Okay, so, I’ve been trying to eat healthier and I also needed some good snacks for hiking, then I thought, why not make my own energy bars? I found some recipes online, but I ended up mostly winging it. I decided to go with steel-cut oats as the base because I read somewhere that they are like the best type of oats. Let me tell you, it was a bit of an adventure.
First, I gathered all my ingredients. I had some steel-cut oats, a bunch of mixed nuts, some dried cranberries, honey, and a little bit of peanut butter. I also grabbed some cinnamon because, you know, everything is better with cinnamon.
My Little Experiment Begins
I started by cooking the steel-cut oats. This took a while, longer than regular oats for sure. While the oats were cooking, I roughly chopped up the nuts. I used a mix of almonds, walnuts, and pecans. Then, I threw the dried cranberries in with the nuts. I guess if you like other dried fruits you could use them too.
Once the oats were finally cooked and cooled a little, I mixed everything together in a big bowl. It was kind of messy, but fun. I added a good amount of honey to make it sticky, plus a couple of spoonfuls of peanut butter for flavor and, I guess, more stickiness. Oh, and don’t forget the cinnamon! I sprinkled in a generous amount.
Shaping and Baking
Next, I lined a baking tray with some parchment paper and spread the mixture evenly onto it. I pressed it down firmly with a spatula to make sure it was compact. Then, I popped the whole thing into the oven. I baked it at a pretty low temperature, I think it was around 300 degrees, for about 20-25 minutes. I just kept an eye on it until it looked golden brown and firm.
After I took it out of the oven, I let it cool completely. This was important, otherwise, it would crumble when I cut it. Once it was cool, I cut it into bars. They looked pretty good, if I do say so myself!
The Result
Tasting time! They were actually really good! Chewy, nutty, and just the right amount of sweetness. They were not too hard, not too soft, just perfect. These will be awesome to eat during hiking or other activities. And I feel good knowing exactly what’s in them. I would say my experiment is a success! I think I’ll try it again next time, maybe with different ingredients. There are still a lot of choices to make, like I could add some chocolate chips, or maybe some seeds. The possibilities are endless, I guess.
- Note: Make sure your steel-cut oats are cooked thoroughly.
- Tip: Adjust the amount of honey to your preferred sweetness.
- Suggestion: Get creative with your mix-ins!
So, yeah, that’s my homemade energy bar story. It was a fun little kitchen experiment, and I ended up with a tasty and healthy snack. You guys should try making it and tell me how it goes!
Post Comment