Healthy Peanut Butter Remake For Everyone But Meredith, Who Is Still Allergic To Nuts (Hi, Meri!)

When I was a little girl, I used to go to the house of Julie--mother of Elle and Aidan of A&E Wedding Consultants, Inc.--in Ohio. I remember one visit when we made these peanut butter treats, and though I haven't made them in ages--perhaps you will surmise why in about 2 seconds--I still have the recipe memorized. Observe:

Julie and Danielle's Completely Unhealthy Childhood Peanut Butter Delight:

1 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup Karo light (in color, not calories) corn syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 cups Kellogg's cornflakes

Melt peanut butter, sugar, corn syrup, and vanilla in a saucepan until the sugar has dissolved. Mix in cornflakes. Spread onto wax paper and cool in the refrigerator until your sugary snack becomes of peanut brittle-like consistency.

So fast forward 20 years to Watertown, where the local Boston Sports Club sells peanut butter balls to restore energy post-workout. They're little balls of peanut butter, vanilla whey protein, and honey and they are to die for yummy, not to mention a total bargain at 75 cents per ball (and one ball is all you need). So this afternoon, I had this idea: what if I tried to make a Boston Sports Club healthy version of the childhood snack Julie and I created (even though I'm pretty sure we didn't create it and that it came off of the back of a cornflakes box)? So I warmed up my inventive cooking skills, took out measuring cups (a truly rare display) so could write down the recipe and not drive Julie crazy with my "Uh, just a bit of that...I don't know how much...maybe a 1/4 teaspoon, maybe a cup or maybe it wasn't olive oil but rice wine vinegar" style of cooking, and when I was done, Eric took one bite and went, "Aw yeah, that is amazing!"

So here it is, folks:

Danielle's Revision of Julie and Danielle's Completely Unhealthy Childhood Peanut Butter Delight as Inspired by Boston Sports Club and Endorsed by Eric:

1 cup unsalted peanut butter
1 cup unsweetened whey protein powder
3/4 cup agave nectar (or to taste)
1 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups Kashi 7 Whole Grain Flakes, crushed

Combine peanut butter, protein powder, agave nectar and vanilla extract until stiff dough forms. Add whole grain flakes and mix until well-blended (this will be a challenge, as the dough is very stiff). Place on wax or parchment paper and roll out until 1/4 inch thick. Slice into squares (this is a very calorie dense food, so a little goes a long way), wrap in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator, or just skip straight to the eating and enjoying part!