Baked

Hello Monday! Hope you all had a great weekend. Mine's kind of a blur, as it involved a lot of post production.

I baked something a little on the healthier side this weekend. It's a chewy snack bar, perfect for hiking, camping or a sporty day. I like them way more than any store bought bar.

Snack Bar - makes one 9"x9" square

3 cups puffed cereal (I used puffed Kamut)
1/4 cup pitted dates, chopped
1/2 cup dried tart cherries, chopped
1/2 cup pecans, chopped
1/4 cup toasted pumpkin seeds
2 tablespoons ground flaxseeds
1/3 cup smooth peanut butter
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
1/4 cup mashed ripe banana (1 small)

Preheat oven to 350f/180c. Spray a 9"x9" square baking tin/pan with a little non-stick vegetable oil spray. In a large bowl, mix together cereal, dates, cherries, pecans, pumpkin seeds, and ground flaxseeds. In a small saucepan, whisk together the peanut butter, maple syrup and banana over medium heat. Keep whisking until it starts to bubble (watch that it doesn't burn, and do keep whisking). Pour this mixture over cereal mixture and stir with a greased wooden spoon, to combine ingredients. Transfer mixture to greased baking tin and press down hard to compact. It's easier to do this using parchment paper, by the way, otherwise you'll end up eating half of it off your hands. ;)

Bake for about 15 minutes, or until the edges turn a golden brown. After it's cooled a little press down again, to avoid crumbling when cutting. Cool completely and cut into squares, or whatever shape you like. Enjoy!

I feel so healthy now ;) Let me know if you try these out, as I'm curious if you'll prefer them over store bought!

Have a great day! Back soon.
Janis