Fruit and Nut Bars
We make these atleast once a month. We change up what nuts, fruit and seeds we use. Storing them in the freezer and then packing them in lunch boxes to thaw throughout the day.
Servings 16 bars
Calories 289kcal
Ingredients
- 189 grams Cashews
- 189 grams Almonds
- 189 grams Pecans
- 71 grams large shredded coconut
- 60 grams pepitas
- 40 grams chia seeds
- 1/2 tsp Redmonds Real Salt
- 158 grams maple syrup `
- 2 tsp vanilla
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees ℉
- Once you decide which dried fruits and nuts you’re going to use, weigh them out and pour into the large mixing bowl. I use 1/3 of each, pecans, almonds and cashews.
- Next, weigh your shredded coconut, pepitas, cranberries and chia seeds and add them to the mixing bowl.
- Finally, weigh your maple syrup and add salt and vanilla. Stir this mixture some to dissolve your salt slightly.
- With a rubber spatula, stir all of your ingredients, being careful to coat everything well with the maple syrup.
- Prepare your pan by lining it with a piece of parchment, allowing the paper to stick up above the top of the pan. You want to be sure the paper is pressed into the creases and corners of the bottom of the pan. I often use the back side of my thumb nail to crease the paper, pressing it into the bottom crease of the pan.
- Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and spread evenly.
- Using the rubber spatula, press the mixture, pretty forcefully, into the pan. You want to press all of those nuts, fruit and seeds into each other so it bakes into a solid bar. I always start at one end and work across and then down the length of the pan. Sometimes, you will be able to see a spot that is higher, or maybe lower, apply pressure with the flat, rubber spatula to the high spot, pressing in the direction of the lower.
- Place in a preheated oven and back 14 minutes, rotate and back an additional 14 minutes. All of my recipes are written encouraging a rotation halfway through, I have found that most ovens have a hot spot or do not bake evenly, and this will help give you the best results!
- Once the nut bars are done baking, they should be slightly golden brown on top, but you do not want them too DARK. This will make your bars crunchy and they will not cut cleanly, they will crumble.Let them cool COMPLETELY. Do not try to cut them warm, they will fall apart. I try to bake them the day before so I do not have this issue, but it is not necessary as long as you leave time for them to cool. If you are going to bake and then cut the following day, allow to cool slightly before wrapping tightly with plastic wrap.Using the parchment paper left sticking up on the sides of the pan, pull the whole sheet of Fruit and Nut Bars out of the pan and place on a cutting board. In my 9″x13″ pan, I am able to get 2 rows of 8 Fruit and Nut Bars. I make my first 2 cuts in the middle long ways, and then the cross cut, in the middle going the other direction. After these 2 cuts you are left with 4 equal sections of Fruit and Nut Bars. Then cut those in half, and then half again. You can cut your Fruit and Nut Bars any size you would like!
- After I cut my bars, I like to wrap them in individual pieces of waxed paper. You can cut strips from your larger paper, or I order these deli sheets of waxed paper. They are relatively cheap and come 500 to a box. I cut them in half along the crease and use each half to wrap a bar. This will keep them from sticking together. You can also store them in an airtight contain a single layer high with no waxed paper between them. I found the individually wrapped ones make it easier for packing in kids lunches.These will stay good at least 2-3 weeks in an airtight container at room temperature. You can freeze for up to 3 months. Although, I will warn you, let these come back to room temperature completely, or you will break a tooth on a frozen bar!
Nutrition
Serving: 1bar | Calories: 289kcal | Carbohydrates: 18.5g | Protein: 6.25g | Fat: 23g | Fiber: 4.8g