Amy's Energy Bar

Energy bars, granola bars, protein bars… 

Whatever you call ‘em. I like ‘em. 

I am picky about them, though. Larabars are de-li-cious, but they’re sooo sweet from the dates. Clif bars are chewy and give me tons of energy, but I don’t like the aftertaste from all the sweeteners. (The first ingredient is always organic brown rice syrup, along with a few other sweeteners.) And so on...

So I made a list of the things I liked and didn’t like, experimented, and came up with this recipe. 

Amy’s Energy Bar

Yield: 8 bars 

"Wet” ingredients: 

1/4 cup dried fruit sweetener*   

3/4 cup cooked/canned beans*

2 Tablespoons nut butter* 

1/4 cup applesauce 

2 Tablespoons cocoa powder (opt.) 

1 teaspoon vanilla 

dash of cinnamon (opt.) 

Dry ingredients: 

1 1/4 cup rolled oats 

3/4 cup Kashi 7 Whole Grains Puffs (to make it gluten-free, eliminate and use another 3/4 oats)

2 Tablespoons sunflower seeds

2 Tablespoons pumpkin seeds

2 Tablespoons chia seeds 

up to 1/4 cup add ins* 

Blend the “wet” ingredients in a blender till it’s smooth. If the mix gets stuck on the sides, turn off the blender and scrape it off. Try to get it as smoothly blended as possible. 

In a large bowl, mix the dry ingredients. 

Then add the “wet” mixture to the dry ingredients. 

Mix together well with a spatula or wooden spoon. 

Press into a pan (I used a 7 in x 7 in one in the picture, but I have also used plastic tupperware. Any kind of container would work. It will just change the shape of your bars.)

Cover with plastic wrap and freeze for 15 min.  

Cut into 8 bars and wrap each one in plastic wrap. Keep in the fridge. 

*Notes
What does "dried fruit sweetener” mean? 

Any kind of dried fruit. Or the same dried fruit in the form of paste. The paste gives it a smoother texture than whole dried fruit. I like date paste. Sure you can buy it, but it’s very simple to make. A google search led me here. You could do the same thing using any kind of dried fruit. Figs. Prunes. Just keep in mind how it will change the taste. I haven’t tried any others myself, but I plan to! 

Beans: I used garbanzo here, but any kind will do. I have used black beans before as well. You really can’t taste them in the bar. If they're canned, be sure to drain and rinse them. 

Nut butter: I used peanut butter because it was what I had on hand. I’m dying to try it with almond butter though! 

Add ins: nuts, other dried fruit, coconut, dark chocolate chips, whatever your heart desires. I have used currants, coconut, and dark chocolate chips. You don’t need a ton, just make sure to mix it in well. 

This is what it looks like using raisins for sweetener, no cocoa powder, and currants and shredded coconut for add ins. 

Enjoy your energy bars:) 

P.S. I wasn't sure if I was cool enough to name a recipe after myself yet, but I figured I tailored made it so specifically to all my requirements that I could claim it. I hope you don't mind :)