Snack July 12, 2023
Note: This recipe is derived from the above linked recipe. I think I made enough changes that I can't really say I used that recipe, especially with how bad they turned out originally.
While making this recipe, my date-peanut butter mixture seemed liquidy enough that I didn't really think heating the mixture to boiling would really do anything except make it difficult to handle, so I just decided to skip that part.
I made two batches of this recipe:
Cherry Chocolate Chip
½ cup dried cherries, ½ cup chocolate chips, and brushed with cherry pit syrup [not that that really did anything after crumbling apart]
Blueberry Almond
½ cup dried blueberries, ¾ cup coarsely chopped almonds, and 2 teaspoons of blueberry powder added to date-peanut butter mixture
Ingredients:
3.5 oz pitted Dates
6 tablespoons Salted Butter, melted
1/4 cup packed Light Brown Sugar
1/4 cup Honey
3/4 cup Chunky, Peanut Butter
2 cups Old-Fashioned Rolled Oats
3 cups Crispy Rice Cereal, such as Rice Krispies
1/2 cup Dried Fruit
3/4 cup coarsely chopped Almonds (optional)
1/2 cup Chocolate Chips (optional)
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and set an oven rack in the middle position
Line a 9-by-13-in pan with aluminum foil, so that it hangs over the edges, and spray with nonstick cooking spray
Place the dates, melted butter, brown sugar, honey, and peanut butter in a food processor fitted with the S-blade, process until mixture is smooth and thick
Transfer to a pot large enough to hold all of the ingredients, bring the mixture to a boil on the stovetop, mixing occasionally
While the mixture is still hot, add the oats, rice cereal, almonds, and fruit
Use a large rubber spatula to gently fold the mixture until the wet ingredients evenly coat the dry ingredients, be gentle so as not to crush the rice cereal
Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan and, using the bottom of a glass or dry measuring cup, press firmly into an even, compact layer
Bake for 15-18 minutes, until golden brown
Set the pan on a rack and let cool completely, a few hours, do not attempt to cut the bars while still warm
Use the foil overhang to lift the uncut bars out of the pan and onto a cutting board
With a large chef’s knife, cut the block into 16 bars
Wrap the bars individually with foil or parchment paper or place them in an airtight container. The bars will keep for up to a week at room temperature.
Final Notes:
I wonder if part of the problem was using natural peanut butter instead of creamy. The recipe dissuades it's use, but didn't say why!
Even after seeing the results, I don't know what boiling the date-peanut butter mixture would have done. Maybe it would seem more necessary with creamy peanut butter.
I made granola, not granola bars.
Can the bars be saved?
Ingredients:
¼ cup Flax Seeds
¾ cup Water
⅛ cup Sugar
Granola Mess
Directions:
Add flax seeds and water to a small sauce pan
Heat until boiling and the water starts to thicken into a gel
Remove from heat immediately once boiling, add sugar
Add a cup of flax seed gel for 6 cups of granola
Form into a bar by hand (really pressing and squeezing everything together) and bake in oven at 400°F (204°C) for 15 minutes
Cool and dry on a wire rack
Success!
Final Notes:
While these weren't bad, I wasn't exactly happy with them. They tasted okay. Thought I am proud that I was able to save the bars!
If I tried making these again, I would actually follow the original recipe rather than this one I made up. I think the natural peanut butter was the problem.
They were very nice to have camping, were kind of a meal in and of itself with how dense they were.
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