FULLY-LOADED SNACK BARS

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Fully-Loaded Snack Bars image

This is what every snack bar should be: sweet and juicy from 3 kinds of dried fruit, crisp from oats and sunflower seeds and super easy to make in the food processor. The dried fruit keeps the bars moist for 5 days, so bake a batch Sunday afternoon for a full school week of snacking.

Provided by Food Network Kitchen

Time 1h10m

Yield 12 bars

Number Of Ingredients 14

Cooking spray
1/2 cup dry milk powder
1/2 cup wheat germ
1/4 cup whole-wheat flour
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1 cup dried cranberries or raisins
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
2 large eggs
4 ounces pitted dates
3 ounces dried apricots
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
2 tablespoons unrefined coconut oil

Steps:

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with cooking spray. Line the bottom of the pan with foil, leaving a slight overhang at each short end, then spray the foil.
  • Whisk together the milk powder, wheat germ, flour, cinnamon and baking soda in a large bowl. Add the oats, cranberries and sunflower seeds, and toss to combine, breaking up any clumps of fruit with your hands.
  • Pulse the eggs, dates, apricots, maple syrup and coconut oil in a food processor until some of the fruit is finely chopped (it's OK to have some larger chunks). Add the oat mixture, toss it a bit with a fork, then process briefly to make a chunky paste. Scatter small clumps of the dough evenly across the prepared pan. Wet your hands a bit with cool water, and press the batter firmly into an even layer.
  • Bake, rotating halfway through, until the outer edges are brown and the top is lighter brown and still slightly soft in the center, about 17 minutes. Put the pan on a wire rack, run a knife down the long edges to push the bars away from the sides of the pan and let the bars cool completely, about 30 minutes.
  • Lift the bars from the pan using the foil overhangs, and slide the bars off the foil onto a cutting board. Cut them into twelve 3-by-4-inch bars, and wrap each one in plastic wrap. The bars will stay moist, refrigerated in an airtight container, for 5 days.

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