Swag Bars

There is a lovely place called The Swag Country Inn, in Waynesville, North Carolina.
It is a wonderful little inn, with the best hiking trails I have ever been on.  You can spend
an entire day hiking, which builds up quite an appetite.  The staff at The Swag, are not going 
to send you into The Great Smokey Mountains, without a hearty, gourmet backpack lunch.  The lunch
that they pack for you is delicious, but The Swag is famous for these dessert bars that 
everyone gets as part of their lunch.  Not only are they crunchy, chocolatey, and the perfect
end to an amazing lunch, somehow, they give you the energy to continue hiking for the rest of
the afternoon.  Usually a midday dessert would make me sluggish, and ready for a nap, but not these.  

By our 3rd stay at the inn, we knew to request a 2nd bar in our lunch pack.  It was also by that visit, that The Swag started giving out the recipe, which I was so excited to get!  

I couldn't believe how simple it was.  Of course, within 2 days of getting home with the coveted recipe, I had to try it.  Yup!  They were just as good as the ones from The Swag.  They quickly became part of my regular baking menu, and the requests from friends, family and my tennis team, came pouring in.  There is something about these bars that is addictive!  Luckily, they take less than 10 minutes to prepare, they can be made from ingredients that can be kept in the pantry for weeks, and they freeze beautifully.


Swag Bars

1 cup white sugar
2 cups peanut butter
1 8oz package of chocolate chips
1 cup white Karo syrup
6 cups crumbled corn flakes

Put sugar, syrup and peanut butter in a large heavy pan. Heat until very hot, almost to boil, and stir constantly. 

Take off stove, mix in scrunched corn flakes. Mix well. 

Press lightly into oiled pan (9x13). Sprinkle chocolate chips evenly over the top. They will melt after a while but, to speed up the process, put in a 350 degree oven for a few minutes. 

Score the bars while still hot, they are hard to cut when cool. These freeze well.