Fruit and Nut Bars

Kind Bars are awesome. They're a perfect snack when you just need a little something. Not a lot of preservatives, not a lot of junk, just yumminess. The problem is that they're not readily available (you usually have to go to a specialty health food store to find them) and they're expensive (probably because you have to go to a specialty health food store to find them). I would treat myself to one every once in a while, but largely I just avoided them. It's the same thing with LaraBars (though you can usually find those in a few more places). 

I bought one last weekend when I was at Whole Paycheck because I was starving and wasn't going to be home for lunch for a couple of hours. I realized that they were pretty simple. I figured I could probably make the same thing at home for quite a bit less money. 

Naturally I did my research, got some ideas for a recipe, and went to work. So, so good. Unfortunately, my BF can't eat them because they're chuck full of nuts, but I'll work on finding a recipe he can eat (or all cashews is an option). In the meantime, I make Rice Krispie Treats and caramels for him. :) 

These are really flexible. You can use any mixture of nuts (toasted or raw) and dried fruit. You can be flexible with the sweetener, too. This batch I made completely from brown rice sugar. They turned out fairly crispy (and I prefer chewier bars) so I think next time I'll do half brown rice syrup and half honey. Just know, you're only limited by your imagination. 

I forget to take a lot of pictures, but I remembered to get one here. Tell me you don't want to eat this. Like, right now. 

Ingredients: 

2/3 cup peanuts 

1/3 cup cashews

1/3 cup almonds 

1/3 cup chopped dried fruit (I used Craisins, apricots and flaked coconut)

1/4 cup Rice Krispies (or other crisp rice cereal) 

1/4 cup sweetener of choice (I used brown rice syrup)

1/8 tsp sea salt (omit if nuts are already salted) 

Directions: 

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line an 8x8 baking dish with foil, then coat with cooking spray. Set aside. 

Coarsely chop nuts (you don't have to chop the peanuts if you don't want to). Or, put nuts in a zip top baggie and hit them with a rolling pin until they're broken up. In a mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients and stir well, making sure everything is evenly coated. Pour mixture into prepared baking dish. 

Cut a piece of foil that will fit inside the pan. Spray with cooking spray, and use it to press the nut mixture into the pan. Press very firmly all around, making sure everything sticks together. 

Bake for 18 minutes. Remove from oven and set pan on a cooling rack. Let cool for about 15 minutes, or until still warm and pliable, but not too hot. Hold the edges of the foil and transfer bars from pan to a cutting board. G-e-n-t-l-y peel back the sides of the foil, but do not attempt to move the bars. Cut into bars (I made 8), then let cool completely before attempting to pull bars off the foil. Wrap bars individually in plastic wrap. Store in airtight container in a cool, dry area.