I was on a hunt today through my reader and found a new blog that I had never heard of! The Shortbread Bakery for all dietary needs (fat free, gluten free, vegan, lactose intolerant, and kosher). This is her granola bar recipe:

Ingredients for No-Bake Bars:

• 1 ¼ cups rolled oats
• ½ cup oat bran
• 1½ cups cereal of your choice (preferably unsweetened)
• 1 cup dried cranberries, coarsely chopped
• ¼ cup dried fruit of your choice, finely chopped (she uses dried ginger)
• 1 ¼ cups toasted walnuts, chopped
• 1 cup maple syrup
• ¼ cup natural cane sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon salt

Directions:

1. Spray a 8×8″ pan with spray for thick bars (use a 9×9″ pan if you like them thinner).
2. Mix the oats, walnuts, oat bran, cereal, cranberries, and dried fruit together in a large bowl and set aside.
3. Combine the syrup, sugar, vanilla and salt and heat over med-low heat until dissolved (about 4 min). Stir into oat mixture while still hot.
4. Spread into pan and let cool over night. CUT, EAT, ENJOY! Makes 16 squares.

Looking for several similar recipes on SparkPeople, I think they’re around 200 Cal per bar. It’s basically a power-bar so eat them wisely - I suggest freezing them so you don’t feel compelled eat them all in one go.

I also came across this Spark Recipe (to help me finish the butternut squash), but it has baking requirements:

Ingredients for Baked Bars:

• ¾ cup pureed pumpkin or butternut squash
• 1 egg
• ¼ cup butter at room temperature
• ¼ cup honey
• 2 Tbsp molasses or maple syrup
• 2 cup rolled oats
• ½ cup seeds (like sunflower or pumpkin) or raisins
• ½ cup chopped nuts (like walnuts, almond slices or pecans)
• 2 Tbsp shredded, unsweetened coconut
• ½ cup wheat germ
• 1 tsp pie spice

Directions:

1. Blend the wet ingredients in a mixing bowl or food processor.
2. Add the oats, seeds, nuts, coconut, wheat germ, and cinnamon. Mix well.
3. Spread this mixture into a lightly greased 15½ x 10½ jelly-roll pan.
4. Bake in a 350F oven for 40 minutes or until golden brown. While still warm, cut into 3-by-1 1/2-inch bars.
5. For very crisp bars, remove from pan to wire rack and cool completely. Makes about 30 bars.

This entry was posted on Saturday, January 30th, 2010 at 8:30 am and is filed under Snacks. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.