For Valentine’s Day: homemde Clif bar for dh (in lieu of the rice krispy treat heart for the kids)
For the kids, I did the traditional rice-krispy treats (with a sprinkling of chocolate chips … since after all, you should ALWAYS eat chocolate on Valentine’s Day). I formed the treats in the heart-shaped pan that only comes out at this time of year — an old, metal pan so I used plastic wrap to make it easier to lift the treat out of the pan and then place on a plate. The kids ate it too fast for me to even try and get a picture of the masterpiece.
For dh and I, I made a batch of Camilla’s Homemade (no bake) Clif Bars. This is the second time I’ve made them, but this time I changed up the recipe a bit and really liked the results. I baked them in a 13×9 pan but then used a heart-shaped cookie cutter to make them more seasonal.
Here is the way I made them.
Ingredients:
1/4 cup whole raw pecans
1/4 cup whole raw almonds
2 cups uncooked old-fashioned oats (I don’t buy the instant oats as they taste funny in recipes)
2-1/2 cups rice cereal (plain ol’ everyday rice crispies)
4 tbls flaxseed
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup chopped dates
1/4 cup shredded coconut
1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup maple syrup
1 cup peanut butter
1 tbls ground cinnamon
Directions:
1. Spray a 13×9 pan with cooking spray.
2. Preheat oven to 350; spread the oatmeal on a baking sheet. Place the nuts on another sheet. Toast the oats and nuts for 10 minutes (be careful not to cook them much more than that — you don’t want any burned bits!). Allow to cool.
3. Combine the rice cereal, oats and flaxseed in a large bowl. Mix.
4. Place raisins, dates, coconut, and toasted nuts in a food processor and pulse until ground and mixed well. Add to the cereal and again mix well.
5. Combine the honey, syrup and peanut butter in a small saucepan. Over medium heat, stir until melted and well combined.
6. Pour honey/peanut butter over cereal mixture and combine. Use a wooden spoon at first to mix and then your hands if necessary.
7. Press mixture firmly and evenly into prepared pan. Use a sheet of parchment paper, laid on top, to tamp it down without getting all sticky — you can use another pan the same size and push it down.
8. Cool in pan for about 30 minutes and then place in fridge for at least 30 minutes.
9. Once set, cut into bars or use a cookie cutter to cut into seasonal shapes. Wrap each bar seperately.
10. Keep bars in fridge for a week or so, or freeze for a month or more.
THESE ARE FABULOUS! I want to make my own almond butter and try that next time … but this is definitely an amazing taste combination for a bar that contains a wallop of protein and is dense, nutritious AND delicious.
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