%20%20%20%20%20%C2%BD%20cup%20sunflower%20seeds%20(or%20ground%20flax%20seed)%20%20%20%20%20%C2%BD%20cup%20dried%20cranberries%2C%20cherries%2C%20or%20raisins%20(you%20can%20also%20use%20chocolate%20chips%20if%20you%E2%80%99re%20not%20off%20sugar%20like%20I%20am!)%20%20%20%20%201%20teaspoon%20vanilla%20%20Combine%20all%20ingredients%20and%20pat%20firmly%20into%20a%20greased%208%C3%978%20pan%20(or%20roll%20into%20balls).%20Chill.)
I saw this recipe for Easy Energy Bars and immediately knew I wanted to try it. I subbed a few things to use what I had on hand and also to make the recipe sugar-free.
I was really happy with the final recipe — it’s so easily adaptable, too. My husband even agreed with me that these bars were pretty good, so that’s saying a lot. 🙂
{Yes, I mixed the ingredients up in the pan — because I’m lazy efficient like that! :)}
Easy Honey-Sweetened Energy Bars
- 1 1/2 cup oats
- ½ cup peanut butter
- 1/3 cup honey
- 1/2 cup chopped dates (or shredded coconut)
- ½ cup sunflower seeds (or ground flax seed)
- ½ cup dried cranberries, cherries, or raisins (you can also use chocolate chips if you’re not off sugar like I am!)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Combine all ingredients and pat firmly into a greased 8×8 pan (or roll into balls). Chill in refrigerator for at least 2 hours. Cut into bars and serve. Store in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Note: The bars are a little crumbly.
Recipe adapted from Brooke McGlothlin
Do you know if these freeze well?
Yes, they do!
I heated up my peanut butter about a minute in the microwave before adding other ingredients. It helped in being about to stir more easily! My children loved this recipe. I used nuts instead of the dates or coconut.
Any ideas on ways to make these for those of us who can’t do nuts?? And if you do coconu oil, do you taste the coconut or does it just help hold them together?
I’d try sunbutter in place of the peanut butter.
Just whipped a batch up. Should have read the comments FIRST though…a muffin tin would have been a great idea. Oh well…next time. Where do you get dried cranberries without sugar? The ones I buy at Aldi have sugar. 🙁
Vitacost or the health food store. Though raisins are a lot less expensive. 🙂
These look delicious! I bet they would be good crumbled up on yogurt (or ice cream, but then it wouldn’t be so healthy, LOL!). And if they passed the husband test, then they must be good – maybe I will even get my picky husband to try these. ;0)
I make a similar recipe that a friend gave me…but it has egg whites and has to be baked. I’ve found they don’t crumble as much if you don’t add things to them and my husband likes them plain so that’s what I do…in a muffin tin so I don’t have to cut them up!
here is the recipe: http://dawnsdisaster.blogspot.com/2012/09/yummy-oatmealgranola-bars.html
you could omit the brown sugar they are plenty sweet. also I do NOT put the butter over the top but that is because I don’t cook much with added butter 🙂
These look yummy!
what brand of dried cherries and cranberries do you (or anyone)use? i can’t ever seem to find any that don’t have added sugar???
A friend found some dried cherries without sugar at Costco last month. I think the brand is Sunrise Fruit and Nut Co. We’re in CA, not sure if things differ that much regionally?
I put mine into a muffin tin . It works well for portion control. After they spend time in the fridge I take them out of the muffin tin and they easy to grab and go.
I’ve been making a similar recipe in a muffin tin too! It also keeps them from getting quite as crumbly since you don’t have to cut them!
Thanks so much for the great ideas and recipe!
I added about 1/4 cup coconut oil and my bars weren’t crumbly. Not quite sturdy enough to throw in a lunchbox but relatively firm.
Oh, thanks for the good idea of coconut oil!
These look very good! Do you know (or have a guess) of the calories?
Hi Jenny!
I added this up using coconut, peanuts and flax as my add-ins. If you use those and cut it into 16 squares, each square is 142 calories. Hope that is helpful!
Thanks for doing the math on these for us!
Of course! I’m using myfitnesspal to count every calorie, so I have to do this for every little recipe. I’ve gotten fast! 🙂
I am trying to cut out added sugar too. I am curious – what kind of peanut butter did you use? I have been buying natural unsweetened peanut butter – do you think that would work in this recipe?
Yes, that should work. I used Arrowhead Mills Creamy Organic Peanut Butter in this recipe. It’s just ground peanuts.
Looks tasty! I’ll have to try adding in the vanilla. I’ve been making something similar lately. As simple as oats, dates, nuts, honey, melted coconut oil. The oil binds them together nicely after sitting in the fridge for a little bit. You really can add anything to these things!
Do you have a recipe? Would love to try it!
Well, I’m not Sara, but just thought I’d mention that there is a very similar recipe to this on heavenlyhomemakers.com that has the addition of coconut oil. It’s called homemade chewy granola bars. I’ve made it with butter instead, but coconut oil is good, of course.
I don’t really have a recipe, just throw handfuls of stuff into the food processor! I started following a couple of different recipes on Pinterest for no-bake oatmeal cookies, but they had SO much sugar in them. I finally figured out that with some honey, they are plenty sweet. You can adjust as you go along. I’ve thrown in cocoa powder, pecans, almonds, cranberries, flax seed, wheat germ, peanut butter, etc. Press it into a pan and only about 20 minutes (or longer) in the fridge will make them easy to handle as bars.
Yea! Good for you for changing your diet. I don’t know if you are including your kids, but I wish SO MUCH that my parents had raised me differently. It’s so much easier to not have to grow up and change your ways later on, after you are already addicted to bad foods.
http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/health/researcher-sugar-addictive-cocaine-obesity-diabetes-cancer-heart-disease-article-1.1054419
Are you using just honey on your sugar-free diet, or do you allow pure (real) maple syrup also?
I’m sticking just with honey for now. However, I bet you could sub maple syrup in this recipe.