In our October/November 2011 issue, we featured three
fantastic food bloggers to check out how they inject their own personal style
into their cooking.
Ann Claire McBride of A Flourishing Foodie focused on
healthy eats that prove that living well doesn’t mean nixing taste (and
treats). In her own words…
A great after-school snack or light breakfast, these crunch bars combine two of
my favorite fall flavors: cinnamon and apples and will have your whole house
filled with the scent of the season. If I'm feeling a little fancier, I'll
crumble a bar on top of some yogurt and fresh fruit for a satisfying snack. The
bars are also fabulous crumbled atop ice cream; add caramel sauce for a truly
fabulous dessert.
Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups old fashion oats
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons canola oil
1/2 cup walnuts, almonds or pecans
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup honey
1/4 apple sauce
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup dried apples, chopped
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a 9x13 baking dish with foil and spray
lightly with nonstick cooking spray.
In a medium sized skilled combine oats, salt, and 2 tablespoons canola oil.
Cook over medium heat for 6-8 minutes, stirring regularly. The oats should
become fragrant and slightly browned in color. Meanwhile, in a medium sized
bowl combine brown sugar, honey, applesauce, cinnamon and remaining canola oil.
Set aside.
Put the nuts in a blender or food processor and pulse to a
fine mill. Add chopped nuts to the liquid mixture. Next, place toasted
oats in the food processor or blender and pulse just a few times. They should
still retain much of their texture. Add oats and apples to the rest of the
ingredients. Stir well and pour into prepared baking dish. Using a rubber
spatula or clean hands press the mixture into a thin even layer.
Bake for 20-25 minutes. They should be lightly browned but not
burnt. The bars will still be soft upon removal from the oven; they will harden
during cooling. When cool, cut into bar sized pieces using a large chef's
knife. Store in the fridge to maintain optimum crunchiness.
Variation: For peanut butter crunch bars, reduce amount of oats by 1/2 a cup,
replace nuts with peanuts, and replace 1/4 cup of the canola oil with peanut
butter.
Crumble crunch bars with fruit and yogurt for an easy and delicious parfait,
pictured above.
Thanks, Ann Claire!
BY ANN CLAIRE MCBRIDE, A FLOURISHING FOODIE ON 9/27/2011 12:51:00 PM
POSTED IN sweet treats, snack, healthy recipes, breakfast, fall recipes, vegetarian recipes, after school snacks