Paleo Maple Bars
This year, some of you may be trying to swap out your usual store-bought staples and make your own homemade version. For granola and energy bars especially, using your own ingredients is the healthiest choice. You can moderate the amount of sweetener you use...bake your desired texture/thickness...personalize your toppings...whatever you want! Most importantly, you avoid the harsh chemicals, preservatives, and artificial sweeteners that are found in packaged foods.
These bars are low in added sugar (only 2 tbsp of maple syrup for 10 bars!), full of healthy fats and fiber from the nuts and flax. They are also delicious! The slight maple taste along with the bitter cherries makes you feel like you're eating something beautiful between a slice of pie and a cookie.
You'll notice that these bars are twice-baked. This helps bind the ingredients together, so they are: 1) not too gooey and mushy AND 2) not as dry as a French philosophy book.
Ingredients
1/2 c raw cashews
1/2 c raw almonds
1/4 c raw sunflower seeds
1/3 c toasted and salted pepitas (sold at Trader Joes)
2 tablespoons ground flaxseed
1/4 c pitted dates
2 tbsp pure maple syrup
3 tbsp warm water
1 egg white
1/4 c dried cherries, chopped
Dark chocolate for drizzling (optional)
Directions
Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Spread the raw almonds, cashews, and sunflower seeds onto a baking sheet with foil. Bake for about 15 minutes until the nuts are fragrant and appear pale gold. In a high-power blender, blend the dates, warm water, egg white, and maple syrup until a brown paste forms. Transfer the paste into a large mixing bowl and set aside. Clean and dry blender for next step. Take the toasted nuts, pepitas, and ground flax, and pulse until the nuts turn into small chunks. Transfer the ground nut mixture into the bowl with the date paste. Add dried cherries and stir together until combined with a large spoon. Fully line an 8" baking dish with foil and grease liberally with coconut oil. Pour the nut batter into the dish, pressing and spreading it into one equal width layer. Bake for about 25 minutes until golden brown, rotating the dish halfway through. Let the dish cool for about 20 minutes on a wire rack.Carefully remove the bars from the dish by lifting the sides of the foil out of the pan. Cut into 10 equal-sized bars. Place the cut bars onto a baking sheet with parchment paper and bake for another 15 minutes until they are deep golden brown. Optional: melt some dark chocolate and drizzle onto the bars for a little added sweetness and amusement! Let cool for at least 15 minutes.
Note: These bars last for about 1 week at room temperature, but feel free to store them in your freezer and microwave for a quick breakfast or snack.
These bars are low in added sugar (only 2 tbsp of maple syrup for 10 bars!), full of healthy fats and fiber from the nuts and flax. They are also delicious! The slight maple taste along with the bitter cherries makes you feel like you're eating something beautiful between a slice of pie and a cookie.
You'll notice that these bars are twice-baked. This helps bind the ingredients together, so they are: 1) not too gooey and mushy AND 2) not as dry as a French philosophy book.
Ingredients
1/2 c raw cashews
1/2 c raw almonds
1/4 c raw sunflower seeds
1/3 c toasted and salted pepitas (sold at Trader Joes)
2 tablespoons ground flaxseed
1/4 c pitted dates
2 tbsp pure maple syrup
3 tbsp warm water
1 egg white
1/4 c dried cherries, chopped
Dark chocolate for drizzling (optional)
Directions
Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Spread the raw almonds, cashews, and sunflower seeds onto a baking sheet with foil. Bake for about 15 minutes until the nuts are fragrant and appear pale gold. In a high-power blender, blend the dates, warm water, egg white, and maple syrup until a brown paste forms. Transfer the paste into a large mixing bowl and set aside. Clean and dry blender for next step. Take the toasted nuts, pepitas, and ground flax, and pulse until the nuts turn into small chunks. Transfer the ground nut mixture into the bowl with the date paste. Add dried cherries and stir together until combined with a large spoon. Fully line an 8" baking dish with foil and grease liberally with coconut oil. Pour the nut batter into the dish, pressing and spreading it into one equal width layer. Bake for about 25 minutes until golden brown, rotating the dish halfway through. Let the dish cool for about 20 minutes on a wire rack.Carefully remove the bars from the dish by lifting the sides of the foil out of the pan. Cut into 10 equal-sized bars. Place the cut bars onto a baking sheet with parchment paper and bake for another 15 minutes until they are deep golden brown. Optional: melt some dark chocolate and drizzle onto the bars for a little added sweetness and amusement! Let cool for at least 15 minutes.
Note: These bars last for about 1 week at room temperature, but feel free to store them in your freezer and microwave for a quick breakfast or snack.
