Almond Butter Bars
(from Ancient Grains for Modern Meals)
Andrew’s sister, Abigail, gave me this cookbook for Christmas one year and I discovered these bars while on a quest to find something to make with oatmeal. I’m an almond butter fan, but wasn’t sure Andrew would be as taken with the flavor, so I was surprised to hear he loved them! I’ve been making them in bulk ever since… You don’t even need the sugar; they’re plenty sweet on their own. Also, I decreased the puffed rice cereal from 1 C to 1/2 C.
1 C old-fashioned oats
¼ C slivered almonds
¼ C sunflower seeds
1 tbsp flax seeds
1 tbsp sesame seeds
1/2 C unsweetened puffed whole grain/rice cereal
¼ C currants
¼ C dried apricots
¼ C golden raisins
¼ C almond butter
¼ turbinado sugar (optional)
¼ C honey
½ tsp vanilla extract
¼ tsp sea salt
- Toast oats, nuts and seeds (not cereal) on a baking sheet in the oven at 350 for 5-7 minutes, stirring once. Let cool.
- Mix toasted oats and nuts, cereal and dried fruit in a large bowl.
- Combine almond butter, sugar (if using), honey, vanilla and salt in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until mixture starts to bubble.
- Immediately pour the warm sauce over the dry ingredients and, using an oiled hand, press into an 8 x 8 square pan.
- Allow to chill for about 30 minutes. Cut into 12 bars. Store at room temp for one week, or in the freezer.
125 cal each (without sugar)
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