REAL DEAL ENERGY BAR RECIPE

01 Jul REAL DEAL ENERGY BAR RECIPE

Posted at 04:00h in Healthy Recipes by

Homemade Date, Fig and Nut Bars for Sustained Energy

Have you looked at the back of the energy bars you see in grocery stores only to be horrified by the myriad of poor ingredients, bad fats and added sugars? No more!!! This homemade energy bar recipe will give you a natural energy boost that’s high in protein and decadent enough to satisfy any sweet tooth!

Ingredients

  • 1 cup walnuts, 1 cup pecans (or you can pick one and use 2 cups)
  • 1 cup dried black Mission figs (about 6 ounces), stemmed and halved
  • 2 1/2 cups dried dates (about 1 pound), pitted
  • 3 tbsp. almond butter
  • 1 tsp. orange zest (from about 1 medium orange)
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
  • 1 cup rice chex cereal (brown rice if you can find the healthier version)

cooking directions….

 

Cooking Directions

  1. Heat the oven to 350°F.
  2. Place walnuts and pecans on a rimmed baking sheet in a single layer and bake, stirring halfway through, until fragrant and light golden brown, about 8–10 minutes. Keep a close eye on these, they burn quickly. At the slightest hint of brown, pull them out. Allow them to cool completely.
  3. Place an 8-by-18-inch piece of waxed or parchment paper in an 8-by-8-inch baking pan; set aside.
  4. Place figs in the bowl of a food processor and process until finely chopped, about 1 minute. Transfer to a small bowl.
  5. Place cooled nuts in the food processor and pulse until finely chopped and the texture of fine meal. Add dates and process, stopping to scrape down the sides as needed, until dates and nuts are combined and dates are finely chopped, about 45 seconds. Add almond butter, orange zest, vanilla, cinnamon, salt, pepper, and reserved chopped figs and process until evenly combined, stopping to scrape down the sides as needed, about 45 seconds. Transfer mixture to a large bowl. Add rice cereal.
  6. Using your hands, knead the cereal into the fig-date-nut mixture until evenly incorporated.
  7. Transfer mixture to the prepared baking pan and, using your hands, pat it into an even layer to the edges of the pan. Fold the waxed or parchment paper over and press down on it with the bottom of a measuring cup or a flat-bottomed cup until the mixture is firmly packed and the top is smooth. Freeze for 30 minutes or refrigerate overnight.
  8. Lift the paper and the energy bar slab out of the pan and place on a cutting board. Remove and discard the paper. Cut into bars. Wrap each bar in plastic wrap. Store at room temperature for up to five days or freeze for up to three weeks; let frozen bars come to room temperature before eating.

Thank you for the recipe Jenny!

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