Energy Bars

I loved the idea of these bars but am always looking to reduce the glycemic load of treats. Given how others commented on wanting to reduce sugar and eliminate gluten, I'm pleased to share my experiment that turned out quite well. I used 2 T of maple syrup and added 2 T of hazelnut butter, swapped out the wheat flour for almond flour, and reduced the dried fruit by 1/2 C making up the difference with a mixture of pumpkin and sunflower seeds. Very tasty and just sweet enough!

Within 10 mins of baking this began to burn. I’d advise either using a lower oven temp or less cooking time (the 10 mins held together quite well).

Worse than the use of foil, in my opinion is tge use of cooking spray..completely unnecessary item to keep around..apastry brush and sunflower oil to brush the pan as all you need..

I made these for something to do on a rainy day. They turned out well and I really liked having them around for a snack. People have such high expectations for everything these days. No these energy bars won’t change your life. Keep an eye on the oven after 20 minutes and do whatever you want with the spray. I thought they were enjoyable to make and eat, and they looked pretty with all the colorful dried fruits.

Been making variations on this for years. Yum! Boil up some flaxseed and use the goo for a binder instead of wheat. —candied ginger great addition —toasted seeds nice too (sesame, pumpkin, etc) —I found nuts pulsed in blender make it easier to cut than chopped nuts —found I usually preferred savory —if you use peanuts or peanut oil, warn of cont when sharing for potential allergic reactions —sharing = good karma —skip the foil and Pam, light oil on tray Been —cut before it cools hard

While I haven’t made these energy bars, I substitute a variety of gluten-free flours in my recipes every day. I would use a 50-50 mix of buckwheat and King Arthur’s measure for measure gluten-free flour. I get even more creative by using buckwheat, brown rice, amaranth, and millet flours. The more you get used to substituting them, the more comfortable you get using them. That said, if you want something that tastes more mainstream, just stick to King Arthur’s measure for measure flour.

Skip the cooking spray, it's not necessary

I made these this morning as soon as I saw the recipe. I used a combo of walnuts and pecans and a variety of dried fruit (cranberries, currents, golden raisins, and berry mix from Trader Joe's). They were excellent and my hiking companions requested the recipe. I only had a 9 x 9 inch pan so I cut the baking down to about 13 minutes. Will make these again.

Can you substitute honey for the maple syrup? A lot of these “healthy” snack bars have too much sweetener.

These were fabulous; I made them exactly according to the recipe using dried blueberries and cranberries along with raisins. For nuts I used walnuts, pecans and pistachios. I baked them for 30 minutes in a glass 8x8 pan lined with greased parchment. Perfect for hiking or skiing snacks…I will definitely make again!

I substituted fresh cranberries and other berries for the dried ones. This lowers the sugar content quite a bit. I also used maple flavoring and water to further reduce the stated sugar content that is equal to almost 4 teaspoons of sugar per serving, not at all healthy.

Almond flour?

If you want texture hand cut, if you want cookie texture, food processor

I'm looking forward to making these. Can I use my food processor to chop the nuts and dried fruit or is it better done by hand?

Could I use Gluten-free flour? Do I need to add Xanthum gum?