Bready or Not: Maple Energy Bars and Bites
Confession: I’m classifying this as a fall recipe because of the maple, but I make these all year long.
I know, I know. If you’ve been following me for any length of time, you know how I love maple. I like to make my own breakfast food, too.
Larabars are found in the energy bar section of retailers. They are delicious but are also awfully expensive–if you’re lucky, you might get a bar for a buck on sale. Me? I’m cheap. I make my own versions. I have a chocolate chip cookie dough recipe that I really need to share at some point, but today is about the maple variety that I created on my own.
To make any homemade Larabar facsimile, you really need two base ingredients: dates and nuts. You switch out the nuts to your taste or based on sales, then change out seasonings to make things fresh and tasty. With the maple flavor, I like using a combo of cashews and pecans, but I’ve also done all cashews. Feel free to do almonds, peanuts, or whatever else you have handy, or combine them all!
I usually make these into a ball shape using my tablespoon scoop, but this time around I made bars. They are a bit more photogenic, I think. And man, do they taste good.
Bready or Not: Maple Energy Bars and Bites
Ingredients
- 1 cup medjool dates chopped
- 1/2 cup cashews
- 1/2 cup pecans or combine other nuts to equal 1 cup
- 1-2 teaspoons candied ginger diced (optional, but tasty)
- sprinkle cinnamon
- 1/2-3/4 teaspoon maple flavor
- water if needed
Instructions
- In a bowl, combine all of the ingredients but the water. Pour 1/3 or 1/2 the mix into a high-powered food processor or blender. Pulse. Stir it with a spoon or spatula--it will be thick and gum up the machine. Pour the blended mix out, then add in more of the nut-date blend until everything is mostly blended. It's okay to have some chunks.
- Squeeze the mash between your fingers. If it doesn't want to stick together, dribble in water by 1/2 teaspoon until it's cohesive.
- You can shape them in two ways. Use a tablespoon scoop to form a ball, then compress them with your hands to tighten. Or, make bars. Place a sling of parchment paper in a bread pan. Pour the mash in. Compress as tightly as you can. Remove using the sling and cut to preferred size.
- Keep stored in covered dish or closed baggie in fridge. Makes about 9 tablespoon-sized balls or 7 bars. Will keep for upward of 2 weeks.
OM NOM NOM!
Bonus Bready or Not: Candy-Stuffed Cookie Cups
I could accurately name these Salted Browned Butter Candy-Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookie Cups but that’s a royal pain to even type out, much less say.
These are what I made for my book release at Changing Hands. My book has almost been out a month (!!!) so I figure it was about time I shared this recipe, as promised.
I wanted something cookie-like but more durable so that I could make it a few weeks ahead and freeze in a gallon freezer bag.
I thought, hey! Mini muffin pan cookies would be great! I already had a few such recipes pinned, so I combined them to create something new.
It was important to me that the candy be inside the cup. Since my event was in September in Arizona, I already knew I’d need to transport food in a cooler. Even so, I didn’t want lots of chocolate on the surface where it could melt.
In my first attempt at this recipe, I used the tablespoon amount called for in one of the base recipes. They baked into these overflowing mushroom shapes. Taste-wise, the combo worked, but they were HUGE.
Therefore, I knew on my next attempt that I wanted to use about a teaspoon of dough for each cup. That’s enough for it to gently round, not overflow.
I also added corn starch to the recipe, which is what I use in my Soft Batch-like recipe. I prefer cookies chewy rather than crispy, and these would get crispy fast.
Stuff these cups with whatever you want. I used Rolos and mini Milky Ways. Any bite size chocolate candy would work, or caramels or Snak Sak Oreos. Go crazy. Go delicious.
My recipe is a combination of Rolo Chocolate Chip Cookie Cups at Crazy for Crust and Salted Caramel Browned Butter Cookie Cups at Buns in my Oven.
Bonus Bready or Not: Candy-Stuffed Cookie Cups
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter browned on stove
- 3/4 cup white sugar
- 1 cup light brown sugar packed
- 2 large eggs
- 1 Tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 4 teaspoons corn starch
- 1 1/2 cups mini chocolate chips
- about 50-60 candies or mini cookies Rolos, Kisses, Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, mini Oreos, etc
- sea salt to sprinkle on top
Instructions
- Melt butter in saucepan at medium heat. Whisk until it turns deep golden brown, about 5 minutes. Let it cool a few minutes.
- Prep the mini muffin pan(s) by generously buttering or using a non-stick spray like Pam. If desired, use mini baking cup liners and spray them.
- Preheat oven to 350-degrees. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt, and corn starch.
- In a large bowl, pour in the white and brown sugar. Add the still-mildly-warm browned butter and mix. Add eggs one at a time followed by vanilla extract. Add the dry ingredients until just combined. Stir in mini chocolate chips.
- Have your candy unwrapped or ready at hand. Use a teaspoon scoop to dole out dough. Press a candy inside the dough ball and cover completely. Place in mini muffin pan hole. Once the pan is full, sprinkle sea salt on top.
- Bake cookie cups for about 11 minutes. Tops should be golden brown and gently rounded. Let cool in pan for an extended time before removing (especially if they overflow with a mushroom-like effect).
- Cookies will keep in the freezer for weeks, or for several days in a covered container at room temperature. Makes about 50-60
OM NOM NOM.
Sunday Quote just visited Colorado
Read More“It is fashion now in writing to have every man defeated and destroyed. And I do not believe all men are destroyed. I can name a dozen who were not and they are the ones the world lives by.” ~John Steinbeck, Journal of a Novel
Fall Recipes
It’s pumpkin time! And squash and apple time! Plus, it’s legitimately maple time. Last year I gathered my past fall recipes. Now that my recipe content is split between BethCato.com and LiveJournal, I really wanted to post those recipes again. The list now includes the 2013 posts, too.
Mini Pumpkin Donuts with Maple Glaze
Pumpkin Snickerdoodles
Pumpkin-Molasses Freezer Pie with Ginger Snap Crust
Maple Spritz Cookies
Pumpkin Pie Bars
Maple Fudge Bites
Pumpkin Gnocchi
Pumpkin Poppers
Overnight Crock Pot Apple Butter
Butternut Squash & Chickpea Salad with Almond Butter Dressing
Pumpkin chocolate chip brownies
Pumpkin-applesauce bundt cake
Candy corn cookies
Halloween party bundt cake (cake mix)
Pumpkin pie
Pumpkin cranberry breakfast cookies
Pumpkin roll bars
Pumpkin spice smoothie
Also, on Pinterest I have a wide array of boards including a Bready or Not board and a pumpkin board where I try to list the amount of puree each recipe calls for. It probably won’t surprise you that I have a devoted space for maple recipes, too.
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