DAY SEVENTEEN: PB&J chunky granola no-bake bars

At last...Success! 

I first had a go at making these bars over a year ago, at around the time I'd first discovered homemade smoosh bars. However my first attempt didn't go down so well and I attribute this to one critical factor- you must use roasted peanuts!! (ideally roast them yourself for 10 mins in the oven at 200C).  My first attempt just tasted off and didn't have any oomph- roasted peanuts taste so different to raw peanuts with such a depth of flavour. 

This time around I also left the mix a little more chunky and pressed some extra roasted chunks in to the top for good measure. I also changed some other ingredients up a bit and added a good dose of oats to the mix!!

I used a little sugar free strawberry jam and they were very sweet- indulgently decadently sweet, i'd even go so far as saying almost a little too sweet for me (almost... but not quite!)  you could probably use fresh berry 

puree instead for a slightly more subtle flavour or just use a little less jam...they will be perfectly sweet enough from the raisins.

You can use any dried red berries you wish, cherry or even goji if you are going for superfood factor- the sweetness of the jam should compensate for any tartness. This mix would also make a great raw crumble topping instead of packing it down into bars.

Recipe: PB&J granola no bake bars

Makes approx. 10 cubes

Ingredients

100g raisins

50g dried cranberries/cherries

80g roasted peanuts

50g oats (ground) 30g oats (unground)

20g chia seeds (optional)

½ tsp mixed spice

3 tbs sugar free strawberry or raspberry jam

Method

Add raisins, 50g ground oats, chia seeds and spice to a food processor and process for a few seconds to a paste. Add the roasted peanuts, dried berries, jam and remaining oats and pulse until the mixture is sticky and chunky.

Pack the mixture into a suitably sized tin and press some extra peanut chunks into the top. Chill for an hour before slicing into squares.  Alternatively you could form balls and roll in extra nuts.

You can find more no-bake recipes here.

What Vegan MOFO means to me.

For further guidance on making gluten free choices please see this post.

For tips and info on recipe measurement conversions, ingredients, substitutions and the methods behind how I do things.... check out my 'baking tips' tab at the top of the page.

Ginger pumpkin no-bake bars

A follow up from this post…I felt the ginger version deserved its very own write up..

The warming ginger and carob kick is the perfect flavour for when summer is not quite out, yet autumn is sneaking up on you from behind!

These were a treat made for my sister as a special request to take with her to the music festival she was going to a couple of weeks ago. Easy, healthy, portable snacks were the deal of the day.

Knowing how much she liked the regular gingerbread smoosh bars, I thought I’d indulge my new found love of seedy things and make a nut fee version, whilst also going a little more crazy by adding a carob dusting to the top. The great thing about the added carob is that it should help the bars stick together a little less when packaged together for her trip (alternatively just lay each bar between a layer of parchment). The carob also gives an almost 'velvety' appearance to the top which I really loved.

I am happy to report these bars were given the seal of approval!

Recipe: Ginger pumpkin no-bake bars

Approx. 10 bars

Ingredients

100g dates

80g mix of seeds (I used mainly pumpkin seeds with a few sunflower seeds)

50g raisins

30g ground oats*

30g buckwheat flour

1tbs sliced fresh ginger (optional)

1tbs ground ginger

½ tsp mixed spice

½ tsp cinnamon

Approx. 1 tsp carob for dusting

Method

Mix all ingredients in a food processor until you have a firm and fairly fine sticky mixture.

I formed bars by pressing the mixture into the bottom of a small loaf tin lined with parchment for easy removal. Sprinkle carob flour evenly across the top and gently rub with fingers to settle the powder.

Allow to chill for an hour before slicing into bars.