You might be wondering why would you need a snack bar recipe when every grocery store has a cereals aisle stacked full of endless varieties of snack bars? Well, I too am a huge fan of nut bars and have tried many store-bought ones; some are sooo good whereas the rest are just ok ok and at times I wished if they had substituted certain ingredients, or reduced the saltiness, sweetness, etc. That’s what actually got me going to try making them at home and perfect it to my choice of flavours. I mean seriously, if you love something so much then why buy it and not try making it yourself?

What’s great in learning to make your own snack bars is that, the options are endless. Tweak one ingredient and you have something new and unique. Prefer to make it healthy? Simple! Skip the high calorie sweetener/syrup and there you go.

This recipe is super simple and gluten & refined sugar free. I have used maple syrup along with brown sugar which acts as a binding agent to hold the nuts together and retain its shape. You can substitute maple syrup with honey, but I highly recommend the former as it is a good holding element and takes the flavours to a whole new level.

The nut bars are surprisingly easy to cook and turned out to be so delicious that my whole family loved it and finished it in no time. They are crunchy n chewy with the right balance of sweetness, Oh and so chocolaty!

It’s perfect as a healthy snack for kids, a post/pre-work out snack, or as a snack to munch between your meals. Feel free to experiment with your favorite ingredients and create your own customized snack bar.

Enjoy, Happy Cooking…!

Don’t forget to check out my Berry Oatmeal Crumb Bars recipe which is a whole wheat oatmeal crumb bar using fresh strawberries.

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Healthy Nut Bars with Chocolate Drizzle

Crunchy Homemade Nut Bars… Vegan, Gluten Free, and Packed with All the Goodness! A Perfect Health Snack to satisfy your cravings…!

Course Snack

Cuisine American

Keyword energy bar, nut bar, snack bar

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Cooling Time 1 hour hour

Total Time 2 hours hours

Servings 4

Author Akhila

Ingredients

• 1 cup cashews (unsalted)
• ½ cup walnuts (chopped)
• ½ cup pepitas
• ¼ cup pecans (chopped)
• ½ cup dried cranberries
• ½ cup old fashioned / rolled oats
• ⅓ cup maple syrup (or honey if not vegan)
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• ¼ cup brown sugar
• Pinch of salt
• ¼ cup chocolate chips

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9-inch square pan with parchment paper extending through its sides, this will helps later in lifting up easily.
• In a large bowl, combine together cashews, walnuts, pepitas, pecans, dried cranberries, and oats. You can also add any leftover crumbs or powders from the prior chopping of nuts.
• In a small saucepan, heat the maple syrup, vanilla extract, salt and brown sugar. Whisk with a spatula until it is completely dissolved. When the syrup starts to boil and bubble up, remove the pan from the heat and pour it to the prepared nut mix. Using the spatula combine them together to mix properly, it will be slightly sticky.
• Transfer this mix to the prepared baking pan. Press down gently on it using the back a spoon or any flat bowl so that it forms an even layer. Make sure there are no gaps in the flattened mix.
• Bake by placing in the middle of your oven rack for 20 minutes. Allow it to cool for 30 minutes.
• Once the nut mix is cooled, remove it from the pan by lifting the parchment paper. Carefully cut into even bar sizes of your choice using a sharp knife.
• Melt chocolate chips in a small bowl in the microwave at 30 seconds intervals until it is completely melted, you may also follow the double broiler method. Whisk the melted chocolate well until it is smooth, then drizzle it over the nuts. Transfer the bars to a refrigerator for 30 minutes to allow the chocolate to harden.
• Your snack bars are ready to serve. You may also store them in an air tight container for up to two weeks.

The post Healthy Nut Bars with Chocolate Drizzle appeared first on Pepper Delight.

I love to have something to snack in my pantry always. Well… who doesn’t? Keeping it healthy and tasty is the tough part, but if you have got all that sorted out, there you go… you have a winner dish for sure! So, it was my hunt for a winner that finally landed me onto these deliciously healthy berry bars; my love for crumble recipes combined with the idea for a snack, a perfect choice I would say.

This dish has a wonderful buttery crust, made with whole wheat flour and oats sweetened with brown sugar. Oats being among the main ingredients in this recipe, is one of the healthiest whole grain and a great source of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Unlike regular flour, I have used whole wheat instead, considering its benefits…but I can guarantee you that it doesn’t alter the taste a bit. You can also use your choice of fresh berries for the filling. These bars are crunchy and chewy at the same time, and seriously so addictive that you are not going to stop in one bite.

Keeping aside it’s health benefits, the preparation is even better. All you need are two bowls, one to mix the crust ingredients and the other to prepare the fresh fruits. And in no time your dish is ready!  This eggless snack is a great choice for kids & adults alike, perfect for any time of the day – breakfast, after-lunch, post work out, tea time, or even as a healthy dessert. And if you want to make your dessert fancy, just add a scoop of vanilla ice cream…Trust me, it would be heavenly!!!

Interested in more snack bar recipes? Check this out;

Healthy Nut Bars with Chocolate Drizzle

Enjoy, Happy Cooking…!

Follow me on Instagram, try out the recipes and tag #pepperdelightblog to all your pictures of Pepper Delight recipes you prepare. Rate us if you love it!

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Berry Oatmeal Crumb Bars

Crunchy n Chewy… Healthy n Easy… Irresistibly Delicious Eggless Berry Bars. Made with Whole Wheat, Oats, Strawberries and Blueberries…...Perfect as a Snack or as a Dessert!!!

Course Breakfast, Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword berry crumb bar, crumb bar, healthy snack

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 50 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 10 minutes minutes

Servings 20 bars

Author Akhila

Ingredients

For the crust

• 2 cups rolled oats
• 1¼ cup whole wheat flour
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup melted butter
• ¼ tsp salt
• ½ tsp cinnamon powder
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ¼ cup slivered almonds (optional)

For the fruit filling

• 4 cups of diced strawberries and blueberry
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp corn flour
• 2 tbsp granulated sugar

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 375-degree F. Line a 9x13 inch sheet pan with parchment paper extending it a few inches over the sides. Grease the pan properly with butter and set aside.
• In a large mixing bowl, combine whole wheat flour, oats, brown sugar, cinnamon powder, vanilla extract, melted butter and salt. Stir to mix together until it forms a crumble like texture. Divide the mixture and set 1 cup aside. Transfer the remaining to the prepared pan and press it gently with your hands or spatula to form an even flat base.
• In a separate bowl, toss berries with lemon juice, corn flour and sugar. Spread it evenly over the crust. Top with remaining crumble mixture and slivered almonds.
• Bake for 45-50 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and the fruit mix is bubbly. Remove from the oven and allow it cool in room temperature. Refrigerate for 1-2 hour before cutting into squares.
• You can refrigerate and store it in an air tight container for 3-4 days.

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