flour
1 teaspoon of baking powder
35ml almond milk
60g dark chocolate chips
a pinch of sea salt
method
preheat the oven to 190c (375f), fan setting.
melt the coconut oil over a low heat, ensuring it never comes to the boil or else it’ll taste burnt. once melted, remove from the heat and leave to cool a little – you want it to reach room temperature, but still be in liquid form.
in a large bowl, mix the coconut sugar, flour, baking powder and salt, until there are no lumps.
pour in the almond milk and cooled coconut oil and mix well until a thick mixture forms – i find it easiest to do this part by hand
add in the chocolate chips, and bring the cookie dough together using your hands. we really recommend using your hands for this part, it works a lot better than using spoons or mixers in this recipe.
shape the dough into six balls.

Almond Chocolate Chip: Use sliced almonds and mini chocolate chips, or blitz whole almonds and chocolate chips in the food processor before using.

Season the steak: Season the steak liberally with the seasoning mix (about 3/4 teaspoon per side).

Preheat your grill to 450°F for high heat grilling.

Grill the packet and the steak: Once the grill is hot, transfer the veggie packet and the steak to the grill. Grill over steak over high, direct heat. After 4 minutes, flip the steak and grill for 5 to 7 additional minutes.

This will finish cooking the steak to about a medium to medium-rare temperature and soften the veggies. Remove both the foil packet and the steak from the grill and let cool for a few minutes.

To prevent your shrimp from sticking to the grill, rub the hot grill grates with oil right before you add the shrimp.
Grill shrimp over direct heat, or if you’re using a gas grill, medium-high to high heat (375°F-450°F).
For large shrimp, you only need about two minutes per side for nice and juicy shrimp.