Marcela Valladolid/AP
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 1/2 cups Dulce de Leche Cheerios® cereal
1 cup coarsely crushed pretzels
1 cup white vanilla baking chips (6 oz)
1 cup milk chocolate chips (6 oz)
1 cup coconut
1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated)

Directions

Heat oven to 350°F. In medium bowl, mix cracker crumbs, pecans and melted
butter. Press in bottom of ungreased 13x9-inch pan. Sprinkle cereal and pretzels over crust. Layer vanilla chips, chocolate chips and coconut over pretzels. Pour condensed milk evenly over top.

Bake 25 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool completely, about 45 minutes. For bars, cut into 5 rows by 4 rows. Store covered at room temperature. Makes 20 bars.

Marcela Valladolid was born in San Diego and raised in Tijuana. She had already started her studies in architecture at the university, when she decided to spend a school break in Baja California, working at her aunt's cooking school. It

Marcela Valladolid/AP

(Serves 8 to 10)

Nonstick cooking spray

1 cup dulce de leche or caramel sauce, warm

3 (14-ounce) cans sweetened condensed milk

1 (14-ounce) can unsweetened coconut milk

1 (14-ounce) can evaporated milk

6 large eggs

1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

½ teaspoon salt

½ cup shredded sweetened coconut, toasted

"Flan (which, I have to confess, is Spanish, not Mexican) is surprisingly easy to make. The trick is to cook it in a water bath to ensure gentle heat surrounds the custard so it won't break or curdle. There are various methods of infusing coconut flavor into a flan, but coconut milk is the easiest, giving you intense flavor and also a smooth texture. When I first made this recipe, I thought adding shredded coconut to custard would give even more flavor. It does, but it takes away from the velvety texture, so I opt to sprinkle some toasted coconut on the top instead," says Valladolid.

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a Bundt pan with

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Five healthy snacks