These chewy bars are full of protein thanks to almond butter and sliced almonds and are naturally sweetened with honey and dried fruit, for a healthy snack or breakfast on the run.
I consider myself a fairly friendly neighbor.
I put thought into my holiday neighbor gifts. I wander over with a smile to say “hey, how’ve you been?” And I’m always in search of people to deliver food blogging leftovers to.
You gotta share the love. Just don’t expect reciprocity.
So when one of my neighbors dropped by to deliver a Ziploc bag of homemade power bars last week, I was impressed. Not only because it was the man of the house who made them (kudos to guys who cook beyond the grill), but also because he didn’t take the usual course of action to think that just because I’m a food blogger that I wouldn’t appreciate them.
Let’s get something clear. I’m no snob when it comes to free food.
No Time for Formality
Standing at the doorway I dug right in and handed one to Smudge.
I was immediately impressed with the precision of my neighbor’s square cutting skills. How’d he get them so aligned, so straight, and his cuts so clean? Judging by the his clutter-free garage, I have a feeling that’s just the way he rolls.
Smudge couldn’t tell me if she liked them or not because her mouth was delightfully full. I took that as a good sign.
After just one bite, I knew I needed the recipe to share. I immediately asked for it. He obliged. Some neighbors might forget about that request. Not him. In 5 minutes he was back at my door with a copy in hand.
See, it pays to be neighborly.
About the Recipe
These bars are chewy and sweet, thanks to the honey and dried fruit. Looking at them now, they kind of look like bars of bird seed. But they sure don’t taste like it.
The puffed brown rice and puffed millet give the bars a texture akin to rice cereal bars, minus the refined sugar and marshmallow. I had a heck of a time finding puffed quinoa or puffed millet but finally discovered Arrowhead Mills puffed millet at Whole Foods. You can also order it online here. Do your best to find the millet, I loved the difference in visual texture to the oats and brown rice they added to the bars
Almond butter and honey are the binder for these bars. I used Justin’s vanilla flavored almond butter because it was in the pantry. Trader Joe’s has a good store brand version of regular almond butter and I saw a big bottle of the Costco private label on my other neighbor’s counter the other day. I visit a lot of the neighbors. You could also use peanut butter if almond butter isn’t your thing.
I used regular oats for the recipe and toasting them makes a difference. It deepens their flavor and takes away that dry gritty taste. Don’t skip this step. To toast, I simply dumped them into a dry, non-stick skillet and heated them on medium for 2-3 minutes, stirring so they didn’t get too bronzed on any side.
My neighbor doctored up the original recipe by adding dried blueberries. I took it another step further and added dried apricots. If they’re in the pantry, better put them to use.
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a comment below or take a photo and tag me on Instagram or Twitter with #foodiecrusheats.
Chewy Almond Butter Power Bars
Ingredients
- ½ cup almond butter
- ½ cup honey
- 1 cup rolled oats toasted
- ½ cup puffed brown rice cereal
- ½ cup puffed quinoa or millet
- ½ cup sliced almonds
- ¼ cup roughly chopped dried cranberries
- ¼ cup dried blueberries
- ¼ cup roughly chopped dried apricots
- kosher salt
Instructions
- Spray an 8-inch square pan with cooking spray and line with parchment paper. Heat the almond butter and honey together in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring, until melted and combined.
- Combine the oats, cereal, quinoa or millet, almonds dried fruits and kosher salt in a medium size bowl. Pour the almond mixture int the dry moisture and stir until well combined. Transfer into the pan.
- Wet your hands and press the cereal bar mixture down until it's flat and even, packing it tightly. Refrigerate for at least an hour.
- Remove the mixture from the pan and cut into squares.
- recipe slightly adapted from Men's Fitness, December 2014
One More Bite of Energy
Bars and bites, fortified snacks have been making their way into our hearts and mouths for years and our bodies are thanking us for it. Here are a few more ideas of how to put a little more whole food energy into your day.
Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Raw Bars
You only need 10 minutes and a desire to pack good fats into your snack. The binder for these bars? Dates!
Get the recipe | Beard + Bonnet
Cranberry Pistachio Granola Bars
The basic granola goodies are amped up with cranberry and pistachio and keep those ‘hangry’ feelings at bay.
Get the recipe | Urban Bakes
No Bake Energy Bars
A pop of energy, sweet treat or just good old fashioned snack, these bites are pop-a-licious in the healthiest of ways thanks to ground flax seed, chia seeds and oatmeal.
Get the recipe | Gimme Some Oven
Key Lime Larabars
If you have five minutes you can have citrusy bars that won’t last much longer around the house.
Get the recipe | My Whole Food Life
Chocolate Peanut Butter Energy Bars
A topping of toasted coconut flakes makes these bars held together with bittersweet chocolate and peanut butter taste better and healthier than any store bought candy bar.
Get the recipe | Super Nummy
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Time to say goodbye to snickers. Lovely share :)
nice homemade bars, just saw this linked from a recent post, like the protein, thank you!
They look so perfect. And removing Dairy from it is anadd on. Thank you for the must-try recipe.
What is puffed quinoa??? Love this recipe. I want to try this
Would love to have the nutritional facts for these healthy snacks and powerbars!!!
These were so easy to make, and so chewy and delicious!
I just tried these bars and have to admit I was very dissapointed. They tasted like pure honey. I will attempt to make them again with less.
Just made them and they are so good! It will be hard not to eat them all at once! I’m always looking for gluten free snacks to tide me over till lunch!
I have tot ry some of this bars! They all looks delicious!
I saw these and knew I had to make some :) Every time I glanced at the title I swear they said Cherry instead of chewy (subliminal? I think so!) so I had to do dried cherries. I ended up with dried cherries and chopped dates, and since dried apricots sounded so good but I didn’t have any, I cut back on the honey and added a small amount of apricot preserves to the honey/almond butter mix. Mine really looked like birdseed bars as I tossed in tri-color toasted quinoa and hemp seeds in place of the millet. They taste great, and personally I love the look. I’ll see if I can get a pic up on Instagram. I know with the changes I probably altered the texture somewhat, and they stayed together better than some bars I’ve tried, but still…bendier than I would have liked. Any tips? Thanks for a great post, as always!!
Heidi! Thanks to you and to your kind neighbor! I just made the bars and they are so freakin’ good. They were so easy to put together, too. Gracias.
These bars look like the perfect snack. I know my family would absolutely love them.
I love giving treats to my neighbors. Sometimes I don’t even get a thank you in return but I still enjoy sharing. I think I’d keep these bars all to myself though :)
Thank you so much for including our chocolate chip cookie dough raw bars! You are the sweetest and these chewy almond butter power bars – OH. MY. They look so good!
Meg, thanks for creating such a great recipe yourself, it’s a pleasure sharing great recipes like yours.
These bars look so, so good! That chewy texture is spot on!
I saw these on Instagram yesterday and haven’t been able to stop thinking about them. Heading to the store shortly to pick up ingredients to try them! :)
Allison, if you make them, snap a pic and tag it #foodiecrusheats. Would love to see what you come up with.
I just ran the Boston Marathon on Monday. Oh how I wish you were my neighbor! These bars look so satisfying.
Kelly! I would have delivered them at the finish line for you! Congratulations!!
Well, it sounds like I just need to move right into your neighborhood. You guys have all kinds of good treats going on over there!
I’d be SO happy and impressed too if a neighbor came over with some goodies. That was very nice of him to share his and the recipe. The puffed cereal really showcases the difference this bar has compared to others. I definitely have to try this sometime because yours looks wonderful!
Hi Connie, I was surprised how much I liked all of the different cereals together, not only for taste, but for my eyeballs. I tend to eat with my eyes more than I realize. Thank you.
I feel like as food bloggers, we’re more likely to enjoy other people’s food, because it’s a break from eating our own! Or maybe it’s just me, and I like fuud in general. Ha!
Sarah, I couldn’t agree more! Why does it always taste better when someone else makes it for us? :)
The perfect snack! I am making these for Caleb!
I’m always bringing food to my neighbor – she’d probably appreciate it if I made friends with more of the neighbors so that I don’t fatten her up! LOL. These bars look absolutely amazing – cant’ wait to try them!
I wish I had neighbors like that! If you seek inspiration, have a look: https://youtu.be/E3LPAmLh_KU :) have a nice day :)
I’m always on the look out for these kind of recipes – simple and delicious snacks that we can have on hand to tide us over between meals. I love the sound of these with their range of grains and different dried fruit. Can’t wait to try them!
I believe you already did try them.. I love quick and healthy snack ideas, that´s how I did mine: https://youtu.be/E3LPAmLh_KU :) have a nice day :)