And you thought cereal was meant solely for the breakfast bowl ...

We recently invited Sunday News readers to share favorite recipes that use cereals as ingredients in dishes that might be served as appetizers, sides, entrees, snacks or desserts.

Our Lancaster County cooks responded with almost three dozen creative contributions.

From Cheerio Eggs to salad croutons made with Corn Flakes to Fruit Pebbles Yabba-Dabba-Doo Squares, these recipes prove cereal's versatility.

In the word's of the Kellogg's Frosted Flakes mascot Tony the Tiger: "They're grrreat!"

What's in the eggs?

Bernadine R. Lucas, of Lancaster, submitted a breakfast recipe that mixes General Foods' Cheerios and eggs.

"The finished egg will look like a sunny pancake," she noted, "and tastes absolutely delicious — honest!"

She said the dish was introduced to her family by her dad. "We still use it today," she said, "and friends and family all have added it to their breakfast menus ..."

CHEERIO EGGS

• 1 pat butter

• 2 eggs

• 2 tablespoons milk

• Salt and pepper, to taste

• Cheerios

Melt butter in a small fry pan. Scramble eggs; add milk, salt and pepper. Pour eggs into pan and, after a minute, sprinkle Cheerios on the top. Flip the egg over and continue to cook.

Kochenberger's Branburgers

"I think this recipe is very old," wrote Rose Kochenberger, of Lancaster. "I know it sounds VERY odd, but it is actually very delicious! It was given to me many years ago by my mother-in-law, because it is one of my husband's favorite meals from his childhood. My mother-in-law told me she originally got this from the back of a Raisin Bran cereal box.

"This is great comfort food served alongside some mashed potatoes!"

BRANBURGERS

• 1 pound ground beef

• ½ cup crushed Raisin Bran cereal

• 1 teaspoon sale

• dash pepper

• ½ cup milk

• 1 egg

Sauce:

• ½ cup chopped onions

• 1 cup ketchup

• ¼ cup cider vinegar

• ¼ cup water

• 2 tablespoons brown sugar

• 1 tablespoon yellow mustard

Mix hamburger mixture, and form into 4 patties. Brown on both sides in skillet. Remove from pan. Sauté onions; add remaining sauce ingredients, and heat through.

Return patties to pan with sauce, and simmer until patties are cooked through. ENJOY!!

A family favorite

"I received this recipe from my husband's Aunt Sallie Ruffner, who is 94 years old and a resident at Brethren Village," wrote Darlene F. Kreider, of Quarryville.

"This recipe is a favorite at family gatherings and church covered dishes."

CARAMEL RICE KRISPIES

• 1 cup butter or margarine

• 1 (14-ounce) package caramels

• 6 cups Rice Krispies

Melt butter in large saucepan over low heat. Add the caramels, which, of course, have been unwrapped.

Continue to stir until completely melted. Remove from heat.

Add the Rice Krispies and stir until well-coated.

Press into a 9x13-inch pan. I use the butter paper to press the mixture evenly into the pan.

Cool; cut into squares. Delicious!

Cookies with K

Salunga resident Bea Grosh submitted this recipe, which, she said, was given to her by a friend (who is now deceased), from Salem, Ore. "She referred to white chocolate as 'almond bark,' despite the absence of almonds!" Grosh wrote.

ALMOND BARK COOKIES

• 1 pound white chocolate (the type used for dipping or candy-making)

• 4 tablespoons chunky peanut butter

• 6 to 8 ounces (or about ½ of a small box of Special K cereal (or generic version)

Break white chocolate into small pieces and melt in a double boiler or microwave, following melting instructions on the package.

Stir in peanut butter. Mix in Special K. Drop tablespoon-sized portions onto a pan lined with wax paper.

Cool in the fridge or freezer until hard (usually within about 15 minutes), and then remove from the wax paper.

Cereal... kissed with coconut

Retired school cafeteria worker Vera McCauley, of Drumore, said she cut this recipe from a magazine — "maybe Good Housekeeping" — a long time ago.

COCONUT KISSES

• 2 egg whites, stiffly beaten

• 1 cup brown sugar (or white granulated sugar)

• 2 cups Corn Flakes

• ½ cup chopped walnuts

• 1 cup moist shredded coconut

• ½ teaspoon vanilla

Beat egg whites and sugar; fold in Corn Flakes, nuts and coconut; add vanilla. Drop from teaspoon onto well-greased cookie sheet. Bake in moderate oven at 350 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes. Remove cookies immediately with spatula.

Makes 1½ dozen cookies.

Cheerios for a treat

This recipe is one of Tammy Sweigart's favorites. The Reinholds resident said she got it from a "Dutch-Way Employee Cookbook."

CHEERIOS TREATS

• 3 tablespoons margarine

• ½ cup peanut butter

• 5 cups Cheerios

• 1 (10½-ounce) package or 6 cups miniature marshmallows

• Miniature M&M baking chips

Grease 13x9-inch baking pan. Melt margarine in saucepan on low heat. Add marshmallows and peanut butter. Stir until marshmallows are melted and mixture is smooth. Remove from heat. Add Cheerios. Spread in pan. Sprinkle top with miniature M&M baking chips. Allow to cool; cut into bars.

'Scotch!

Marilyn E. Rowan, of Willow Street, said, "This no-bake recipe is truly a winner!" She found the recipe on a Nestlé Butterscotch Morsels package.

SCOTCH CRISPIES

• 1 (12-ounce) package Nestlé Butterscotch Morsels

• 1 cup peanut butter

• 6 cups Rice Krispies

Melt butterscotch morsels and peanut butter in microwave for 1 minute (or melt over hot, not boiling, water.) Stir until morsels melt and mixture is smooth. Transfer butterscotch mixture to large bowl. Add rice cereal; mix well. Press mixture into foil-lined 13x9x2-inch pan. Chill in refrigerator until firm (about 1 hour). Cut into 48 (1½-inch) squares.

• What's different from the recipe above is the cereal ingredient. This uses Corn Flakes. The same recipe, with different names, was submitted. Sue Otthofer, of Lancaster, calls it No-Bake Butterscotch Corn Flake Cookies; Catherine Smythe, of Columbia, calls it Butterscotch Morsel Candies. We are publishing Otthofer's version, which is a double batch to Smythe's.

NO-BAKE BUTTERSCOTCH CORN FLAKE COOKIES

• 1 cup peanut butter

• 1 (11-ounce bag) butterscotch chips

• 7 cups Corn Flakes

Put peanut butter and butterscotch chips in large bowl. Microwave on high 2 minutes. Stir. Microwave 1 more minute. Stir until smooth and creamy. Stir in the Corn Flakes until coated. Be careful not to crush them.

Take 2 cookie sheets (lined with wax paper for easy cleanup). Spread mixture all over cookie sheets. Put in refrigerator for 15 minutes. Break apart and enjoy. (Can be made into separate cookies by placing rounded teaspoonfuls on cookie sheet instead of entire mixture).

"My grandmother, Anne Bare, used to make these very easy, no-bake cookies," Otthofer wrote. "They have to be the easiest and fastest cookies to make. They are so good, too!

"Whenever I take these cookies anywhere, people always want the recipe. They are a bit like eating popcorn. Ya just can't quit!"

• Virginia Weaver, of Lititz, said she isn't sure where she got the following recipe, but she's been making it for years, "especially at Christmas time, sharing it with loved ones and friends."

SCOTCHEROOS

• 1 cup granulated sugar

• 1 cup King Syrup

• 1 cup peanut butter (smooth)

• 6 cups Rice Krispies

• 1 (6-ounce) package chocolate bits

• 1 (6-ounce) package butterscotch bits

Heat sugar and syrup in saucepan over moderate heat until mixture begins to boil.

Remove from heat and stir in peanut butter. Mix it with the Rice Krispies. Press into a buttered 13x9-inch pan. Melt the chocolate and butterscotch bits in double boiler and spread over the mixture. Cut into squares.

Special K Cookies

"This recipe is not an original. I got it from the Kellogg's Co. when, many years ago, my children were growing up," said Florence G. Mellinger, of Quarryville. "I wrote to them asking for recipes for cookies, which made use of many of their cereals.

"I received a number, but this was our favorite and continues to be that today."

SPECIAL K COOKIES

• 1 cup sifted flour

• ½ teaspoon baking soda

• ½ teaspoon salt

• ½ cup soft butter or margarine

• ²⁄3 cup sugar

• 1 teaspoon vanilla

• 1 egg

• 3 cups Kellogg's Special K cereal, slightly crushed

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Sift together flour, baking soda and salt.

In a separate bowl, blend butter, sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy.

Add egg; beat well. Stir in sifted dry ingredients, as well as 1 cup of the Special K.

Using 1 teaspoon each, form cookie dough into balls and roll into remaining crushed Special K cereal until well-coated.

Bake on ungreased baking sheet for about 10 minutes or until golden brown.n

Sue's specials

Sue Blow, of Lititz, submitted these four very diverse recipes, each using a cereal product as an ingredient.

The first, Salad Croutons, is from the book "Kellogg's Corn Flakes Cereal Recipe Collection," circa 1995.

SALAD CROUTONS

• 5 cups Kellogg's Corn Flakes

• 3 tablespoons light margarine, melted

• 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning

• ½ teaspoon onion salt

• ¼ teaspoon pepper

• 3 tablespoons Parmesan cheese

• Vegetable cooking spray

Place Corn Flakes cereal in large mixing bowl. Combine margarine, Italian seasoning, onion, salt and pepper. Drizzle margarine mixture over cereal, tossing gently to coat cereal evenly. Sprinkle with cheese. Place in 13x9x2-inch baking pan coated with cooking spray.

Bake at 250 degrees for about 10 minutes or until crisp and cereal starts to brown. Cool completely and store in airtight container.

• Blow said her guess is that the following recipe, from a box of Post Fruity Pebbles cereal, has been in her repertoire "since sometime in the 1990s."

YABBA-DABBA-DOO SQUARES

• ¼ cup margarine

• 1 (10½-ounce) package miniature marshmallows

• 6 cups Post Fruity Pebbles

Microwave directions: Heat margarine uncovered in large microwavable bowl on high for 45 seconds or until melted. Add marshmallows; toss to coat. Cook uncovered 1 minute or until marshmallows are smooth when stirred. Add cereal; toss to coat. Press mixture firmly into greased 13x9-inch pan. Cut into squares. Store in cool place.

Makes 24 squares.

• The original recipe for these Peanut Butter Nibbles, Blow noted, was published in a booklet, "Chex Party Mixes, Snacks & Candies" around 1980. "I add peanuts and M&M's when I make it," she said. "I use paper towels as 'absorbent paper' to cool."

PEANUT BUTTER NIBBLES

• ½ cup smooth peanut butter

• 3 tablespoons butter or margarine

• ¼ teaspoon salt

• 3 cups Rice Chex cereal

• 3 cups Wheat Chex cereal

• ½ cup raisins

• 1 cup peanuts

• 1 cup plain M&M's

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Heat peanut butter with butter or margarine in 13x9x2-inch baking pan in oven until shiny and soft (about 5 minutes). Remove. Stir in salt until mixture is smooth. Add Chex mix until all pieces are coated. Heat in oven 1 hour. Stir every 15 minutes. Add raisins.

Spread on absorbent paper to cool. Add peanuts and M&M's.

• "I do not know the original source for this recipe," Blow wrote. "I copied it from a book my grandmother had, many years ago."

SALTED PEANUT CHEWS

Base:

• 1 package Pillsbury Plus yellow cake mix

• ¹⁄3 cup margarine or butter, softened

• 1 egg

• 3 cups mini-marshmallows

Topping:

• ²⁄3 cup corn syrup

• ¼ cup margarine or butter

• 2 teaspoons vanilla

• 1 (12-ounce) package (2 cups) peanut butter chips

• 2 cups crisp rice cereal

• 2 cups salted peanuts

Heat oven to 350 degrees. In large bowl, combine all base ingredients except marshmallows at low speed until crumbly. Press in bottom of ungreased 13x9-inch pan.

Bake at 350 degrees for 12 to 18 minutes or until light golden brown. Remove from oven and immediately sprinkle with marshmallows. Return to oven for 1 to 2 minutes, or until marshmallows just begin to puff.

Cool while preparing topping.

In large saucepan, heat corn syrup, margarine, vanilla and chips, just until chips are melted and mixture is smooth, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, stir in cereal and nuts. Immediately spoon warm topping over marshmallows; spread to cover.

Chill; cut into bars.

Victoria's vittles

The following three recipes, each featuring cereal as an ingredient, were contributed by Victoria Lowe, of Lititz.

CRISPIX NUT CRUNCH

• 1 cup brown sugar

• ½ cup butter

• ¼ cup light corn syrup

• ½ teaspoon salt

• ½ teaspoon baking soda

• 6 cups Crispix cereal

• 1 cup raisins (or to your liking)

• 1 cup peanuts

Cook sugar, butter and corn syrup until bubbly, for 2 minutes; remove from heat.

Stir in salt and baking soda.

Pour over mixture of cereal, raisins and peanuts. Spread in large greased pan.

Bake at 250 degrees for 15 minutes.

CHOCOLATE CANDY

• 1 (12-ounce) bag chocolate chips

• 2 cups Rice Krispies cereal

• 2 tablespoons peanut butter

Melt chocolate chips in a medium-sized saucepan.

Add Rice Krispies. Add peanut butter until melted.

Fill up candy paper cups or drop by teaspoon onto wax paper.

RIBBON CRISPIES

• ½ cup butter, cubed

• 2 (7-ounce) jars marshmallow creme

• 11 cups Rice Krispies cereal

• 1½ cups peanut butter

• 1 cup hot fudge ice cream topping, warmed

In a large saucepan, melt butter over medium-low heat. Stir in the marshmallow creme until smooth. Remove from the heat.

Stir in cereal until blended. Press half of the mixture into a greased 15x10x1-inch pan.

Spread with peanut butter. Carefully spread with hot fudge topping.

Press the remaining cereal mixture over fudge layer (pan will be full).

Cool for 10 minutes before cutting.

Makes 3 dozen.

(From Quick Cooking magazine)

Having a ball

"This recipe has been in my family at least 40 years," said Kitty Wagner, of Mount Joy, about the following recipe for Date Nut Balls. "I usually only make them at Christmas time." She also included a recipe for a candy, Peanut Butter Krispie Balls.

DATE NUT BALLS

• 2 cups Rice Krispies

• ¼ cup finely chopped nuts (I prefer walnuts)

• ¼ pound butter

• 1 cup brown sugar

• 1 cup chopped dates

• 1 egg

Finely chopped coconut, optional

Put Rice Krispies and nuts in a bowl. Put sugar, butter, dates, egg in a saucepan, stirring constantly over medium heat for 10 minutes. Pour over cereal and nuts; mix well. Roll into small balls. At this point you may roll in finely chopped coconut, if desired. Place on wax paper-lined cookie sheet and chill.

PEANUT BUTTER KRISPIE BALLS

• 2 cups creamy peanut butter (I use Jif)

• ½ cup butter

• 4 cups confectioners' sugar

• 3 cups Rice Krispies

• 1 (24-ounce) bag semisweet chocolate chips

• ¼ cup Crisco

Cook over medium-low heat in small saucepan; add peanut buttter and butter and stir until smooth. Remove from heat.

In a large bowl, combine confectioners' sugar and cereal; mix well. Roll into 1-inch balls; place on waxed paper-lined cookie sheets. Refrigerate until chilled.

In a pan over simmering hot water, melt chocolate chips and Crisco. Dip balls in chocolate; allow excess to drip off. Return to wax paper-lined cookie sheets. Refrigerate until set.

Sweet and savory

Jana Martin, of Lititz, shared a dessert and a side dish. The first, she said, is a "delightful afterschool or bedtime snack."

CORN FLAKE CANDY

• 1 cup Karo (white corn syrup)

• 1 cup sugar

• 12 ounces creamy peanut butter

• 6 cups Corn Flakes

Mix corn syrup and sugar together; bring to a boil. Remove from heat. Add peanut butter. Stir together corn syrup/sugar mixture and the peanut butter. Add Corn Flakes. Stir until well-blended. Spread wax paper on cookie sheet and drop cereal mixture by tablespoonfuls. Shape slightly. Let cool and serve.

• And, with dinner:

GOURMET POTATOES

• 6 medium potatoes

• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (divided)

• ¼ cup melted butter

• 1½ cups sour cream

• 1 teaspoon onion powder (or chopped onion, to your taste)

• ¹⁄8 teaspoon pepper

• ½ teaspoon salt (optional)

• Paprika, to taste

Topping:

• 3 tablespoons butter, melted

• ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese

• 2 cups Corn Flakes, crushed

Cook potatoes in skin and chill.

Peel, then shred potatoes. Add melted butter, sour cream, shredded cheese, onion powder, pepper and salt.

Stir together until well-blended. Sprinkle with paprika.

Mix together the topping ingredients and spread evenly over top of potato casserole. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

So good, it Hurst's

Carol Hurst, of Lititz, uses cereal in each of the following recipes.

The Barbecued Meat Balls comes from "Family Favorites" cookbook.

The Puppy Chow recipe is from a Lititz Area Mennonite School cookbook. Her mother, Irene Haller, gave her the Cereal Crunch recipe.

BARBECUED MEAT BALLS

• 1 pound ground beef

• 1 egg

• 1 cup Rice Krispies

• 1 teaspoon salt

• ¼ teaspoon pepper

• 1 tablespoon finely chopped onion

• 3 tablespoons brown sugar

• ¼ cup ketchup

• ¹⁄8 teaspoon nutmeg

• 1 teaspoon dry mustard

Combine beef, egg, Rice Krispies, salt, pepper and onion. Mix well.

Mix together sugar, ketchup, nutmeg and dry mustard. Add to meat mixture.

Makes 6 meatballs.

Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

PUPPY CHOW

• 11 cups Crispix cereal

• ½ cup butter

• 1 cup peanut butter

• 1 cup chocolate chips

• 4 cups confectioners' sugar

Put cereal in large bowl.

Melt the butter, peanut butter and chocolate chips together and pour over cereal. Coat well.

Put confectioners' sugar in large bag and add cereal.

Shake until well-coated.

CEREAL CRUNCH

• 1 cup molasses

• ½ cup peanut butter

• 4 cups Corn Flakes ( lightly crushed)

• 1 cup Rice Krispies

• 1 cup Puffed Wheat

Heat molasses and peanut butter together until melted and mixed well. Pour over cereal.

Mix well.

Press into 8x8-inch pan.

What's for dinner?

Lancaster resident Lynne Sheaffer wrote that she's made the following two recipes for many years. She's a cook at McCaskey High School and, she said, "[I] take pride in reading a recipe and making it my own."

SUPREME POTATO CASSEROLE

• 1 (32-ounce) package slightly thawed hash brown potatoes

• ½ cup chopped onion

• 2 cups shredded cheddar or sharp cheese

• 1 can cream of chicken soup

• 1 pint sour cream

• ½ cup melted butter

• 3 cups crushed Corn Flakes

Combine first 5 ingredients and ¼ cup of the butter. Place in greased 9x13-inch pan. Mix remaining butter with Corn Flakes crumbs and sprinkle over top. Bake uncovered at 325 degrees for 1 hour.

BBQ MINI MEATLOAVES

• 2 pounds ground beef

• ½ pound cheddar cheese

• 1 cup Corn Flakes

• ½ cup milk

• 2 eggs

• ¼ cup chopped onion

• ½ cup ketchup

Mix all together. Make 6 small loaves. Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

Sauce:

• ½ cup ketchup

• ¼ cup brown sugar

• ¼ cup mustard

• 2 tablespoons vinegar

Garnish:

• Corn Flakes

• Cheddar cheese, shredded

Start basting the meatloaves halfway through cooking time (15 minutes). Near the end, throw a few Corn Flakes on each meatloaf. Also top with a few ounces of shredded cheddar cheese.n

Yummy!

The source for this cereal-ingredient recipe — submitted by Joy Heisey, of Lancaster — is the "Lancaster County Cookbook" by L. Stoltzfus and J. Mast, published in 1993 by Good Books, Intercourse.

YUMMY CRUNCH BARS

Bars:

• ½ cup butter or margarine

• ¾ cup sugar

• 2 eggs

• 1 teaspoon vanilla

• ¾ cup flour

• ¼ teaspoon baking powder

• ½ cup chopped nuts (optional)

• 2½ cups miniature marshmallows

Topping:

• 1 cup chocolate chips, semisweet

• 1½ cups Rice Krispies

• 1 cup peanut butter

To prepare bars, cream together butter and sugar. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Combine flour and baking powder. Add dry ingredients to creamed ingredients and mix well. Fold in nuts. Spread mixture into a greased 9x13-inch baking pan.

Bake at 300 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from oven and place marshmallows evenly on top. Return to oven for 2 minutes. Allow to cool 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare topping by melting chocolate chips in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in peanut butter and Rice Krispies.

Spread topping over bars and refrigerate. These bars are easier to cut after they have been refrigerated.

Cut into desired-size bars and enjoy.

• Feed the mind, feed the body: That was Deborah Marko's approach when she first starting making the following dessert.

The Lancaster resident spied the "Cheerios Counting Book" at at local book store. Around the same time, she wrote, she saw this recipe in a magazine. Her activity for a "Math Night" at Price Elementary School included reading the book, giving the students cups of Cheerios for counting exercises and then eating this snack.

NO-BAKE BARS

• 4 cups Cheerios

• 2 cups dry roasted peanuts

• 2 cups crisp rice cereal

• 2 cups M&M's

Combine the above ingredients. Set aside.

• 1 cup light corn syrup

• 1 cup sugar

• 1½ cups creamy peanut butter

• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Bring corn syrup and sugar to a boil. Remove from heat. Stir in peanut butter and vanilla. Pour over cereal mixture. Toss to coat evenly. Spread into greased 15x10-inch pan. Cool. Cut into bars.

Delicious desserts

Here are some more exciting ways to include breakfast cereals in desserts.

The first was submitted by Kathleen Radcliffe, of Lancaster. She calls it a pie crust; but it holds ice cream!

RICE KRISPIE PIE CRUST

• ¼ cup corn syrup

• 2 tablespoons firmly packed brown sugar

• 3 tablespoons butter or margarine

• 2½ cups Rice Krispies

Stir together corn syrup, brown sugar and butter in saucepan.

Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally until mixture begins to boil. Remove from heat.

Add Rice Krispies and mix until well-coated. Press evenly into 9-inch pie pan. Chill.

Filling:

Ice cream (your favorite), softened

Fill pie crust with softened ice cream and freeze.

Fudge Sauce Topping:

• ¼ cup peanut butter

• ¼ cup fudge sauce for ice cream

• 3 tablespoons corn syrup

Mix topping ingredients together. Set aside until ready to serve; then, heat sauce. Drizzle hot fudge sauce over top of ice cream right before serving.

• Mary Sinclair, of Mountville, wrote that she received the following recipe from Judy Zodet, the mother of a child her daughter Nikki went to school with at E.R. Martin Elementary in the early '80s. "This is a refreshing summer dessert," Sinclair wrote. "It sounds complicated, but it's not."

FOUR-LAYER LEMON DESSERT

Layer 1:

• 2 cups flour

• 2 sticks margarine

• 1 cup Rice Krispies, plus extra for final step in recipe

Mix flour, margarine and 1 cup Rice Krispies and pat in bottom of 13x9-inch pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Layer 2:

• 8 ounces, plus 3 ounces, cream cheese (softened)

• 1 cup confectioners' sugar

• 1 cup Cool Whip (from large container)

Stir together until smooth.

Spread over Layer 1 when cooled.

Layer 3:

• 2 (3-ounce) packages lemon instant pudding

• 3 cups milk

Mix and pour on top of Layer 2.

Layer 4:

Remainder of 1 large container Cool Whip

Spread over Layer 3. Take reserved Rice Krispies and crush; sprinkle over top.

Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.

• Pat Ruth, of Willow Street, said this cookie recipe came from a friend, who originally found it in a magazine.

CRUNCHY JUMBLE COOKIES

• 2½ cups all-purpose flour

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• ½ teaspoon salt

• 1 cup butter (can use ½ butter, ½ Crisco)

• 2 cups sugar

• 2 eggs

• 2 teaspoons vanilla

• 4 cups Rice Krispies

• 12 ounces chocolate chips

Sift first 3 ingredients. Set aside.

Beat softened butter and sugar until well-blended.

Add eggs and vanilla; beat well.

Add dry ingredients; mix well.

Stir in cereal and chocolate chips. Drop by spoonfuls, or Pampered Chef scoop, onto lightly greased sheets or parchment paper. Bake at 350 degrees for about 12 minutes.

Makes about 7 dozen cookies.

Muffin magic

A cook at the former Presbyterian Homes in Mount Joy, the late Barbara Bell, shared this recipe with Margaret A. Shuman, of Elizabethtown.

RAISIN BRAN MUFFINS

• 2 cups Bisquick

• 1 cup Kellogg's Raisin Bran

• 3 tablespoons brown sugar

• 3 tablespoons melted butter

• ²⁄3 cup milk

Combine Bisquick, Raisin Bran and sugar. Add milk and butter. Drop on cookie sheet. Bake at 425 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes.