Sports Bars With Dried Fruit And Peanut Butter Food

SPORTS BARS WITH DRIED FRUIT AND PEANUT BUTTER

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F Spray 9-inch square metal baking pan with nonstick spray.
• Mix cereal, walnuts, dates, cherries, and raisins in medium bowl.
• Combine peanut butter, honey, and corn syrup in heavy small saucepan. Bring to boil, whisking constantly until mixture bubbles vigorously and thickens slightly, about 1 minute.
• Pour peanut butter mixture over cereal mixture in bowl; stir to blend.
• Transfer mixture to prepared pan; press to compact. Bake until just golden around edges, about 10 minutes.
• Cool completely. Cut into 2 1/2x1 1/2-inch bars.
• (Can be prepared 3 days ahead. Store in single layer between sheets of foil in airtight container at room temperature.).

BEST FRUIT AND NUT BARS

Steps:

• 1. Preheat oven to 325.
• 2. Grind whole flaxseed in a coffee or spice grinder. Combine with peanut butter, honey, salt, and water in large bowl and stir to combine.
• 3. Add dried fruits, nuts and seeds in whatever combination you like. Batter will be very stiff.
• 4. Spray 12 cup muffin tin with nonstick spray and divide batter evenly into cups. Use damp fingers to press batter into cups and flatten tops.
• 5. Bake 25 to 30 minutes until tops are dry and edges are a deep, toasty brown (bars will not rise). Cool completely and store in air-tight container for up to two weeks.

STARBUCKS CHEWY FRUIT AND NUT BARS

Steps:

• Ingredient note: look in your health food aisle for a healthy alternative to Rice Krispies. The brand I found is made by Enviro-Kidz and uses BROWN rice.
• Prepare 9x13 pan with non-stick spray (or line with parchment paper).
• In a large mixing bowl, toss all dry ingredients. Feel free to substitute your preferred nut or dried fruit.
• In a saucepan, combine brown sugar and corn syrup. Bring to a boil and allow to boil one minute. (Note: boiling the sugars is what helps the bars become firm and not sticky, so this step is important).
• After boiling, turn off heat; add vanilla and peanut butter. QUICKLY pour this hot mixture over the dry ingredients and toss to combine.
• Pour warm mixture into prepared pan. Wet your fingers and press the mixture down into the pan to compress the bars so they will slice evenly.
• When cool, use a sharp knife to cut into 18 bars (1 long lengthwise cut and 9 cuts across). Enjoy with a hot cup of Starbucks coffee for an authentic experience!
• Note: Starbucks does not list corn syrup in their ingredients, but the sweetener in their list is not readily available. I tried using Maple Syrup, but the bars were very crumbly and would not stay together in bars. Therefore, I found that Corn Syrup is the best ingredient that is readily available.