Sugar sources have been highlighted for your pleasure. A common trick of food companies, they add multiple sources of sugar so you don’t see that sugar, by weight, really is the biggest ingredient. A single bar contains 3.5tsp of sugar.
Other questionable ingredients include Artificial Flavorings, BHT & Caramel Color.
Are we still calling this a healthy snack?
Ditch your packaged bars and make these instead. Not only do you have control over the ingredients, they taste much better than traditional granola bars.
And you save money. And wasteful packaging.
Hopefully you don’t need any more convincing.
Yes, these still contain chocolate chips (I still had to get BL to choose these over regular bars), and they contain a little sugar. Not nearly as much as the packaged kind though. Your choice of liquid sweetener; I used agave but you could experiment with honey or maple syrup.
Mmm. Chewy, chocolate peanut butter granola bars. And around 100 calories per serving as well.
Wham! Bam! These are kicking those quaker bars butts.
These will keep for two weeks in the fridge. Make a pan, slice them and eat as needed. They make a pretty good on-the-go breakfast as well.
DK’s Peanut Butter Chocolate Chewy Peanut Bar
1 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup brown rice crispy cereal
1/4 cup flour
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup agave nectar (or other liquid sweetener, see above)
2 tbsp. brown sugar
3/4 tsp. vanilla extract
⅓ cup chocolate chips
1/4 tsp. salt
Preheat oven to 350°F. Combine rolled oats, flour, baking soda, brown sugar, salt and brown rice crispy cereal in a large bowl. Combine peanut butter and agave nectar in another bowl. Add the peanut butter mixture into the dry ingredients. Stir together, add the chocolate chips, and pour into a lightly-greased 8X8. Place a piece of parchment paper over the bars. Use a can or heavy object like glass measuring cup and gently beat down the mixture until it is compact and fills the pan.
Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes.
While I love all things chocolate, sometimes I’m in the mood for something a bit more light and fruity. These bars hit the spot. Close your eyes and enjoy the tropical sweetness of coconut and apricots in these flaky bars.
Not in paradise yet? Well, these squares also sneak whole wheat flour & dried fruit in. Higher in fiber than your average cookie bar, consider them the perfect dessert to get you into your tropical vacation swimwear.
… Or to enjoy with your morning coffee. I admit I ate these for both dessert & breakfast!
Combine 1 cup unbleached all purpose flour, 1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour, 1 1/2 cups rolled oats, 1/2 tsp. salt, 1 cup brown sugar, and 1 tsp. baking powder together in a large bowl.
Beat in 1 1/2 sticks Earth Balance baking sticks, cut into small pieces. This works better when the butter is at room temperature, not straight out of the fridge. Using a hand or stand mixer, beat until a crumbly dough forms.
Make an easy to lift carrier for your bars: drape aluminum foil over the ends of an 8X8 bar pan.
Spray with non-stick cooking spray (or lightly grease) and pour 1/2 of the oat mixture in.
Using your hands or the back of a spoon, gently spread the oat and flour mixture until it forms a layer on the bottom of the pan.
Mix together 1 cup apricot marmalade, 1/2 cup chopped dried apricots, and 1/3 unsweetened coconut flakes. Pour on top of the oat layer and spread until it reaches the edges.
Pour the rest of the oat mixture on top of the apricot layer and gently pat down until the crust forms.
Bake at 350°F for 35 minutes until golden brown on top.
Remove from the pan and let cool.
Cut into squares and enjoy!
I just had another one with a big cup of tea! Perfect afternoon pick me-up before I go teach kickboxing.
Combine the flours, sugar, salt, baking powder, & oats into a large bowl.
Dice the earth balance sticks and drop them into the bowl. Using a hand or stand mixer, gently beat the butter into the flour mixture until a crumb forms.
Press ½ of the oat mixture into an 8X8 square pan (either lightly sprayed or set with aluminum foil and then sprayed). Use your fingers or the back of a spoon to create an even layer.
Combine the coconut, apricot marmalade and chopped apricots. Spread onto the oat layer.
Press the rest of the oat mixture down onto the apricot layer and spread out until it covers the apricot layer.
Bake at 350 F for 35 minutes until golden brown on top.
Oh December! I wait for you every year. A whole month of parties and delicious food!?
I wish it could be like this all year.
This weekend I am participating in one of my favorite traditions… the cookie swap! My girlfriends and I meet up every Christmas with enough flour & butter to spread cheer well into the new year. Pair with wine, hot cocoa, and holiday movies (Love Actually, Home Alone, The Holiday) it doesn’t get much better. While I count down the hours until I get to bake and hang with my fav ladies, I thought this would be a perfect excuse to round-up the cookie recipes I have been eying.
I don’t know where to start!? No bake peppermint patty bars? Chocolate Peppermint Cookies? THE Christmas cookie?
It’s a good bet that I will have a sugar hang-over on Sunday. And for this special occasion, I am perfectly OK with that.
This recipe offers both a traditional and vegan version. I love the idea of dipping lemon cookies into chocolate! Fun for kids & parties.
Recipe & Photo Credit: Food Network
This week, in honor of Thanksgiving, is all about re-creating my favorite recipes. Yesterday, I introduced you to a simple re-do of my mom’s decadent penne a la vodka. Today, it’s all about the dessert.
My grandmother, my beloved MorMor, passed away this past fall and while I have a million memories from all the wonderful time we spent together, I especially remember all the fun we used to have in the kitchen. These oatmeal raisin cookies were her specialty! I remember getting them in care packages as a freshman at college. I also remember eating most of them during the weekend that I received them… what is it about fresh baked cookies?
I wanted to make a few special items to share with my Thanksgiving friends and I thought these cookies were the perfect, nontraditional choice. Of course, I lightened up the family recipe a bit and dare I say they are healthy? Oatmeal, maple syrup, applesauce, perfectly moist and no one would know they are also low-fat.
Mormor’s Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
1 1/2 cups rolled oats
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg
3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
scant 1/2 cup applesauce
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/4 + 1 tbsp. neutral oil like safflower
1 tbsp. ground flaxseed
1/2 cup raisins
Preheat oven to 375°F. In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients together until no lumps remain, taking care not to overmix.
Place spoonfuls of dough onto a lined baking sheet and cook for 8-10 minutes, until light golden brown on top. Remove from oven and let cook.
