Barry Bars! - DIY Clif Bars
Most people that I show this recipe to have no idea that you can actually make these chewy bars at home, and in only a few minutes! These will not only save you money, but they taste better too! It's also greatly because you can adjust the ingredients and sweetness to your taste preferences.
A high powered blender will get the uniform blend that you see in the image of my bars. However, you can also make these in a food processor. The ingredients will not break down as much, but the flavor will still be great! For the food processor method, if you run into the situation where the bars are not sticking together then just add more brown rice syrup. Still having issues? Then add more dried fruits. Remember the ratios that work best for your machine next time.
These make great snacks and they're quite filling. Aside from just regular snack use I like to take them when I'm traveling, hiking, any time where I'm not sure that I'll have access to a full meal for a longer period of time.
Recipe type: Snack
Servings: 8
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Tags: Vegan, oil-free, gluten free
Ingredients
- 1 cup dates – remove the pits and stems
- 1 ¼ cup puffed wheat, kamut, or millet (you may skip this ingredient all together and just use oats)
- 1 cup rolled oats
- ¼ cup cashews OR any nuts
- ¼ tsp cinnamon
- Pinch of salt
- ½ cup peanut butter or nut butter of preference
- ¼ cup brown rice syrup or honey
- 1/2 tsp vanilla powder or 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 Tb flaxseed (optional)
Directions
- Line a 8x8in baking pan with saran wrap or aluminum foil and set aside
- Add ingredients to the Vitamix in layers. Add half of the dry ingredients, add all liquid ingredients, then add the other half of the dry ingredients – This is not essential but prevents the sticky ingredients from sticking to the sides or the masher.
- Turn blender to variable 1, slowly increase to high and process. Use masher to continuously push mixture into the blades until dough forms.
- Press mixture into the pan and slice.
Catch the video Tutorial below!
Alternative
You can make this mixture in a food processor, depending on the power of your processor you may need to adjust the ratios of the ingredients. The texture will be less uniform, but still very good!
Serve
Those with patience can chill these in the refrigerator for an hour before slicing. I never quite had that patience, though. They are delicious warm, right out of the blender!
Variations
In a 1 cup measuring cup. Replace 1 cup of dates with...
- 5 dates, and dried blueberries OR 5 dates, and dried cherries
- Add-in ¼ cup vegan chocolate chips OR ½ cup cacao nibs
- Break pretzels and press them into dough while still warm
Heads up! - Cacao nibs pack a lot of caffeine, so consider the time of the day when eating these with chocolate.
Use this base recipe to replicate your favorite fruit/nut bars!
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