You know I’m all about quick, easy and healthy snack recipes right?
Check out this recipe for Homemade fruit and nut bars. I sometimes object a little to paying for the privilege of buying a muesli bar that sometimes has lots of preservatives and sugar but there are those times when you just need these handy on the go snacks. I came across this recipe while surfing on Pinterest, of course, as you do. They are just delicious and so quick and easy to whip up in an afternoon! Kids and hubby love them too … of course they must pass the harshest critics test.
You can make just about any flavour combination that you would like by changing the ingredients to what you have in the pantry. The kids prefer the Apricot & Almond version … I have made a cranberry & white chocolate version which were met with distaste! I know right?! You could have knocked me down .. the kids didn’t like the one with white chocolate in it!
But, who am I to complain when they prefer these bars over the other ones! Go on, try them .. I bet you love them too!
Fruit & Nut Snack Bars
What you need
1/3 cup honey ( or maple syrup or agave )
2 tablespoons coconut flour
1 tablespoon almond butter ( or cashew or macadamia butter )
pinch salt
1 cup coconut flakes
1 cup almonds
1/3 cup cashews
1/2 cup dried apricots, dates, cranberries, finely chopped
What you do
Preheat oven to 150C. Line baking dish with baking paper, leaving paper to hang over two sides of the dish. Not too big a dish or the bars will be too thin! I like them a bit thicker.
In a large bowl, add the honey, coconut flour, almond butter and salt. Use a spoon to stir until well combined.
Place almonds and cashews into food processor and whiz them up for a few seconds. You don’t want them too small, keep them quite coarse. Alternatively you could chop them by hand .. me I’m lazy. Add the chopped nuts to the honey mixture.
Add the dried fruit to the honey mixture.
Finally, measure 1 cup of coconut flakes (not shredded coconut). Place coconut flakes on the cutting board and coarse-chop ( if you want, I don’t .. lazy again ). Add chopped coconut flakes to honey mixture.
Using a spoon, mix ingredients together making sure they are thoroughly combined.
Place the bar mixture into the parchment-lined baking dish. Fold overlapping flaps down and evenly press the top of the bar mixture firmly to pack-in the ingredients so they hold together better after baking. Then, peel back the parchments flaps from top of bars. (Do not trim, as the flaps make it easier to remove the bars after baking.)
Bake for 20 minutes. Then remove from oven and allow to cool on stovetop for approximately one hour (or until bottom of baking dish is room temp).
Place in fridge to continue cooling. Once cool cut into 8 bars and individually wrap and store in fridge. Then you can easily take out what you need and place directly into lunchboxes – no need to thaw. However, for best results, bars should be kept cool so they do not become over-sticky. Simply include an ice pack, if placing them in a lunchbox, or taking them on the go.
If you are after a quick, easy and healthy snack recipe, give this a go and let me know what you think!
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