Make Easy Cereal Kakimochi–It’s a Quick Snack

I should put “kakimochi” in quotes. Because our recipe isn’t the real thing, but a simpler interpretation, made with rice cereal.

Kakimochi, also called arare, is a sweet and savory Japanese snack cracker. In Hawaii, an easy version is made from rice cereal squares (Rice Chex). Like Chex mixes, there are many variations.

My recipe is an old one from my mom, but I’ve cut back drastically on the soy sauce and sugar, and introduced some sriracha for a little heat.

Kakimochi

• 8 cups bite-size toasted rice cereal squares (such as Rice Chex)
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon naturally brewed soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon sriracha (optional)
• ¼ cup dry-roasted, unsalted peanuts (optional)

Heat oven to 250° F.

Spread cereal out onto rimmed 9- X 13-inch baking sheet. In a small pot, combine remaining ingredients except peanuts. Heat over low heat, stirring until butter melts and sugar dissolves.

Drizzle soy sauce mixture over cereal and using clean hands, toss until soy sauce mixture is well distributed.

Spread cereal evenly in pan and bake about 1 hour or until crisp, stirring every 15 minutes. Remove from oven, stir in peanuts and cool on baking sheet. Store in airtight container.

Makes 8 cups.

More Snack Ideas

I try to give the grandkids fairly healthy snacks. Most often, I make a grilled cheese panini or a peanut butter sandwich and serve it with apple wedges and a glass of milk.

Here are some other snack ideas your grandkids might like. You can make most of them with children as young as three, with supervision.

The nice thing about a snack you make together is that it keeps kids occupied, so it has both entertainment value and solves the universal question: I’m hungry, grandma, what is there to eat?

• Homemade Pizza–make this super-easy, food processor pizza from scratch in minutes; kids love rolling out the dough.
• No-Bake Peanut Butter Cereal Bars–this simple and healthy recipe is from dietitian Elizabeth Ward.
• Chichi Dango–chewy and mildly sweet, this dessert is gluten free.
• Banana Pops–a snack of frozen bananas and chocolate is always a winner.
• Banana Bread–serve a slice with milk for an afternoon pick-me-up.
• Deviled Eggs–even preschoolers can make these for their own snack, with just a little adult supervision.

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