Minnesota State Fair first place Malt-O-Meal® recipe contest winner Alice Seuffert wowed the judges with her creative entry. This young working mother combined Malt-O-Meal Cinnamon Toasters® and stuffing mix, then wrapped it in a pork tenderloin. She titled it French Toast Stuffed Pork. Alice says that when you make this recipe, your house smells like French toast and Thanksgiving all in one!

Second place honors went to Connie Sandler. Connie’s “no bake” entry features fresh dates and just 5 total ingredients. That’s a sweetly easy creation.

Coming in third was April Weinreich with a wholesome and delicious take on cranberries.  She used Malt-O-Meal Honey and Oat Blenders®, cranberries, honey and orange zest among other ingredients to make Honey Oat Cranberry Bread.

Minnesota State Fair Winning Recipes:

Alice Seuffert, 1st Place, Minnesota State Fair

French Toast Stuffed Pork

Ingredients:

1 box of chicken stuffing mix (6 ounces)

2 cups of Malt-O-Meal® Cinnamon Toasters®

1/4 cup butter

2 cups of water

1/3 cups of chopped walnuts

1 pork tenderloin (Bourbon Maple, 27.2 ounce package)

1/2 cup of brown sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

Maple syrup (for dipping)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375.  Mix stuffing, Cinnamon Toasters, butter and water in a covered microwave safe dish. Heat for 5 minutes. Once done heating add walnuts and set aside.

Remove pork tenderloin from package and cut lengthwise but do not go all the way through. Pound tenderloin flat. Mix brown sugar and cinnamon together.  Rub tenderloin with brown sugar and cinnamon mixture. Stuff tenderloin with stuffing mixture.  Wrap aluminum foil tightly around tenderloin. Wrap an additional layer of foil around tenderloin and bake in the oven on a cookie sheet for 1 hour. Remove from oven and let sit for 10 minutes then slice.  Serve with Maple Syrup.

Connie Sandler, Golden Valley, 2nd Place, Minnesota State Fair

Golden Date Balls

2 1/2 cups Malt-O-Meal® Golden Puffs®

1/2 lb chopped dates

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

1/2 tsp vanilla

Powdered sugar

Whirl Malt-O-Meal Golden Puffs in a food processor to crush cereal. In a small saucepan, combine dates and butter; cook over low heat until mixture is mushy, about 5 minutes.  Remove from heat. Stir in cereal and vanilla. Roll into small balls while mixture is still warm. Roll balls into powder sugar.

Makes 3 1/2 to 4 dozen balls.

April Weinrich, Wahlcon, MN, 3rd Place, Minnesota State Fair

Malt-O-Meal® Honey Oat Cranberry Bread

Ingredients:

2 teaspoons salt

1 egg

3 tablespoons butter or margarine

1/4 cup buttermilk powder

2 tablespoons of honey

1 tablespoon orange zest

1 1/3 cups warm water

2- 2 1/2 cups bread flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

2 1/2 cups Malt-O-Meal Honey Oat Blenders® cereal

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1 package instant dry yeast

Directions:

Place in bread machine in order suggested by manufacturer. Set bread machine on dough setting. Add more water or flour if necessary, may need to re-start the machine for extra kneading time.  After dough cycle is complete, remove dough from bread machine and shape into 2 loaves or braids. Let rise until double and bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until done. Drizzle with icing if desired.

The Make It With Malt-O-Meal® recipe contest at the 2010 Illinois State Fair on August 20, 2010 was a chocolate lover’s paradise!  All three winning recipes contained Malt-O-Meal Cocoa Dyno-Bites® as an ingredient, and all three are sure to satisfy even the most persistent chocolate craving.

Jone Schumacher took the first place honors with her decadent Cocoa Peanut Butter Bites.  Jone, a grandmother to seven, credits a family favorite recipe for her success. She dressed it up by making it “more chocolately and chewy.” She thinks these attributes were the winning elements of her recipe.

Second place went to Jeanette Malafa who created Cocoa Dyno-Bite Bars with cereal, marshmallow fluff, peanut butter and chocolate chips. The magic ingredient in this recipe is the quick and easy foundation of brownie mix, over which the other ingredients are layered.

Coming in third was Linda Cifuentes with an innovative take on S’mores. Using Coca Dyno-Bites and marshmallows, graham crackers and peanut butter chips alongside other ingredients, Linda created a bar recipes that reminded judges of the timeless campfire favorite.

Illinois State Fair

Winning Recipes:

Jone Schumacher, First Place, Illinois State Fair

Cocoa Peanut Butter Bites

1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup light karo syrup1 cup smooth peanut butter
6 cups Malt-O-Meal® Cocoa Dyno-Bites®
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup peanut butter chips
1/2 additional cup Cocoa Dyno-Bites1/3 cup finely chopped peanuts
Cooking spray

Directions:

Spray large mixing bowl with cooking spray. Place 6 cups of Malt-O-Meal Cocoa Dyno-Bites® in the mixing bowl. In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar and syrup and bring to boil over medium heat; stir in the peanut butter. Pour sugar mixture into the cereal and stir until well mixed. Spray cup cake pans with cooking spray and spoon to place 1/4 cup cereal mixture in each cup, filling each cup about 1/2 full. Repeat to make 3 dozen cookies. If needed, use a fork to remove cookies after set a minute and place on a tray to reuse the cup cake pan. Combine the chips and microwave on high for 30 minutes, and then stir. Heat additionally as needed until melted, stir until smooth. Use a small dipper or tablespoon to put a small amount of melted chocolate on top of each cookie. Sprinkle on 1/4 teaspoon chopped peanuts and heaping 1/4 teaspoon Cocoa Dyno-Bites on top and press slightly into the chocolate. Place in the refrigerator to set chocolate.

OR, use this simpler method: press cereal mixture into prepared 9 x 13 pan. Spread with the melted chocolate and toppings as directed for the individual cookies.

Jeanette Malafa, Second Place, Illinois State Fair

Cocoa Dyno-Bites® Bars

Ingredients:1 box of brownie mix ( + normal ingredients for making mix; egg, oil, etc.)
1 cup marshmallow fluff
1/2 cup salted peanuts, coarsely chopped
2 cups Malt-O-Meal® Cocoa Dyno-Bites cereal
2/3 cup creamy peanut butter
1 1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 9″ square pan with foil, then grease foil on bottom. Make and bake brownies as directed on box. Cool completely.

Frost brownies with marshmallow fluff. Sprinkle peanuts on top. Refrigerate while making the cereal topping.

Melt peanut butter and chocolate chips in a saucepan over low heat. Add cereal and mix until well covered, spread over frosted brownies. Refrigerate 1 hour or until set before cutting. Store tightly covered at room temperature or in the refrigerator.

Linda Cifuentes, Third Place, Illinois State Fair

Peanut Butter S’more Dyno-Bites

Ingredients and Directions:
Combine these two ingredients in a small bowl and press in a sprayed 13x 9 baking dish:
1 1/2 cups graham crackers; crushed
1/2 cup butter, melted

Top with these items, in the order listed:
1 can condensed milk
1 1/2 Malt-O-Meal® Cocoa Dyno-Bites®
2 cups mini marshmallows1 cup peanut butter chips
1/2 cup chocolate chunk pieces

Place in preheated 350 oven for 30 minutes. Cool on rack then cut into bars.

The Washington County Fair in Pittsburgh, PA was a sweet event for the Make It With Malt-O-Meal® Recipe Contest! All three winners made delectable desserts that are sure to please even the most discerning sweet-tooth!

Mark Loar took home the blue ribbon for his twist on S’mores, called Easy Cocoa Dyno-Balls. Family campfires inspired these simple and scrumptious morsels. “These are a huge hit around the holidays and family get-togethers” Mark shares.

Second place winner Kathy Redick didn’t consider herself much of a baker until she entered the Make It With Malt-O-Meal® competition this year. This first time entrant took home the red ribbon for her Malt-O Yummy Treats. A local cookie exchange sparked her recipe idea. Her family gladly helped with taste-testing.

Blueberry Muffin Tops® Pops were the third prize winning creation from Bonnie Mortimer. Bonnie is a long-time fair competitor who enjoys entering contests with her whole family (who are huge fans of this recipe)!

Mark Loar, Kathy Redick and Bonnie Mortimer showing off their winning ribbons.

Washington County Fair Winning Recipes:

Mark Loar, First Place, Washington County Fair
Easy Cocoa Dyno-Balls

Ingredients:
8 cups Malt-O-Meal® Cocoa Dyno-Bites®
1 10oz. bag of coconut marshmallows
1/2 stick butter
1 tsp. vanilla

Directions:
Heat Butter, vanilla and marshmallows. Pour over Cocoa Dyno-Bites; mix well. Butter your hands and form mixture into balls. Place on wax paper lined platter. Great for holidays or parties!

Kathy Redick, Second Place, Washington County Fair
Malt-O Yummy Treats

Ingredients:
1 cup white sugar
2 sticks of butter
1 tsp vanilla
6 milk chocolate bars
1 cup chopped cashews
6 cups malt-o-meal Cinnamon Toasters® cereal
cooking spray

Before Mixing Ingredients:
1. Foil line a 13 x 18 in. cookie sheet with a lip. Spray the foil with cooking spray and set aside.
2. Fill bottom of cookie sheet with 6 cups Malt-O-Meal® Cinnamon Toasters cereal.
3. Unwrap 6 milk chocolate bars and set aside.
4. Chop 1 cup of cashews to fine consistency and set aside.

Directions:
In a heavy 3 quart sauce pan, dissolve 1 cup of white sugar in 2 sticks of butter and bring to a boil. Cook for two minutes longer. Remove from heat and add in vanilla, stir carefully, and pour the boiling mixture over the Malt-O-Meal Cinnamon Toasters cereal. Do not stir.
Place in the oven and cook at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Use oven mitts as you don’t want bubbling sugar to get on your skin.  Take tray out of the oven and chocolate to melt enough to spread with spatula. Use spatula and spread chocolate all across the mixture. While chocolate is still soft, sprinkle the cup of cashews on top of the chocolate.
Put entire pan in the refrigerator until firm (about 45 minutes). Take out of the fridge and remove from pan, peel foil away from solid treat and break into pieces about 1 inch each. Place in airtight container and store in cool place or eat and enjoy!

Bonnie Mortimer, Third Place, Washington County Fair
Blueberry Muffin Tops® Pops

Ingredients:
3 cups crushed Malt-O-Meal® Blueberry Muffin Tops® Cereal
40 lollipop sticks
40 large marshmallows
1 lb. bag of white chocolate candy melts
15 drops blueberry candy oil

Directions:
Crush Blueberry Muffin Tops cereal and set aside. Put lollipop sticks into the marshmallows and set aside. Melt the candy melts and add the blueberry candy oil, dip the marshmallows into the melted candy and the roll in the crushed cereal. Place on wax paper to dry.

As fall unfolds and kids go back to school, parents are often given an extra dose of eco-consciousness. With the emphasis that schools place on helping children become good stewards of the world around them, kids, in turn, often remind their parents of how important it is to do things like reduce, reuse, recycle and “Upcycle.”

Wait a minute, “Upcycle?” Yes! At schools across the country, a company called TerraCycle^TM is offering students the chance to turn in empty consumer packages instead of throwing them out. TerraCycle then “upcycles” and recycles these items into eco-friendly products ranging from pencil cases to umbrellas.

Malt-O-Meal Company is back to school as well, proudly beginning the second year of its partnership with TerraCycle. In over 2500 schools (and counting!) kids can turn in their family’s empty Malt-O-Meal® cereal bags to be “upcycled” or recycled by TerraCycle.  Each participating school’s “Cereal Bag Brigade^TM” then receives 2¢ per bag from TerraCycle!

Best yet, Malt-O-Meal cereal bags already result in 75% less packaging* than boxed brands. For each bag that’s “upcycled”, that number jumps to 100%!  Join a Brigade^TM today!

Want to learn more about what Malt-O-Meal is doing to reduce packaging waste? Click here!

Malt-O-Meal® cereal bags can be "upcycled" to reduce packaging waste even more!

*75% less packaging based on the net weight of empty consumer packaging per pound of cereal delivered. Even when their box size is smaller, the net weight of their box and empty inner bag is still greater than the net weight of the larger Malt-O-Meal® bag when empty.