Oatmeal bars with nuts and chocolate

A considerable number of ordinary people firmly believe that a healthy lifestyle and proper nutrition initially imply a complete abstinence from sweets and following a strict diet, which excludes the very thought of pampering yourself with something tasty. In reality, everything is much simpler. You can prepare a low-calorie dessert that has not only a pleasant taste, but also benefits, namely, dietary oatmeal bars. This delicacy is perfect for a quick snack that will not harm your figure. You can easily prepare the dessert yourself by combining any ingredients and getting a new dish each time.

What's the benefit?

Proper nutrition involves following a wide range of recommendations, including the need to include in the diet foods that provide the body with important microelements, following a specific food consumption pattern, limiting the amount of junk food or completely eliminating it.

A diet bar with oatmeal, which is easy and simple to prepare, fits perfectly into a healthy diet, because its benefits are due to a number of the following aspects:

The composition of the treat includes only natural ingredients.
Contains a large amount of complex carbohydrates, which provide the body with the energy it needs for a long time.
Low calorie content.
Content of vitamins and minerals.
The components included in the treat help launch metabolic processes, which means they help you lose weight.
Low cost of ingredients.

Oatmeal bars are easy to make at home, and the convenient form of the treat allows you to take it with you anywhere, for example, to work, training or a walk.

What does it contain?

The main components of healthy dietary bars are oatmeal, nut butter, and honey. The last two components are necessary for binding and gluing the mass; it is thanks to them that the fully prepared bars hold their shape well and do not fall apart.

You can supplement the treat with any ingredients, for example:

Dried fruits . You can choose any according to your taste preferences. If you need to add extra sweetness to the bar, it is better to choose sweet raisins or dried apricots. To add a piquant taste, you can add prunes, dried pears, apples, and various berries, such as cherries. If the main goal of including bars in your diet is weight loss, it is better to opt for apples and berries, since these products are low in calories and contain fiber, which helps launch metabolic processes.
If there is no need to follow a strict diet, you can make bars with the addition of coffee , dark chocolate , which has more benefits than milk, cocoa . But when adding these components, one should not forget about the main condition, which is to observe the proportions of any recipe - you need to add chocolate or its components in minimal quantities.
Nuts . To keep oatmeal bars filling for a long time, it is recommended to add some nuts when preparing them. You can choose any, but the most useful are walnut and forest ones.

To give homemade energy bars a piquant and unusual taste, you can add some spices to the oatmeal. For example, cinnamon is perfect for this purpose, promoting fat burning and having a pleasant aroma.

It is not recommended to use sugar when making bars. This product is high in calories and does not benefit the body.

What are the benefits of a natural energy bar?

Dried fruits contain vitamins (A, groups B, C, P, E, K), minerals (iron, potassium, phosphorus, calcium, magnesium, zinc, selenium, copper, etc.), fiber.
Oatmeal is rich in fiber, as well as vitamins (groups B, E) and minerals such as (copper, potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, sulfur, calcium, manganese, iodine, zinc, etc.)
Honey contains a large amount of mineral salts and trace elements (calcium, phosphorus, cobalt, bismuth and lithium salts, sulfur, zinc, nickel, gold, etc.), vitamins (A, groups B, C, D, E), which are stored for a long time in honey and do not disappear. Honey is a natural antibiotic.
Nuts contain vitamins (A, groups B, E, K), minerals and trace elements (potassium, iodine, iron, magnesium, zinc, etc.).
The seeds are also rich in vitamins (A, group B, C, D, K, E), minerals (calcium, zinc, magnesium, copper, selenium, iron, potassium, phosphorus, etc.).

As you can see, this bar is very nutritious and, most importantly, healthy.
It contains only vitamins and microelements and does not contain any preservatives or other additives that are found in store-bought sweets. You can snack on a muesli bar during breakfast or lunch, or take it with you on the road. It is moderately sweet, tasty and very nutritious: just one is enough to satisfy your hunger, recharge your batteries and feel invigorated.

Energy Bar Recipes

Recipe No. 1

Ingredients:

dried fruits: dried apricots, raisins, prunes, dates, figs - total weight - 150 g;
walnuts - ½ cup;
oatmeal - 1 cup;
1 ripe banana;
honey - 1-2 tsp.

Preparation:

1. Prepare dried fruits: rinse in cold water, then in hot water.

2. Chop dried fruits and chop nuts.

3. Peel the banana and prepare the puree (mash with a fork).

4. Mix puree, dried fruits, nuts, honey.

5. Add oatmeal one spoon at a time and knead the mixture.

6.Pour the mixture onto parchment paper and spread it onto the sheet in a layer of 1-1.5 cm.

7. Place in the oven on the lowest heat.

8. After 30-40 minutes, when excess moisture has evaporated from the mass, remove the sheet from the oven. Once cooled, cut into bars.

Recipe No. 2

Ingredients:

dried fruits: dried apricots, raisins, prunes - total weight 100 g;
dried berries: strawberries, cranberries - total weight 100 g;
nuts: almonds, pine - total weight 100 g;
oat flakes - 200 g;
honey - 60 g.

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Recipe No. 3

Ingredients:

dried fruits: prunes, dried apricots, figs - total weight 400 g;
dried cranberries - 100 g;
nuts: walnuts, peanuts (roasted) - total weight 200 g;
seeds: sesame, flax - total weight 100 g;
oatmeal - 1 cup;
honey - 2-3 tbsp.

It is best to store granola in the refrigerator. It can be stored for a very long time.

There are a lot of recipes for making muesli bars, and everyone can create their own - the simplest and most delicious: for example, take a little more flakes or seeds, fry the flakes and nuts, or add a little of your favorite spices. The main thing is not to be afraid to experiment!

A dried fruit bar is a sweet treat that is good for your health!

Find out how to make sweets from dried fruits and what are the healing properties.

Several step-by-step cooking recipes

Below are step-by-step recipes for preparing a dietary dessert. It is not necessary to follow them thoroughly. You can add any favorite ingredients. But it is important to remember that increasing the amount of honey or sweet fruit in a treat significantly increases its calorie content.

Muesli

One hundred grams of the finished product contain: 219 kcal; Proteins – 5 g; Fats – 2 g; Carbohydrates – 47 g.

To prepare a tasty and healthy dessert, you need to prepare a large glass of oatmeal, two tablespoons of finely chopped dried fruits, namely prunes, dried apricots, raisins, half a large apple.
Scald dried fruits with boiling water and leave in water for a while.
Next, mix the ingredients, after grating the apple.
To bind the ingredients, add a small spoon of natural honey.
Spread the finished mixture onto a baking sheet and bake for half an hour.

Chocolate covered bars

One hundred grams contains: 266 kcal; Proteins – 5 g; Fats – 9 g; Carbohydrates – 41 g.

Required ingredients: two glasses of cereal, one large banana, preferably overripe, a small spoon of pre-crushed or finely chopped nuts using a coffee grinder, a large apple, a medium-sized pear, half a glass of cream, two hundred grams of chocolate, two tablespoons of any dried fruit, also in advance chopped, two tablespoons of honey.
Mix all ingredients, with the exception of cream and chocolate, after grating the apple and pear on a fine grater. It is important to remember that the juice formed during the processing of fruits should absolutely not be poured out; it should be soaked in the oatmeal while stirring.
Next, bake the bars according to the recommendations given above.
While the dessert is baking, you need to make the glaze. To do this, heat the cream in a water bath, add chocolate, heat until a homogeneous mass is formed, which should be poured over the finished treat after cooling.

Apple bars

One of the most dietary recipes. One hundred grams of finished products contains: 210 kcal; Proteins – 5 g; Fats – 8 g; Carbohydrates – 30 g.

To prepare this delicacy, you need to prepare one large green apple, which needs to be grated on a fine grater, a glass of cereal, a glass of any seeds, it is best to take sunflower seeds, two tablespoons of ground oatmeal flour, a spoonful of cinnamon, half a glass of finely chopped dates. You also need to add a couple of tablespoons of natural apple juice to the bars. This is not necessary if the apple is juicy and gives a lot of juice when grated.
Mix all components until a thick, homogeneous dough is formed.
You can cook it in two ways - by baking in the oven according to the algorithm given above, or by freezing. In the second case, you need to transfer the mass into a plastic bag, level it, and put it in the freezer for three to five hours.

How to make oat bars with nuts and dried fruits

Ingredients:

Oat flakes – 1 cup (250 ml)
Nuts – 100 g (one type or mixture of nuts)
Date – 150 g
Honey – 2 tbsp.
Raisins – 50 g
Dried cranberries – 50 g
Sunflower seeds – 1 tbsp.
Sesame – 1 tbsp.
Vegetable oil – 1 tsp.
Apple juice – 50 ml

Preparation:

Dates (dark or light) pour 100 ml of hot boiled water (not boiling water) and leave for 30 minutes. During this time, prepare the remaining ingredients.

Coarsely chop the mixture of nuts (walnuts, hazelnuts, peanuts, cashews, etc.) with a knife.

Soak raisins in warm water for 10 minutes.

Soak dried cranberries in warm water for 10 minutes.

Spread long-cooked oatmeal (at least 10 minutes of cooking) in an even layer on a baking sheet and place in the oven for 10 minutes at 170 degrees. During this time the flakes should turn slightly golden.

Remove the seeds from the dates and, along with the water in which they were soaked, transfer the pulp to a blender. Add honey and grind to a paste. Wash and dry the swollen raisins and cranberries.

Mix baked oatmeal with chopped nuts, raisins, cranberries, sunflower seeds and sesame seeds.

Place the date mass in a saucepan or thick-bottomed saucepan, add apple juice, bring to a boil and cook, stirring constantly for 2-3 minutes.

Add the slightly cooled mixture to the oatmeal-nut mixture and stir. The resulting dough will be sticky and viscous, so it is better to mix with a spatula, as the mass will stick very much to your hands.

10.

Line a baking sheet or large glass pan (square or rectangular) with oiled parchment paper. To do this, you need to thinly grease a sheet of parchment paper with odorless vegetable oil and place the paper in the mold with the greased side up.

Spread the resulting viscous mixture over the parchment in an even layer of the desired thickness, for example 1 cm, and cover the top with another sheet of parchment paper. Place in the oven for 30 minutes at the same temperature – 170 degrees.

11.

After baking the oatmeal with dried fruits and nuts for 30 minutes, turn off the oven and leave the baking sheet with the golden mixture in it for 10 minutes. Then take out the mass and cut it while hot into rectangles, squares or triangles. I recommend cutting into rectangles, as they are more convenient for storage, transportation and consumption.

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Allow the bars to cool completely and you can pack them - wrap them in paper, film, foil, etc.

12.

Store oatmeal bars with nuts and dried fruit at room temperature for up to two weeks.

Posted by: Yulia Akhanova | in category: Sugar-free, Delicious and satisfying desserts, Sweets recipes, What to cook for work 03/20/2017

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Ingredients for dried fruit bars

long-cooked oat flakes – 200 grams;
apples – 300 grams;
dried apricots – 100 grams;
peanuts – 50 grams;
large dates - 8 pieces;
dried shadberry - 3 large spoons;
2 eggs.

Oatmeal, fruit and nut bars

Rinse oatmeal in water.

Wash the dates and remove the pits.

Chop the dates into small pieces.

Also cut the washed dried apricots into small pieces.

If the dried apricots are hard, then fill them with cold water in advance to swell, then cut them.

Place dried apricots, shadberry, and dates in a bowl of cereal.

Stir the mass.

Cut the washed apples in half and remove the seed chamber. Grate the apples on a coarse grater.

Add the apples to the bowl with the cereal.

Mix the ingredients and add chicken eggs.

Mix the mixture thoroughly and spread it on a baking sheet on a silicone mat in a dense layer. Make the layer thickness up to 1 cm.

Outline the contours of the bars. After baking, it will be easier to cut the bars along these contours.

Place the peeled and slightly dried peanuts in a frying pan onto the bars.

Bake in a preheated oven at 180*C for about half an hour.

Slice the bars while they are still hot.

Some tips:

You can use bananas instead of apples.
You can replace the shadberry with dried cherries or cranberries.
You can add any nuts, pumpkin or sunflower seeds, flax seeds, cinnamon.
Prunes, raisins, figs - any dried fruit can be used for bars.

Cooking methods

There are many ways to prepare oat bars; every gourmet can find a delicacy that meets their taste needs.

But regardless of the components that make up a dietary dessert, during its preparation it is important to follow a number of certain rules:

Any oatmeal bar recipe requires the inclusion of a binder that literally holds the rest of the ingredients together. Natural bee honey or nut butter is usually used as such; in extreme cases, chocolate can be added.
It is difficult to call a dessert a baked product, but to obtain a finished delicacy it is necessary to heat treat it for at least fifteen minutes. For this purpose, you can use an oven, microwave or even a slow cooker. You can choose any available option.
To make oatmeal bars that are easy to eat, it is recommended that you compact the mixture as thoroughly as possible. Thanks to this procedure, the treat will keep its shape well.
You can make the bars without baking, but in this case you need to freeze the oatmeal. To obtain the finished product, you need to keep it in the refrigerator for at least three hours.
It is not recommended to prepare bars from purchased muesli mass. Specific industrial processing of this product deprives it of useful substances.

The components for preparing delicacies should be selected taking into account the purpose of their consumption. For example, recipes for dietary oatmeal bars require avoiding the use of chocolate, sweet dried fruits, and fruits. If dessert is considered as a snack, using the above components is acceptable.

Regardless of the specifics of the recipe and the peculiarities of preparing the bars, you can only use oatmeal that is intended for long-term cooking. So-called instant cereals will spoil the final product.

How to serve a cereal dessert correctly?

Such sweets are served only for breakfast, because... the carbohydrate content is too high for lunch or dinner. It is usually eaten with unsweetened tea, milk or coffee. You can take your morning meal with low-fat kefir. It is better to exclude fatty and high-calorie drinks, since along with the intake of treats, a strong jump in sugar will occur in the body.

A strong rise in blood sugar, after some time, can lead to a loss of mood and strength. Cereal bar is a dessert that can be prepared at home. It can be a healthy alternative to store-bought sweets and also adds variety to your daily diet.

Article design: Ilchenko Oksana