Peanut Butter Cranberry Go-Bars

[KValley]

I couldn't find a thread on this recipe- my apologies if I mis-searched!

I've been grousing about the high sugar and soy by-product content of energy bars (eg Odwalla, Luna, Thinkbar, Kashi etc), but Brendan and I have needed an easy-to-pack, healthy snack for work breaks or when I work too early in the am for a complete breakfast.

The October issue of Sunset contains the recipe below, which I tried this weekend. Flavor-wise it was a smash hit. It's really peanut-buttery (and the article gives variations that substitute cashew butter and tahini for the peanut butter; you could also use almond butter), with great crunchy and chewy textures from the nuts and dried fruit. It's just the right sweetness for me- enough to satisfy but not remotely cloying or fake tasting.

There's a chart which compares its nutritional content with some top energy bars. At first glance, it appears that the sugar content is equal to or higher than commercial bars, until you look at the size (grams) of bars.

My bars came out the right size- I had a yield of 16- but thicker than the photo below. I'd have to play around with the wet/dry ratio- I thought my dough was a bit too dry and crumbly. About 1/3 broke into pieces upon transfer from cooling rack to storage. Nice topping for yogurt. :) But the bars are softer/chewier- not a crunchy granola bar.

I think it would be a great recipe to make with and for kids.

Peanut butter cranberry go-bars Sunset October 2008
http://img.timeinc.net/recipes/i/recipes/su/08/10/peanut-butter-go-bars-su-1842397-l.jpg

Time: 1 hour, plus 30 minutes to chill. Loaded with good-for-you ingredients, these not-too-sweet bars still taste like a treat, and they'll withstand cold, heat, and being stuffed in a backpack or pocket. Natural peanut butters vary from brand to brand in terms of spreadability; we prefer Laura Scudder's Old Fashioned Nutty Peanut Butter, because it makes a moister, chewier bar.

Ingredients

* Cooking-oil spray
* 1 cup regular rolled oats
* 1/3 cup oat bran
* 3 tablespoons flax seeds
* 1 cup whole-wheat flour
* 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 cup chopped roasted salted peanuts
* 1/2 cup dried cranberries
* 1/2 cup finely chopped dried Mission figs
* 3/4 cup natural chunky peanut butter
* 1/4 cup low-fat milk
* 1 large egg
* 1/2 cup honey
* Finely shredded zest from 1 lemon
* 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Preparation

1. Line a 9- by 13-in. pan with plastic wrap, leaving an overhang on the 9-in. sides, and coat with cooking-oil spray. In a large bowl, stir together oats, oat bran, flax seeds, flour, baking powder, salt, peanuts, cranberries, and figs until well blended.

2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together peanut butter, milk, egg, honey, lemon zest, and lemon juice until well blended.

3. Add flour mixture to peanut butter mixture and beat until completely blended. Scrape dough into pan and, with wet fingers or a rubber spatula, pat to fill pan completely and evenly (dough is sticky, so you may need to wash your hands a few times). Chill dough until firm, about 30 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 300°. Invert pan onto a work surface, lift off pan, and peel off plastic. Using a bench scraper or knife, cut straight down lengthwise through middle, then crosswise to make 16 bars, each 1 1/2 in. wide. Place bars about 1 in. apart on a baking sheet lined with parchment.

5. Bake bars until lightly browned and somewhat firm to touch, about 20 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool completely.

Make ahead: Store airtight up to 2 weeks or freeze.

Note: Nutritional analysis is 65g per bar.
Nutritional Information Calories: 227 (40% from fat) Protein: 7.4g
Fat: 10g (sat 1.5) Carbohydrate: 29g Fiber: 4.1g Suguar: 14g Sodium: 160mg

Sunset, OCTOBER 2008

[Alleycat]

Thank you for sharing this. I've been on the lookout for energy bar recipes, and we love PB and cranberries in our house. I never would have thought to combine t!

[Gracie]

You may also like these posted awhile back by Linda in MO. They don't have the egg but they also don't have the flaxseed, which I'm sure you could add to these if you wanted.

These are also soft. I usually make them in a 9x9 springform pan then just cut into bars.

Banana Oat Breakfast Cookie

Instead of butter and eggs, these cinnamon-laced cookies contain peanut butter and a potassium rich banana

Nonstick cooking spray
1 large banana, mashed (1/2 cup)
1/2 cup chunky natural peanut butter (unsalted and unsweetened) or regular chunky peanut butter
1/2 cup honey
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup nonfat dry milk powder
2 tsps ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 cup dried cranberries or raisins

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly coat 2 cookie sheets w/ nonstick cooking spray; set aside. In a large bowl stir together banana, peanut butter, honey, and vanilla. In a small bowl combine oats, flour, milk, powder, cinnamon, and baking soad. Stir the oat mixture into the banana mixture until combined. Stir in dried cranberries.
2. Using a 1/4-cup measure, drop mounds of dough 3 inches apart on prepared baking sheets. With a thin spatula dipped in water, flatten and spread each mound of dough to a 2 3/4-inch round, about 1/2-inch thick.
3. Bake, one sheet at a time, for 14 to 16 minujtes or until browned. Transfer to wire racks to cool completely. Store in an airtight container or resealable plastic bag for up to three days or freeze for up to two months; thaw before serving. Makes 12 cookies.

Calories: 227
Fat: 6 g
Sat Fat: 1 g
Chol: 0 mg
Sodium: 77 mg
Carbs: 37 g
Fiber: 4 g

Recipe from BH & G heart healthy living Fall 2006

[Valerie226]

I just read my latest Sunset and marked these to try. I use Eating Well's Cherry Granola Blondies but we've eaten a lot of those and would like a change.
Have you tried any of the commercial bars they compare these to? I like Cliff and Luna. IMO Power Bars and Balance Bars are so bad that I put them in a special container to be eaten only if starvation is actually likely.

[KValley]

Gracie Thank you so much for Banana Oat Bar recipe! I will make these bars next weekend- I've got a couple of bananas in the freezer and everything else in the cupboard.


Have you tried any of the commercial bars they compare these to? I like Cliff and Luna. IMO Power Bars and Balance Bars are so bad that I put them in a special container to be eaten only if starvation is actually likely.

Valerie, I've tried Luna, Luna Sunrise, Odwalla, ThinkBar and Kashi roll bars- the soft, chewy ones (thanks to free vendor samples at work and goody bags from races). Honestly, they all make me gag- either too sweet or chemical-tasting or both. We do like the Kashi TLC -the crunchy, old-fashioned granola bars- and we've been buying those.

I should have ETA'd above to note that I used flaxseed meal (ground flaxseed) and that I used a combination of honey and agave syrup.

And now the container of bars is on a shelf high in the cupboard, because it's hard to resist noshing on the broken bits and pieces. :p

[KristiB]

I don't have a stand mixer-is the dough too thick for a hand mixer?

[Valerie226]

I should add that I use "energy bars" strictly for hiking, backpacking, biking. Individual wrap is a benefit, also how they hold up to travel, if they squash/crush/crumble/melt/get stale . I want things to taste good but the other factors figure into the mix too.

[aggie94]

Valerie, I've tried Luna, Luna Sunrise, Odwalla, ThinkBar and Kashi roll bars- the soft, chewy ones (thanks to free vendor samples at work and goody bags from races). Honestly, they all make me gag- either too sweet or chemical-tasting or both. We do like the Kashi TLC -the crunchy, old-fashioned granola bars- and we've been buying those.

Julie, have you tried Lara bars?? Emily turned me on to them, and you'll love the ingredient list - simple, short, to the point (for example, my favorite flavor, which is banana bread, lists three things: almonds, dates, unsweetened bananas, that's it). From their website:

LÄRABAR is a delicious blend of unsweetened fruits, nuts and spices - energy in its purest form. Made from 100% whole food, each flavor contains no more than six ingredients. Pure and simple, just as nature intended.

1 SERVING OF FRUIT * NO ADDED SUGAR * UNPROCESSED
RAW * NON- GMO * GLUTEN FREE * DAIRY FREE * SOY FREE
VEGAN * KOSHER

LÄRABAR REAL.
Sweet with no added sweeteners. Sustaining with no added fillers, supplements or flavorings. LÄRABAR is what your body needs - real, whole food loaded with nature's own minerals and vitamins.

LÄRABAR RIGHT.
All of the vitamins, minerals, fiber, protein, good carbohydrates and healthy fats are derived exclusively from the whole, raw food used to make LÄRABAR.

LÄRABAR RAW.
Uncooked and Unprocessed. The essential enzymes, which are necessary for the digestion and utilization of nutrients, remain completely intact in their most natural, powerful state. A diet abundant in raw, unprocessed foods is important for health and longevity.

For LÄRABAR, we source the best possible ingredients. Every time. Every bar. Enjoy.

[KristiB]

Fellow Lara bar fan here. Bora-Bora bars are the same way.

[Alleycat]

Camilla Saulsbury's Enlightened Cooking blog has a nice selection of bars too (this is a great blog, btw!).

http://enlightenedcooking.blogspot.com/2008/06/homemade-cliff-bars-no-bake.html

http://enlightenedcooking.blogspot.com/2008/02/continuing-from-yesterdays-post-i-offer.html

http://enlightenedcooking.blogspot.com/2008/02/home-made-energy-bars-part-i.html

And for you Lara Bar lovers:
http://enlightenedcooking.blogspot.com/2008/02/home-made-lara-bars-energy-bars-part-3.html

[leightx]

I also love Lara Bars (especially the Apple Pie one)! I always keep a few in the car just in case... I'll have to check out that Enlightened Cooking recipe, especially with the roasted, salted nuts. Yummm!

This is kind of embarrassing though - I've never purchased dates. In fact, I'm not even sure where to look for them. :o Are they usually with the produce, or with the dried fruits like raisins and prunes (pardon me, dried plums)?

I'll also be trying the PB Cranberry bars this week!

[Alleycat]

Leight, I've seen dates in the baking aisle and with the other dried fruits which are not always near the baking stuff (and like you, have never purchased any). Also, if you belong to BJ's, I've seen a big bag with the other dried fruits.

---------------------------------

Back to report that I made the PB Cranberry bars as well as the Banana Oat B'fast Cookies :)

I ate a whole bar AND half a cookie :o

Both are very good, but I love the lemon surprise of the PB Cranberry ones. I used raisins instead of figs (dried brown fruit is dried brown fruit, right? ;)).

And per DH's request (these are technically for him, for breakfast as we are just out of Clif bars), I added some chocolate chips to both. Excellent addition :D

My 2-year-old is looking forward to breakfast tomorrow! "Cookies, for breakfast?!" LOL

[KristiB]

This is kind of embarrassing though - I've never purchased dates. In fact, I'm not even sure where to look for them. :o Are they usually with the produce, or with the dried fruits like raisins and prunes (pardon me, dried plums)?



Safeway has them in a plastic bin in the produce section. I think Fry's does too. I also bought a tub at Costco once.

[slknight]

I used raisins instead of figs (dried brown fruit is dried brown fruit, right? ;)).

Good to know. I was considering making these and can't find dried mission figs. I haven't looked in my regular store yet, but last night I was in a specialty market and they didn't have them. That store usually has EVERYTHING, so I was kind of shocked by that.

I don't care for many energy bars because I don't really like nuts. DH eats tons of them though. And DS and I are addicted to Z-bars, which are the Cliff kids' bars.

[helene]

This looks like a really good recipe. Thanks for sharing.

[KValley]

Julie, have you tried Lara bars?? Emily turned me on to them, and you'll love the ingredient list - simple, short, to the point (for example, my favorite flavor, which is banana bread, lists three things: almonds, dates, unsweetened bananas, that's it).

Hi sweets,

You know, I have tried Lara bars but I can't remember what I thought of them :rolleyes: I will have to give them another go- they fly out of our store, so lots of fans! The sugar content is still a little high, except on the Cashew bar, but I love the unprocessed, minimal ingredient bits! As much as I love to think I'll be diligent about making my own energy bars, I'd better have a back-up :)

Dried dates - for the cheapest bet, look for them in bulk foods. You can find date pieces and buy just what you need. You could easily sub dates for figs here- probably cheaper too. Shoot, you could even use prunes.

I used about 1/2 raisins, half dried cranberries... and figs.

Kristi- I think the dough is too thick for a hand mixer- I can just hear that motor going rrhhhrrr...rrrrweerrhhhh...rrhhhrrrrr.... but honestly I'd just dig in with my hands. if you don't mind applying a little elbow grease.

[sweetpea]

I made these yesterday and they turned out great. They look just like the picture. I subbed wheat germ for the bran and left out the flax, and ended up adding 1/4-1/2 cup of AP flour after all the mixing b/c it looked too wet. That was a good decision. They were easy to cut apart and lay out and the end product is very tasty, BUT i must warn those who like sweet nutritional bars that these are none too sweet. just right, maybe could use a BIT more but my 3 y.o. DD loves them! i really like them too and they are quite addictive...
Thanks for the great recipe!