Think Cookie: A Snack Mix Recipe that Easily Adjusts for Special Diets

This is a great way to recoup some of the calories and energy you’ve lost while hiking up a mountain, spending all day in school, or walking all the way to the sofa (bring a cup and spoon and beverage or you'll have to walk all the way back).

Or, stock up on calories for no reason other than this tastes really good and actually IS very high in fiber and carbohydrates.

This recipe can be very nutritious depending on what optional and alternative ingredients you use.

Since there is no baking or cooking required, this is a perfect recipe to make with young children — simply measuring ingredients and stirring them together is required.

A delicious 5-minute, 1-step, no-bake recipe that goes the distance, whether you're an athlete in need of carbs, a kid just home from school, or a hungry couch potato. A pre-filled, frozen snack baggie of this makes a great lunch-box treat or after-school snack, too.

Tip: To make this recipe even healthier, use artificial sweetener and reduce the amount of brown sugar that you put in the recipe.

• Oatmeal (quick or old-fashioned) — medium to large container
• Raisins — Medium-sized package
• Brown sugar (light, medium, or dark) — 1 standard baking size package
• Granulated (white or natural) sugar — Small sack
• Ground cinnamon — or stick cinnamon that you grind yourself

Optional/Interchangeable Ingredients: Be Creative!

• All-purpose flour — Small sack
• Benefiber® fiber supplement — large container
• Shelled nuts, peanuts, or seeds — make sure no-one is allergic to these, though
• Butter (optional, but recommended if refrigeration is available because it really makes the recipe taste better despite all of the additional fat and calories it adds)

Note 1: If you are using butter, soften it to room temperature first and add it before the raisins.

Note 2: This recipe will be completely dry: no wet ingredients were added (unless you chose to add butter), so don’t expect a ball of dough.

To eat this, pour or spoon the mixture into a bowl or large mug and eat it with a spoon. Water, tea, or another favorite beverage will be needed to properly complement this recipe. Note that neither soda nor citrus beverages go well with this mix (Coke, Gatorade, orange juice, lemonade, etc.).

If you’re going to make this for a party or other eat-it-now occasion, you might want to also add ½ to 2 sticks of softened butter for richer taste, but don’t add that unless you are planning on eating it all before the butter gets rancid.

At a party, you should "double-bowl" the recipe if it contains butter: using two identical bowls, fill the bottom bowl with ice cubes or crushed ice, then place the food bowl on top of it. Monitor the ice throughout the party, replacing melted ice with new as necessary.

Tip: This "double-bowl" trick works with many foods that normally require refrigeration, such as potato salad (except at a picnic on a hot day—don't risk it!).

If you leave out the butter, this recipe has a long shelf life if kept in a sealed container. I often divide the recipe and leave part for eating in the near-term (1-2 weeks) and freeze the other part in a baggie for some later date (don't forget to put the date you made the mix on the bag!).

Tip: This makes a terrific after-school and before/after sports snack!

Note: This recipe freezes very well (even with the butter), and can be stored in individual-serving snack baggies (the dieter's friend)!

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