After my trip to The Great Sand Dunes National Park, I decided to make my own energy bars. My friends and I regularly buy Clif Bars and it got me thinking of ways to make them myself without the additives and preservatives found in Clif Bars. Thanks to Camilla V. Saulsbury at http://camillacooks.com, I found a recipe that tastes amazing. I do like the taste of Clif Bars, but if you aren’t a fan, this recipe might not be for you.
You will need the following ingredients to make 6 almond-cherry energy bars:
• 1 and 1/4 cups of Rice Krispies
• 1 cup of uncooked quick-cooking oats
• 3 tablespoons of ground flaxseed meal
• 1/4 cup of finely chopped dried cherries
• 1/4 cup of finely chopped roasted almonds
• 1/4 cup of brown rice syrup
• 2 tablespoons of dark brown sugar
• 1/3 cup of almond butter
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon of almond extract
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the Rice Krispies, quick-cooking oats, flaxseed meal, dried tart cherries, and chopped almonds.
- Combine the rice syrup and dark brown sugar in a saucepan and bring it to a boil over medium heat. You will want to stir the mixture the entire time, it will only take around a minute to boil. Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the almond butter, vanilla extract, and almond extract until your mixture is blended.
- Pour the liquid mixture over the dry mixture, and stir until evenly coated. As the liquid cools, the mixture will become stiff. I used my hands to combine the mixture, like kneading bread.
- Spray an 8-inch square pan with nonstick cooking spray and press the mixture into the pan. Use wax paper to help press the mixture flat and even across the pan.
- Allow the pan to cool for about an hour and cut into 6 hearty-sized energy bars.
To store the bars, wrap them and store them in the refrigerator. For long term storage, you can freeze the bars.
I brought these bars with me this past weekend on a trip to Yellowstone National Park. They were the perfect snack when I needed a bit more energy and they filled the void left by not having any Clif Bars. I did miss the variety I enjoy when I normally pack my bars, so I want to make some carrot cake, apricot, and an apple cinnamon bar to go along with this amazing almond/cherry recipe. I will amend this post when I get around to making them. I have a couple of things on my plate right now, so that will have to wait for an opening in my schedule. Next up, photos of an amazing trip to Yellowstone.
I had thought about doing this once. They sounds like they tasted good. How long did it take to make them?
Because I took all the photos and lollygagged a bit, the first batch took an hour or so. The second batch took me around 15-20 minutes tops. They are really quick and easy to make.
sounds pretty tasty, the next thing you should try is making an energy shot like these, http://www.clifbar.com/food/products_shot_gel/
they were passing these out during the denver marathon and you get a pretty decent burst of energy. Happy trails
Thanks Scott, I will have to try those out on my upcoming bicycle trip.
I started using those cliff shots (only the flavors without caffeine, have to read the label) between the 2nd and 3rd periods of hockey games because I found I was running out of calories. This is about the only thing I’ve found (cliff shots) that don’t tear up my stomach when ingested during an intense competition like hockey. So if you find a good way to make those too, that’ll be cool.
Do you have any idea what the nutritional value of these are?
Souinds tasty…could you add a little protien powder too? Or pured vegetables in with the syrup? Just for some more nutrients. I think my daughter and I will try this recipe tomorrow. Thanks!
*jo
They look great!!! Can you use anything other than rice syrup? (like maple syrup, or honey?)
melissa, yeah you should be able to use maple syrup or honey. i’ve done these except have used honey and it was really good too. i bet maple syrup would be good too..may have a different flavor? idk its worth a try!
Mine are turning out quite different (mainly in terms of appearance). The only difference is that I didn’t add the flaxseed meal. Would that make a big difference? Mine didn’t appear as smooth as the picture.
Also - should these be firm and hold together well (like a Clif Bar)?
Great recipe but I only made one change. The first two times I tried it, the mixture was too dry to really form up in the 8 inch pan and it was more or less like a loose granola mixture. As much as I tried to pack it down, it was just still too dry.
So, on the third batch, I doubled the amount of brown rice syrup ( 1/2 cup) and that seems to work much better. The mixture forms well in the pan and after cooling, cuts into bars well.
I know some may not want that much brown rice syrup but it seems to work for me!
So, I made these and yes, I agree, the sugar/nut butter mixture is much not enough proportion liquid to add to the dry ingredients to form into bars. It is in such small quantity that much of it is getting lost on the sides of the measuring cups, spoons, and saucepan, even if you try to save it. I added a quarter cup of maple syrup (I skipped the brown sugar) so I could work it into the mix.
I also made some cream cheese icing, out of equal parts (2oz each) of softened butter and softened cream cheese with a little maple syrup to sweeten and vanilla to flavor. I iced the mix with the frosting, in an attempt to imitate the Macadamia Nut flavor Clif bar with that delicous icing!
Wow, what a delicious result! I think even all the sugar it will come out less grams of sugar per serving than Clif bars. I mean, what holds all these bars together - it’s sugar afterall.
Thank you for this recipe, I think that one could substitute the choices of dried fruit (say cranberries instead) and nut (perhaps walnuts), and nut butter (what about peanut) to make other combinations.
I used your recipe first…it was wonderful. Then I just took off with it, making several batches using multiple variations. I used Peanut butter, cashew butter, and a host of different seeds and dried fruits. I did use the honey & maple syrup instead of the brown rice syrup and teaked amounts by chance til it had the right consistency. They were all great. I had no problem distributing them all to my adult daughters for their biking, skiing and horseback riding events. Thanx for a wonderful recipe.