Now that I'm pregnant, I'm finding that I need to munch throughout the day. Calorie-counting and exercising for a year had just about broken this habit and now here I am, actually being encouraged by a doctor to eat more! Well it's easy to load the pantry with granola bars and snack crackers, and trust me, during the first trimester when all you want to do is puke and sleep, I did. But now, I'm into the honeymoon period (i.e. second trimester) and I'm sick of store-bought granola bars. I find myself standing in the kitchen in the morning lamenting my lack of snack options. So I decided to make some of my own, with the focus on protein, well, and deliciousness!
Why I like these..
Most importantly? They are delicious. My husband, who is not a granola bar eater, even thinks they're good!
Second, my experience with homemade granola bars tends to be that they require a lot of expensive ingredients (nuts, seeds, etc) and they can be quite crumbly (if not baked) or overly crunchy (when baked). These have a thin layer of peanut butter shell that helps hold them together so they are the perfectly soft. In addition, all the ingredients are run-of-the-mill baking basics that you probably have in your pantry.
Finally, you can mix and match. I threw in coconut on a whim and a handful of mini-chocolate chips. You could add raisins, dried cranberries, sunflower seeds, peppercorns... ok, I was kidding about that last one. But my point is that you can make these your own. In addition, I used peanut butter chips for the topping, but you could use milk, dark, or white chocolate, or even butterscotch chips! The sky is the limit, as they say.
Quick and Easy No Bake Granola Bars
adapted from Chocolate Covered Katie.com
Ingredients for Bars
1 cup rice crispies
1/2 cup oat flour, packed (see below about oat flour)
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
5 tablespoons honey
3 tablespoons pb (or other nut butter)
1/2 cup broken-up pretzels (I didn’t measure and I ran them through my food processor to chop them)
My add-ins: a handful of coconut and a handful of mini-chocolate chips
Why I like these..
Most importantly? They are delicious. My husband, who is not a granola bar eater, even thinks they're good!
Second, my experience with homemade granola bars tends to be that they require a lot of expensive ingredients (nuts, seeds, etc) and they can be quite crumbly (if not baked) or overly crunchy (when baked). These have a thin layer of peanut butter shell that helps hold them together so they are the perfectly soft. In addition, all the ingredients are run-of-the-mill baking basics that you probably have in your pantry.
Finally, you can mix and match. I threw in coconut on a whim and a handful of mini-chocolate chips. You could add raisins, dried cranberries, sunflower seeds, peppercorns... ok, I was kidding about that last one. But my point is that you can make these your own. In addition, I used peanut butter chips for the topping, but you could use milk, dark, or white chocolate, or even butterscotch chips! The sky is the limit, as they say.
Quick and Easy No Bake Granola Bars
adapted from Chocolate Covered Katie.com
Ingredients for Bars
1 cup rice crispies
1/2 cup oat flour, packed (see below about oat flour)
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
5 tablespoons honey
3 tablespoons pb (or other nut butter)
1/2 cup broken-up pretzels (I didn’t measure and I ran them through my food processor to chop them)
My add-ins: a handful of coconut and a handful of mini-chocolate chips
Topping: Homemade Peanut Butter Shell
1/4 cup of butter
1 cup peanut butter chips (or other flavor of your choice)
1/4 cup oil (vegetable or canola)
**A Note about Oat Flour: No sense in running out to a health food store and spending $8/lb on oat flour. Instead just take 3/4 cup of quick oats and run them through a food processor until they are flour consistency. I think this recipe would be just find if you left the oats whole as well. Haven't tried it, but knowing my laziness, I will someday!
Directions for the Bars:
1. Mix dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl and set aside.
2. Mix honey, vanilla, salt, and peanut butter until combined.
3. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir until combined. Eventually I just gave my hands a spray of cooking spray and dove right in. It was a lot faster than using a spoon.
4. Line a baking dish (8x8 or 9x9) or tupperware with wax or parchment paper. Scoop the mixture in and smoosh it down evenly. REALLY smush it down! I used my bean masher because it is flat to really flatten the bars. The firmer you mush, the less crumbly they will be.
5. Pop the bars in the fridge while you make the topping.
Directions for PB Topping:
If you are lucky like me, you have a friend named Katie who makes cakes and cupcakes and her own ice creams and other sorts of sweet delicacies. She gave me the following recipe for Homemade Magic Shell. So, what I'm telling you, is that you should double this recipe and use some of it for ice cream sundaes! Remember, the calories don't count when you share! :)
1. Melt the chocolate chips and butter over low-med heat. Keep an eye on it and stir often so that the chocolate doesn't stick or burn.
2. Once the chocolate and butter have melted, stir in the oil until smooth.
3. Pour mixture over bars, smooth out evenly, and refrigerate or freeze. I stuck mine in the chest freezer for about 30-45 minutes and they were good to go!
