K and I have both been super busy at work lately, and I find it helps so much to have plenty of healthy, easy foods on hand. For me, that includes options with no added sugar for an afternoon snack. I have posted several recipes for energy bites on this blog over the past year {PB&J Energy Bites; Chocolate Strawberry Coconut Energy Bites; and Healthy Pumpkin Spice Bites}. However, this is my first recipe for energy bars!
Meyer lemons have a fantastic little secret, if you haven't tried them before - they are naturally sweeter than regular lemons. The reason Meyer lemons are sweeter is because they were mixed with oranges at one point in time. As I read on the kitchn, Meyers get their signature sweetness from a bit of mandarin orange in their family tree. Meyer lemons are ripe when they are deep yellow in color. I purchased a bag of these beauties at Marianos. You can also find Meyer lemons on Amazon {<--affiliate link}.
This recipe combines almonds, dates, and dried pears with Meyer lemon juice. If you don't have dried pears available, golden raisins would work well as a substitute. I like making bars a bit smaller than what you can buy in the store. That way you can have two! I used an 8x8 Calphalon pan {<--affiliate link} to make these bars, and cut them in squares that are approximately 2x2 inches in size.
Meyer Lemon Snack Bars
Makes 16 bars.
Ingredients~
1 cup raw almonds
16 Medjool dates {pitted}
Juice of 1 Meyer lemon {seeds removed}
6 dried pears {unsweetened}
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
How to~
*Add all ingredients to a food processor. Process the mixture a few times. Stop the processor and use a spatula to re-combine the mix if needed.
*Keep processing until the ingredients are evenly combined {I like to use the "pulse" function}.
*Remove from the food processor and press into an 8x8 cake pan lined with parchment paper.
*Refrigerator covered for ~2 hours or overnight to harden.
*Keep refrigerated in a covered container - the bars should last cooled for one week, and longer if frozen.
Love this kind of healthy snack, but never seen one with lemon in before, let alone meyer lemons (which I've never tried - why oh why?)
ReplyDeleteThese are great and would love to try them!
You should definitely try Meyer Lemons! They're soo good :)
DeleteHow do you think this would work substituting quinoa or sunflower seeds for the almonds for many of us with various nut allergies?
ReplyDeleteYes I think so! I would try sunflower seeds. Cooked quinoa might not set up the same since they are no bake bars.
DeleteHi I made these and they were delicious but so sticky and never got hard ( even overnight) any solutions ?
ReplyDeleteHmm it can depend on how fresh your dates are! I find that the fresher the date, the stickier the consistency. I suggest substituting a few of your dates with dried figs. Figs are much drier in my experience but still hold up well in a no-bake bar.
Delete