Do-it-yourself nut bars pack protein without excess sugar

After a recent grocery trip, I examined the label on crunchy nut bars I’d purchased and learned that they were basically nuts and seeds glued together with corn syrup.

I also learned, upon taste test, that “crunchy” was code for tooth-breakingly hard.

I had two thoughts: One, I should read the ingredients before putting items in my basket. Two, I could do better.

I’m not the only one who thinks so. A quick Internet search yields quite a few homemade nut bar recipes – many on blogs written by DIY moms looking for wholesome alternatives for their kids’ lunch boxes and soccer practice treats.

I wanted something I could make with minimal ingredients and minimal mess. And in the end, I wanted a protein-packed afternoon blood-sugar boost that wouldn’t send me to the dentist.

After some testing and tweaking, I came up with my own recipe for a slightly sweet but decidedly healthy snack that fills the bill whether you’re stocking up on low-sugar lunch box items, looking for a quick breakfast on the go, or trying to avoid those pretty, gourmet nut bars that sell for around $2 apiece at grocery stores and coffee shops.

The resulting recipe is highly adaptable – a big perk for those with allergies. As long as you stick to the basic ratio – 2 ¼ cups of dry to about 4 tablespoons of sticky – you can use almost any combination of nuts and dried fruit. And yes, you can even add chocolate chips.

It’s also pretty simple. Small hands can help with the mixing, and kids old enough to use the oven could make these on their own.

A quarter-cup measuring cup scoops the sticky mix with as little mess as possible (especially if you hit it with a shot of cooking spray first), and a muffin tin creates compact, uniform clusters with no edges to burn. Lining the tin with muffin papers makes the snacks that much easier to pack and eat on the go.

Some tips for shopping: Nuts and dried fruit are much less expensive if you buy them in the bulk section. This also lets you buy only the amount you need, and it reduces packaging. Brown rice syrup can be found in the baking aisle of natural food stores, or in the natural foods section of many supermarkets. It seems expensive, but a little goes a long way, and I like it for its mild sweetness that doesn’t have a distinctive flavor. Unlike honey, it’s vegan, and it’s also gluten free.

Below you’ll find a basic recipe that you can customize to your taste, plus specific recipes for three of my favorites: peanutty pretzel, cherry vanilla, and fruit and nut medley.

Or create your own. For a tropical nut bar, use macadamia nuts, dried pineapple, dried mango and coconut. Try adding oats, dried blueberries and a dash of cinnamon for blueberry muffin nut bars. The possibilities are as vast as the granola bar aisle.

Customizable nut bars

1  3/4 cup nuts, seeds or cereal, such as almonds, pecans, walnuts, peanuts, cashews, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, puffed rice cereal, pretzel pieces or oats

1/2 cup dried fruit (or chocolate chips or additional nuts)

3 tablespoon liquid sweetener (such as honey, brown rice syrup, agave or maple syrup) plus 1 teaspoon oil (such as olive or coconut) or 3 tablespoons sweetener plus 1 tablespoon nut butter (almond or peanut)

1/4 teaspoon salt (you can omit this if you start with salted nuts)

Optional additions: vanilla, flax seeds, shredded coconut

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Stir together dry ingredients in a large bowl.

Measure sweeteners and oil or nut butter into a microwave-safe dish. Microwave 20 to 30 seconds, or just long enough to make the ingredients easier to stir together.

Pour liquid ingredients over dry ingredients and stir until thoroughly mixed.

Line a muffin tin with muffin papers or spray with cooking spray (Note: you’ll only be using 9 of the 12 spaces).

Lightly spray a ¼ cup measuring cup with cooking spray and use it to scoop nut bar mixture into the pan. Press mixture firmly into muffin tin with the back of the measuring cup or with lightly oiled fingers.

Bake at 300 degrees for 20 to 23 minutes. Let nut bars cool thoroughly before storing in an airtight container.

Makes: 9 bars

The following flavor combinations all use the method described above.

Peanutty pretzel bars

1/2 cup almonds

3/4  cup peanuts

1/4 cup puffed rice cereal

1/4 cup pumpkin seeds

1/2 cup pretzels, broken into small pieces

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons brown rice syrup

1 tablespoon honey

1 tablespoon peanut butter

Cherry pecan bars

1/2 cup almonds

1/2 cup pecans

3/4 cup dried cherries

1/4 cup pumpkin seeds

1/4 cup puffed rice cereal

1 tablespoon flax seeds (optional)

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon maple syrup

2 tablespoon brown rice syrup

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon coconut oil

 

Fruit and nut medley bars

1/2 cup walnuts

1/2 cup almonds

1/4 cup pumpkin seeds

1/4 cup puffed rice cereal

1/4 cup peanuts

1/4 cup raisins

1/4 cup dried cranberries

1 tablespoon peanut butter

1 tablespoon honey

2 tablespoons brown rice syrup