Hitting the Trail…Mix!
The most recent time I made the recipe in this week’s Berkshire Eagle column, I did so with my 4-year-old granddaughter, Naomi. She had great fun placing each and every peanut, raisin, and M&M, one by one, on top of the batter!
THE WORLD ACCORDING TO GORP
by Elizabeth Baer
My sister-in-law and brother-in-law decided a few years ago that they would retire to Williamsburg, VA for the winters and continue to spend their summers in Vermont. On the long drive between the two places, they often stop for an overnight with us, and when they’re coming north, they usually bring us Virginia peanuts. That big container of fresh roasted peanuts always reminds me of the first time I had gorp.
When I was in middle school, my school in Manhattan hired a teacher named Ted Rockwell who started an outdoor education program. One of the first excursions he planned was a weeklong hiking trip somewhere in New Jersey. This city kid who had never really hiked much in her life decided she wanted to go, and among the packages of provisions that were distributed among our backpacks were many bags of gorp, something I had never seen before.
Before people started calling it trail mix, gorp, an acronym for “good old raisins and peanuts,” described exactly what it was. Although raisins and peanuts are great together, Mr. Rockwell sweetened the deal with the addition of M&Ms.
Long days of hiking make you hungry, especially when you’ve never really done much of it before. I ate a ton of gorp and other hike-worthy foods I had never tried. I came home asking my mom to buy Velveeta and the ingredients to make gorp.
I took one bite of Velveeta at home and realized there are certain things that taste amazing only when you’re really hungry. The gorp was another story, and became a frequent addition to my school lunches. Reminiscing about these outdoor trips and looking at the large container of Virginia peanuts, I decide to create gorp bars, kind of like a blondie studded with raisins, peanuts, and M&Ms.
GORP BARS
Makes one 9-by-13-inch pan, or for thicker bars one 9-by-9-inch pan
INGREDIENTS:
1 cup light brown sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
Pinch salt
1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter
1 egg
2-4 tablespoons salted, roasted peanuts (not dry roasted)
2-4 tablespoons raisins (golden preferred)
2-4 tablespoons plain M&Ms
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350°F and line a 9-by-13-inch pan with parchment, allowing it to overhang on the two long sides. You can also use a 9-by-9-inch pan for thicker bars. If so, be mindful of the adjustments below.
Place the brown sugar in a heat-safe bowl or large (8-cup) measuring cup. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a separate bowl and mix lightly with a fork.
Place the butter in a small saucepan, preferably with a light-colored bottom so you can see the color change better. Over medium heat, melt the butter and allow to cook while whisking constantly until it becomes light brown and smells nutty. Keep a close eye on it as the butter can turn from brown to burned in seconds. Pour the melted browned butter in with the brown sugar.
Whisk the butter and brown sugar together until well combined. Add the egg and whisk vigorously until it becomes smooth and lightens a bit. Add the dry ingredients and use a rubber spatula to mix thoroughly. This will be closer to a thick dough than a loose batter.
Place the dough into the parchment-lined pan. It can be helpful to use binder clips or something similar to keep the parchment from sliding around. Spread the dough out to an even layer in the pan as much as possible. Remove the binder clips. Scatter the peanuts, raisins, and M&Ms on top and press gently into the dough. If using a 9-by-9-inch pan, use the lower amount of toppings, i.e., 2 tablespoons of each. Of course no one will complain if you add more!
Bake for 20 minutes if suing a 9-by-13-inch pan, or for 25-30 minutes in a 9-by-9-inch pan. The bars should no longer jiggle in the center when the pan is moved.
Remove the pan to a rack. Allow to cool fully then use the parchment overhang to lift out of the pan (using a thin knife in any spots along the edges that stick). Cut into desired portion size.