Grandma's Candy

Every year growing up, our family spent the day after Christmas at my grandparents' home.  I have wonderful memories of Christmas at my grandparents' house.  The little kitschy spinning tree topper that I would sit and watch for hours, waiting to open presents.  The endless games of euchre.  The cold and somewhat mysterious storeroom upstairs from which everything seemed to come.  

And, most of all, GRANDMA'S CANDY.  The candy that had to be kept cool but wasn't kept in some boring, obvious place like the refrigerator.  Grandma's candy was always kept in a secret door that led to a secret room.  Okay, I think it was just the door to their storage underneath their house, but to me it felt like a big secret (Maybe it felt like a big secret because I am still unsure of what the door leads to.  Why, after all these years, have I not bothered to find out?).  Candy that only came out on the 26th of December.  Candy that was chocolatey.  Crunchy.  Peanut-buttery.  Divine.  


Now everyone who can make the trip to my grandparents' house on the 26th of December still goes to celebrate.  Things have changed a bit, but the memories and traditions are still alive and strong.  And Grandma's Candy?  Definitely still there.  And usually kept in the same secret stash.  

I say usually because once I found it in the refrigerator.  In plain sight!  For everyone to see!  Surely this wasn't the same candy!  It completely threw me for a loop.  


So a few years back I couldn't make it to the celebration and asked my Grandma for the recipe.  Who new that it was so easy?  A few ingredients melted and mixed together, put it in the refrigerator to harden and you're done!  

Grandma's Candy

(this makes about a dozen cookie-size pieces of candy)

1 bag semi-sweet chocolate chips (11.5 oz)

1/2 to 1 cup of peanut butter (more or less depending on how much you like peanut butter)

1 1/2 to 2 cups of granola (again, depending on how you want the consistency of your candy) - Grandma used to always use Quaker 100% Natural cereal, but in recent years she's used the Kroger brand of Natural cereal.  It's just a basic granola.  Use whatever granola you like, but I wouldn't use one with a lot of added stuff in it (raisins, dried fruit, coconut, etc...).  A simple oats and honey one works best.

Okay, here you go.  I hope you all are reading closely because it's the easiest thing you'll ever make.

Melt chocolate chips.  Take off heat.  Stir in peanut butter.  Stir in granola.  Drop onto baking sheet covered with wax paper.  Put into refrigerator to harden. 

Enjoy!