Quinoa and Barley Energy Bars

Quinoa, Barley & Pumpkin Energy Bars

by Carol Kearns

These great tasting energy bars are full of delicious, healthy and energy boosting ingredients like Naked Barley FlakesQuinoa Puffs and Pumpkin Seeds.

I’m rather disenchanted with commercially made cereal bars as they’re usually far too sweet for my taste. I decided it was time to develop my own alternative and came up with this simplest of recipes using only the loveliest of ingredients.

Fresh and dried fruit reduce the need for both sugar and fat in this recipe. The energy bars contain no saturated fat and the use of a small amount of apple juice concentrate avoids the need to add more refined sugars.

Crammed full of nuts and seeds, and using naked barley flakes and quinoa puffs - both of which are high in protein and fibre and packed with vitamins and other nutrients - these energy bars are full of healthy ingredients that deliver slow-release energy.

This is yet another delicious recipe from our illustrator Carol Kearns, who also publishes the superb blog The Art of Baking.

Makes 12 bars

Ingredients

  • 50ml Sunflower Oil
  • 50ml Apple Juice Concentrate
  • 2 medium Bananas, mashed
  • 1 Dessert Apple, grated (peel included)
  • 150g Naked Barley Flakes or try Rye and other flakes, either singly or mixed
  • 50g Quinoa Puffs
  • 50g Ready-to-eat Dried Apricots, chopped
  • 50g Dried Dates, chopped
  • 50g Nuts, roughly chopped (I like to use almonds, hazelnuts and/or walnuts)
  • 50g Pumpkin Seeds (or a mix including sunflower and any other favourite seeds)
  • ½ tsp Salt
  • Oil for greasing

Method

  1. Pre-heat the oven to 160°C/Gas Mark 3 and lightly grease the baking tin with oil.
  2. Put the oil, apple juice concentrate, mashed bananas and grated apple into a large mixing bowl and stir well to mix.
  3. Add the remaining ingredients and stir until well combined.
  4. Spoon into a 20cm square loose-bottomed brownie tin and level the surface.
  5. Bake in the oven for about 55 minutes until golden. Leave to cool in the tin and then cut into 12 pieced. Store in an airtight container or freeze in individual portions.



Carol Kearns
Carol Kearns

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