So, here's the thought process on these bars...
1 - Dried apricots are crack. Especially the Great Value dried apricots. I could eat a whole bag in one sitting which is why I take them to work for a snack.
2 - Sometimes, I bring in extra dark chocolate bars to eat WITH my crackpricots and have this for lunch dessert at work.
3 - We hike, therefore we eat bars for energy.
4 - I wanted to see if I could make these favorite tastes into a treat bar.
5 - I did. And they were good! So good I ate 3 bars that day. NOT ALL AT ONCE! *hangs head in shame*
So, I examined the Rice Krispie Treat recipe. Okay, one bag of mallows and 6 cups of the dry stuff. Um... GOT IT!
I knew I wanted to have oatmeal in the mix, but wasn't sure about putting just raw oatmeal in this mix. So, I wandered around on Pinterest and thought, "Okay. Treat it like granola, but don't coat it with anything. Just....toast it in the oven!" And I did...and it was good.
So, I combined 1 cup of chopped dried apricots, 1/2 cup of sunflower seeds, 1 cup of pistachios, 2 cups of toasted oats, and 1 1/2 cups of puffed rice cereal (aka Kellogg's® Rice Krispies® cereal) in a large mixing bowl.
Then I melted 3 T of ICBINB in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat until melted. Then I added the marshmallows and stirring constantly until they were completely melted. I stirred in some freshly ground cinnamon and ginger then added the 6 cups of dry ingredients and stirred until combined. Then I added 1 cup of dark chocolate chips and tried to fold those in so they didn't melt. Some did, but many stayed whole. Then I pressed them into a pan covered in aluminum foil coated with cooking spray and let them cool.
He had to work that night...overnight. *sad face* The kitchen isn't open overnight, so he wasn't going to get anything to eat until breakfast the next morning. I gave him three bars, some chips, water, half a sammy. He txted me "Those bars are GOOD!" Reply, "They're my new crack! I ate three already!" Yes, I told him I ate three. There are no secrets between us.
We took these bars on our last hiking trip. They were STILL good and a nice,welcome change from the standard pasty, dry protein bars we usually take with us.
I like this method. It's the lazy chick's granola bar recipe. *snort* However, I will have to admit that since I used ICINB, they are a tad bit dryer or crumblier than regular chewy granola bars. I will have to try to remedy that with either maple syrup or some molasses. I'll just have to see how it goes.
I think I'm going to experiment with some Mocha Granola but I haven't eaten it as fast as I thought I would and will probably make some bars today for my trip. I don't want to rely on airport food today and I know I will need to pack some easy snacks while at work for the next two weeks. I will probably use the gingerbread mallows I have in the cupboard since I know S probably won't eat these.
Okay...I need to stop rambling and get my heffer hiney moving. I have a CRAP TON of stuff to do today before I head to the airport tomorrow.
- 1 c dried apricots, chopped
- 1/2 c sunflower seeds
- 1 c pistacchios, chopped
- 2 c old-fashioned rolled oats, toasted
- 1 1/2 c puffed rice cereal
- 3 T margarine
- 16 oz marshmallows
- 1 t ground cinnamon
- 1/2 t ground ginger
- Combine dried apricots, sunflower seeds, pistachios, toasted oats, and puffed rice cereal (aka Kellogg's® Rice Krispies® cereal) in a large mixing bowl.
- Heat a pot over meidum-high heat. Add margarine and swirl until melted.
- Add marshmallows and stirring, continuously, until melted.
- Add cinnamon and ginger and stir until combined.
- Remove pan from heat and add the cereal mixture. Stir until completely combined.
- Spray a 13 x 9 baking pan with cooking spray. Spread the mixture out evenly in the pan and cool completely.
- Cut into bars and wrap in plastic wrap or store in zip top baggies.
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