Energy Bar Recipes

[Jan LiteShoe]

I thought a straight forward thread of homemade energy bar recipes might be useful..
I just ran across this one:

This is a tasty, whole-food, nutritious snack that takes only 10 minutes to prepare.
Personally, I'd prefer a coarser grind to a finer one, and substituting dried apricots for raisins might make a nice experiment:


10-Minute Peanut Bars" (http://whfoods.org/genpage.php?tname=recipe&dbid=231)
Prep and Cook Time: 10 minutes
Ingredients:
1 cup raw or roasted peanuts
1 TBS minced fresh ginger
2 TBS sesame seeds
1 cup raisins or dates
2 TBS honeyDirections:
Grind all ingredients, except for the honey, in a food processor until fairly fine but still with some texture (you don't want it to have the consistency of peanut butter).
Add honey and process just long enough for it to blend in.
Press into a square about 3/4-inch thick on a plate or square pan and refrigerate for about an hour or more.
Cut into 2-inch squares.In-depth nutritional profile here:
http://whfoods.org/genpage.php?tname=recipeprofile&dbid=311

[Footslogger]

I thought a straight forward thread of homemade energy bar recipes might be useful..
I just ran across this one:

This is a tasty, whole-food, nutritious snack that takes only 10 minutes to prepare.
Personally, I'd prefer a coarser grind to a finer one, and substituting dried apricots for raisins might make a nice experiment:


10-Minute Peanut Bars" (http://whfoods.org/genpage.php?tname=recipe&dbid=231)
Prep and Cook Time: 10 minutes
Ingredients:

1 cup raw or roasted peanuts
1 TBS minced fresh ginger
2 TBS sesame seeds
1 cup raisins or dates
2 TBS honeyDirections:

Grind all ingredients, except for the honey, in a food processor until fairly fine but still with some texture (you don't want it to have the consistency of peanut butter).
Add honey and process just long enough for it to blend in.
Press into a square about 3/4-inch thick on a plate or square pan and refrigerate for about an hour or more.
Cut into 2-inch squares.In-depth nutritional profile here:
http://whfoods.org/genpage.php?tname=recipeprofile&dbid=311

====================================

Where do I place my order ...and do you take PayPal ????

'Slogger

[Jan LiteShoe]

====================================

Where do I place my order ...and do you take PayPal ????

'Slogger

You must be hungry!
Me too - the mid-afternoon carb attack!
:sun

[Footslogger]

You must be hungry!
Me too - the mid-afternoon carb attack!
:sun
==========================

Damn ...where'd I put that bottle of Stevia ???

'Slogger

[Jan LiteShoe]

Here's another incredible homemade healthy energy bar I tasted while on my '03 thru-hike.

The baker was a buddy of WB-er Blue Jay. Her name was Alli, and these bars were about the best thing I ate the entire hike. Dense, and full of energy. Her instructions follow:

Homemade Hiker's Halvah
(Halvah a la Alli!):
3/4 cup sesame tahini
1/2 cup raw honey
1/4 - 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 - 1/2 tsp. pure chocolate extract (could use vanilla instead)
1/4 cup powdered milk (or 10 Tb powdered milk if not using whey and egg white powders)
3 Tb. powdered whey (milk protein)
3 Tb. egg white powder
Note: amounts are approximate; what you want at the end is a reasonably dry, solid mass.
Instructions:
Mix together sesame tahini, honey and extracts until smooth. Gradually add powdered milk, whey and egg white powder. Mixture will become thick; mix well. You want to get it to point where can't be stirred and you have to mix/knead it with your hands; otherwise, the halvah will be too soft and gooey.
Press finished mixture into a container or make a flat disk (1/2" high) on a plate. Cover with plastic wrap and chill. Then cut into whatever size you like. Pack in ziplock baggies for the trail and you have a high-calorie, high-protein, high-carb, high-(good)fat power snack! Yum!
P.S. from Alli: "The following are the brands I use. They're expensive, but make a superior halvah:
*Joyva Sesame Tahini (a must! available in cans; cheaper in bulk);
*Dawes Hill Raw Tupelo Honey (Tupelo honey apparently has a different chemical structure than other honeys and has a less dramatic effect on blood sugar; apparently can be used -- in moderation -- by those who are diabetic and hypoglycemic. I have a friend who's severely hypoglycemic and it's the only honey he can tolerate);
*Nielsen-Massey Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Extract (a kick-ass vanilla extract!);
*Flavorganics organic Pure Chocolate Extract (amazing!);
*I get the whey and egg white powder in bulk at my local food coop; are also available packaged.

After I ate them, I begged for the recipe, which Alli provided.
At the time, I wrote:
http://www.trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?id=41081
"For Trail bars, Alli makes homemade Halvah. It is incredible!!! SERIOUS hiker food. Besides the sesame seed, she uses raw honey for sweetness, and powdered milk to set it up. AWESOME! If she sends me the recipe, I will post it here. Dense, packed with protein and carbs, with the honey as a preservative, this food of the gods deserves a spot in any hiker's foodbag."

[Footslogger]

Now datgawnit ...just stop it. I'm at the clinic and had to work right through lunch.

DROOOOOL ....

'Slogger

[Blissful]

Great!

The ATC cookbook (https://www.atctrailstore.org/catalog/iteminfo.cfm?itemid=326&compid=1)has some good recipes too that we used.

[Smile]

Does anyone have any that don't need to be refrigerated? Would be great to take on trail, but some of them tend to get pretty soggy when left out too long :)

Great idea Jan!

[Mrs Baggins]

Ahem.........as the resident Hobbit I would really like the Elven recipe for the oldest and finest energy food......Lembas bread. Any one know where I can find that? :confused: Must be thin, crispy, and a single bite should satisfy for a day.

[SunnyWalker]

Oh Ms. Baggins, you gone and done it now!

[Monkeyboy]

Ahem.........as the resident Hobbit I would really like the Elven recipe for the oldest and finest energy food......Lembas bread. Any one know where I can find that? :confused: Must be thin, crispy, and a single bite should satisfy for a day.


And wash it down with an Ent-draught........

[Monkeyboy]

Ahem.........as the resident Hobbit I would really like the Elven recipe for the oldest and finest energy food......Lembas bread. Any one know where I can find that? :confused: Must be thin, crispy, and a single bite should satisfy for a day.


And BTW.....in the novel it was a single cake that was sufficient for "a day's march"......but was changed to a single bite in the movie.

[GGS2]

Nice stuff. Good thread, Jan. I definitely approve of the halvah. And it will keep if wrapped, for quite a while. Something about the honey, I think. Of course, I don't think the milk powder and egg whites are in the traditional stuff, but I could be wrong.

[Mrs Baggins]

And BTW.....in the novel it was a single cake that was sufficient for "a day's march"......but was changed to a single bite in the movie.

***humbly hangs head*** You are most correct. I've been away from the Shire for some time and my Fellowship has been strewn about Middle Earth. I am fearful that I am losing my Hobbit ways for ways of Man. I must find my way back before I forget the taste of strawberries, the sound of my own name.............

[GGS2]

This is a stab at a general recipe for an energy bar. The thing is, the recipe is basically some sort of crushed nuts or nut butter, some raisins, dates, dried figs or almost any other sweet fruit, a sweet binder like honey, molasses or corn syrup, chocolate or carob or any other flavoring, then some sort of grain for carbohydrates, like oats, rolled or steel ground. If the stuff doesn't hold together, or is too liquid, you can add flour of some kind. Some flours can be eaten raw, some need to be cooked. If the mixture needs to be firmed up, you can add egg whites or milk powder, like Jan's halvah recipe, and the proportions and types of nuts, fruit and grain can be chosen to taste, or changed for variety. If you want it really firm, you can cook it with egg and or milk. If not, just mix and pat firm, maybe press into a pan or on a board. If you want a toasted taste, or you need the grain or nuts cooked, you can cook it loose, cook some ingredients before mixing, or grill/bake it after pressing. If the mixture is dry, or you need to up the calorie count, add some oil, maybe a salad oil, or a cooking oil, depending on whether you are cooking.

Proportions may vary widely, depending on taste and other objectives. I am thinking of making a diabetic bar with lots of nuts, a little honey binder, sesame to soak up the oil and make a firm bar. Basically a halvah with more nuts.

A good challenge would be an energy bar for people with nut sensitivities. Would halvah work?

A fine grained mix like halvah can be made into a loaf and allowed to set. It can then be sliced and wrapped, or just carried on the trail in a big brick. Coarser grained stuff can be cut into bars, or even left unpressed with less binder for a granola like mix. Essentially gorp variation. It doesn't really matter what if the bar stays in one piece or not.

There are many variations and subtleties like baking powder, cream of tartar and such, but these are used to alter texture and baking properties, and they aren't really needed. You can also use various gums and mucilaginous grains for help with texture. If you use fresh fruit (bananas?) and dry after mixing, you may find the bar is too firm, so you may want to add something like cream of tartar or baking powder to make it a bit foamy and softer.

Move this recipe towards a baked loaf and you have Logan Bread. Move it to coarse ingredients and you have gorp. Move it towards a baked cereal and you have granola. Don't bake it and it's muesli. Substitute jerked or dried meat for nuts and you have pemmican. Move a little more that way, cut down the sweet and add spices or herbs and you are into sausage territory. Make a mix with fresh meat and dry it.

Why buy factory made when there is so much variety and choice in home made, and you can make it completely organic and chemical free. I don't think you can really go wrong. Whatever you try, you'll probably find that somewhere in the world, this is a staple. Well, maybe not a chocolate nut smoked jerky loaf, but why not, if that turns you on?

[Mr. Clean]

Gumball had an awesome recipe for trail bars,

3 cups whole oats
3 1/2 cups anything
2 T melted butter
1 can condensed milk
mix and put in muffin tins
bake @ 350 for 18 minutes

I call mine trail dots and use the muffin top pans. I put in dried fruits, nuts, coconut, and some dark chocolate. I also use fat-free condensed milk for when I'm eating them at work or on overnights.
They are the greatest and never become sticky. Thanks again, Gumball!

[Fiddleback]

...Move this recipe towards a baked loaf and you have Logan Bread. Move it to coarse ingredients and you have gorp. Move it towards a baked cereal and you have granola. Don't bake it and it's muesli. Substitute jerked or dried meat for nuts and you have pemmican. Move a little more that way, cut down the sweet and add spices or herbs and you are into sausage territory...

Precisely. I like all the variations but I've always thought the term 'energy bar', whether commercial or homemade, was a tad misleading. No matter what the recipe, it's gonna be hard to get past 170 calories per ounce and virtually impossible to break 200c/oz. For example, peanut butter, Fritos corn chips, cashews...all are near 170c/oz. Honey, Log Cabin maple syrup and molasses range from 80+ to ~120c/oz. An ounce of granualted sugar is just over 110c whereas pure butter is just over 200c/oz. The range of the 'energy' (calorie) content of different recipes is pretty limited no matter what the ingredient. If you achieve 170c/oz ya' done good...but no better than that bag of chips, energy wise.

Now, healthy eating...that's another story!:D

FB

[Critterman]

Precisely. I like all the variations but I've always thought the term 'energy bar', whether commercial or homemade, was a tad misleading. No matter what the recipe, it's gonna be hard to get past 170 calories per ounce and virtually impossible to break 200c/oz. For example, peanut butter, Fritos corn chips, cashews...all are near 170c/oz. Honey, Log Cabin maple syrup and molasses range from 80+ to ~120c/oz. An ounce of granualted sugar is just over 110c whereas pure butter is just over 200c/oz. The range of the 'energy' (calorie) content of different recipes is pretty limited no matter what the ingredient. If you achieve 170c/oz ya' done good...but no better than that bag of chips, energy wise.

Now, healthy eating...that's another story!:D

FB

Maybe a good homemade oatmeal cookie with raisins would be about right.