Peanut snack bars (top), chewy cranberry, millet and pistachio bars and banana breakfast bars, bottom.

Peanut snack bars (top), chewy cranberry, millet and pistachio bars and banana breakfast bars, bottom.

How to make snack bars your way

  • By Joe Yonan The Washington Post
  • Tuesday, May 10, 2016 1:02pm
  • Life

Energy bars, power bars, protein bars, granola bars. Whatever you call them, they’ve taken over entire aisles in supermarkets. When it comes to nutrition, some of them are little better for you than a store-bought cookie.

Their ubiquity might make you forget one salient fact: It’s so easy to make these things at home, where you can control the ingredients, mix and match to your liking and store them for a week, ready for whenever you have a hankering.

Just about every whole-foods-oriented cookbook I’ve seen in the past year or so has included a bar, so I’ve been trying recipes and returning to the best ones. In the process, I’ve settled on three standbys, each of which occupies a niche and satisfies a particular craving or need.

My favorite bars are variations on a common theme: grains, nuts and/or fruit bound together with something sticky, with minimal (if any) added sweetener. The most stripped-down of the ones I’ve loved are Susanna Booth’s peanut snack bars in her “Sensationally Sugar Free” (Hamlyn, 2016), which live up to the promise of the book’s title.

The chewy cranberry, millet and pistachio bars in Emma Galloway’s delightful “My Darling Lemon Thyme” (Roost Books, 2015) taste like an adult’s version of Rice Krispies treats.

Ella Woodward’s Banana Breakfast Bars are like a cross between a muffin and a granola bar, just the type of thing that you’d grab for a quick morning snack.

Banana breakfast bars

Coconut oil, for the baking dish (may substitute cooking oil spray)

2large or 3 small very ripe bananas, sliced (about 1 cup)

21/2cups old-fashioned rolled oats

Scant 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk

2tablespoons cashew butter

1tablespoon ground cinnamon

1tablespoon honey

1teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2teaspoon kosher salt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Generously grease a 9-by-6-inch baking dish with the oil.

Use a fork to mash the bananas in a mixing bowl until smooth. Stir in the rolled oats, almond milk, cashew butter, cinnamon, honey, vanilla extract and salt until well incorporated.

Spoon the mixture into the baking dish, flattening and smoothing the surface. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes or until evenly firm to the touch.

Cool in the baking dish completely before cutting into 10 bars of equal size.

Nutrition 5/8 Per bar: 130 calories, 3 g protein, 21 g carbohydrates, 5 g fat, 2 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 55 mg sodium, 3 g dietary fiber, 4 g sugar

Make ahead: The bars can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

Adapted from “Deliciously Ella Every Day,” by Ella Woodward (Scribner, 2016).Chewy cranberry, millet and pistachio bars

Look for puffed millet in health-food stores or in the gluten-free aisle of supermarkets.

21/2 cups puffed millet (may substitute puffed rice)

1/2cup dried cranberries

1/4cup shelled raw, unsalted pistachios, chopped

1/2cup brown rice syrup or 1/3cup honey

1/2cup tahini

3tablespoons coconut oil

3/4teaspoon kosher salt

1teaspoon vanilla extract

Grease a 7-by-11-inch baking pan with cooking oil spray, then line it with parchment paper.

Combine the millet, cranberries and pistachios in a heatproof mixing bowl, stirring to incorporate.

Combine the brown rice syrup or honey, the tahini, coconut oil and salt in a small saucepan over medium heat; once the mixture starts to bubble around the edges, stir to prevent sticking. Cook for 45 seconds, remove from heat.

Quickly stir in the vanilla extract, then pour the syrup mixture over the millet mixture.

Mix well and then transfer to the pan, pressing down evenly with the back of an oiled spoon to compact the mixture. Let cool, then cover and refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours or until set before using a lightly oiled knife to cut the slab into 14 equal bars.

Nutrition per bar (using brown rice syrup): 150 calories, 3 g protein, 18 g carbohydrates, 8 g fat, 4 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 75 mg sodium, 1 g dietary fiber, 10 g sugar

Make ahead: The bars can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

Adapted from “My Darling Lemon Thyme,” by Emma Galloway (Roost Books, 2015).Peanut snack bars

7 ounces soft dried figs (about 1 cup packed)

Scant 1/2cup unsweetened crunchy peanut butter

1/4cup hulled, toasted or roasted, unsalted sunflower seeds

1/3cup hulled, raw, unsalted pumpkin seeds

1/3cup whole-wheat flour

1/2teaspoon kosher salt

2tablespoons sunflower oil

2teaspoons water

Discard the tough stem at the top of each dried fig. Place the fruit in a food processor along with the peanut butter, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, flour, salt, sunflower oil and water; pulse long enough to create a mixture that has the texture of fine crumbs, which should hold together when firmly pressed.

Press or roll the mixture on a counter, between layers of parchment paper, to a thickness of about 1/2 inch: A rectangle about 7-by-6-inches is perfect. If there are cracks, press the dough more firmly. Cut into 12 equal slices.

Nutrition per bar: 180 calories, 5 g protein, 16 g carbohydrates, 11 g fat, 2 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 80 mg sodium, 3 g dietary fiber, 8 g sugar

Make ahead: The bars can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

Adapted from “Sensationally Sugar Free,” by Susanna Booth (Hamlyn, 2016).

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Life

2025 Nissan Rogue Rock Creek edition (Provided by Nissan).
2025 Nissan Rogue has new Rock Creek edition

Enhanced outdoor capability is a boon for the more adventurous.

Futuristic Kona Limited Photo Provided By Hyundai Newsroom.
2025 Hyundai Kona Limited SUV Gets Roomier

All-Wheel Drive Option Add To All Trims

Children play and look up at a large whale figure hanging from the ceiling at the Imagine Children’s Museum (Olivia Vanni / The herald)
Fun for all ages: The best places for family adventures

From thrilling activities to relaxing outings, here’s where to make unforgettable family memories!

Everett P. Fog, 15, in front of an Everett mural along Colby Avenue on Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Hello, Everett! No escape when your name is same as the town

Everett P. Fog, 15, sees and hears his first name wherever he goes. His middle name is also epic.

Jared Meads takes a breath after dunking in an ice bath in his back yard while his son Fallen, 5, reads off the water temperature on Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Chill out: Dive into the cold plunge craze

Plungers say they get mental clarity and relief for ails in icy water in tubs, troughs and clubs.

Schack exhibit to highlight Camano Island watercolorists

“Four Decades of Friendship: John Ebner & John Ringen” will be on display Jan. 16 through Feb. 9.

XRT Trim Adds Rugged Features Designed For Light Off-Roading
Hyundai Introduces Smarter, More Capable Tucson Compact SUV For 2025

Innovative New Convenience And Safety Features Add Value

Sequoia photo provided by Toyota USA Newsroom
If Big Is Better, 2024 Toyota Sequoia Is Best

4WD Pro Hybrid With 3-Rows Elevates Full-Size

2025 Toyota Land Cruiser (Provided by Toyota).
2025 Toyota Land Cruiser revives its roots

After a 3-year hiatus, the go-anywhere SUV returns with a more adventurous vibe.

Enjoy the wilderness in the CX-50. Photo provided by Mazda USA Newsroom
2025 Mazda CX-50 Adds Hybrid Capability to Turbo Options

Line-Up Receives More Robust List Of Standard Equipment

Practical And Functional bZ4X basks in sunshine. Photo provided by Toyota Newsroom.
2024 bZ4X Puts Toyota Twist On All-Electric SUV’s

Modern Styling, Tech & All-Wheel Drive Highlight

Photo provided by Mazda USA Newsroom
2025 Mazda3 Turbo Premium Plus Hatch Delivers Value

Plus Functionality of AWD And G-Vectoring

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.