Life, Love and my passion for cooking

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Carson City, NV, United States
I grew up in Illinois in a small town. I moved to California in May of 2000.In that time I have experienced life, love and my passion for cooking. We now live in Nevada. I hope to take my passion for cooking to a new level.

gourmetpompey

Saturday, September 17, 2011

Snack Bars


Chocolate fruit snack bars


Courtesy of eatingwell.com



  • 2 1/2 cups unsweetened puffed wheat cereal or what ever puffed cereal you have on hand.
  • 1/2 cup pecan halves, chopped medium-fine- I used walnuts
  • 1/3 cup salted roasted pepitas (I used unsalted).
  • 1/4 cup dried cherries or dried cranberries. (I used a mix of dried fruit from Trader Joes).
  • 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
  • 1 tablespoon ground flaxseeds- I used flaxseed meal
  • 1/2 cup honey
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup Bittersweet chocolate chips
Preparation
  1. Position a rack in lower third of oven; preheat to 300°F. Line an 8-inch-square pan with parchment paper, letting it overhang on two opposite sides.
  2. Toss cereal, pecans, pepitas, cherries (or cranberries), sesame seeds and ground flaxseeds in a large bowl.
  3. Combine honey, vanilla and salt in a small saucepan. Warm over medium heat, stirring, until the honey is more fluid and the salt is dissolved. Pour the honey mixture over the dry ingredients and fold until everything is moistened and sticky. Let cool for 5 minutes. Fold in chips (or chopped chocolate) until evenly distributed. Scrape the mixture into the prepared pan and spread evenly with a fork. Using the back of the fork, press the mixture very firmly all over. (Alternatively, cover with parchment paper and press firmly all over.)
  4. Bake until the top is golden brown, about 35 minutes. (If in doubt, take it out so the honey does not burn.) Run a knife along the unlined sides of the pan to detach the bars. Let cool in the pan on a wire rack to room temperature, about 1 hour. Use the ends of the parchment to lift the bars from the pan. Gently peel off the parchment. Use a heavy sharp knife to cut into 16 bars or squares.

1 comment:

  1. Yummy! They are like super-duper healthy homemade granola bars! They look awesome!

    ReplyDelete