Homemade nutrition bars?

[Randyforriding]

I'm a baker by trade. I'm looking into the idea of making my own nutrition bars. Something with both protein and carbs. I'd like a combination of fast and slow energy release. Something so tasty I'd eat it for desert. Today I made some brown sugar nut bars, from a recipe in one of my cook books. Rediculously tasty. It has eggs, flour, brown sugar, butter and pecans. But I'm not sure how healthy it is and probably has too much fast burn sugar and not enough slow burn carbs.. My mom used to make these balls that were a mixture of chopped up dried dates, dried apricots, and nuts. Very good, but no protein and too soft for carrying in your jersey pocket..

Any suggestions on ingredients or does anybody have a recipe they'd like to share.
Randy

 

[nikomaster]

Hey Randy,

I guess to much sugar is not healthy for the body. However, your recipe would be great for energy bars. Why not trying any sweetener such as splenda, and adding some almonds to add some proteins.

 

[Randyforriding]

I need to replace the brown sugar with something that doesn't create such an insulin spike. I thought about using something like Splenda for an at home snack, but for on the road I'd like to keep the calories, but just slow them down a bit. I was thinking something like Guava nectar. Since it's a liquid, I'd have to play around with the recipe and baking times a bit.
Do almonds have more protein than Pecans? Peanuts would be good, nutrition wise, but nothing can beat Pecans for taste. In baking, they are pretty much considered the king of nuts. I was wondering about putting whey powder in the mix. A lot of options. I need to find one that works. Keep the taste while improving the nutrition. The bars, as they are now, are exponentialy more tasty than anything you can buy. Even much better than Honey Stinger Waffles. If I can keep the taste and make them nutritionaly superior to Honey Stinger Waffles, I might have something I might even want to market.

 

[MarrieAnn]

I suggest you to replace brown sugar with honey, and the idea for almonds is very good.

 

[maxroadrash]

What about chocolate?

 

[Randyforriding]

Originally Posted by maxroadrash .

What about chocolate?

Isn't that one of the main food groups? I never rule out chocolate in any baking recipe. I did make a bar last week that had pecans, almond butter and dried dates (no chocolate) and it was better than anything you can buy. I need to play around with that a bit more and, yes, try some chocolate in the mix.
For those that like a little caffein in their energy bar, I often put coffee in my coffee cake, so a chocolate-coffee flavor would work out well.

 

[curlymaple42]

I make power balls that have coconut, peanut butter, honey, flax seed, oats, and chocolate chips. Thinking there was something else in there too. I can post the recipe asap if anyone wants it. No baking required. Sent from my AT100 using Tapatalk 2

 

[Randyforriding]

I'm going to give you guys a basic recipe and some suggestions for possible additions or substitutions. The original recipe I stated from was a bit like a pecan pie. It was two layers; a crust with a topping. To simplify and make this more suitable for taking along on a ride, I'm just mixing the ingredients all together.
You will need an 8" square baking pan and a can of Baker's Joy no stick spray.
One cup of flour.
One stick of butter (fourth pound).
Two large eggs.
one and a half cups light brown sugar.
half a cup of chopped, dried dates.
Half a cup of chopped nuts (I used pecans) or a 2.25 ounce package.
One teaspoon of vanilla extract.

Preheat overn to 350 degrees. Soften the butter (I use the microwave) and cream the sugar and butter together. Add the eggs and mix until smooth. Add the flower and mix. Add the vanilla, dates and nuts and mix. Spray the pan with Baker's Joy and spread mixture in pan. Bake for about 30 minutes. All ovens are different, so you may need to adjust time and temp. You can always add time, but you can't take it away. So start with less and add more if needed. Let it cool for about ten minutes, then dump out.

You could subtitute agave nectar for some of the sugar.. You could sustitute half the flour with whole wheat four. I'm thinking of trying oatmeal in the mix. In addition to the vanilla extract, try adding some almond extract. You could subtitute some of the butter with almond butter. Try adding half a cup of chocolate chips, but keep in mind that chocolate melts and can be messy out on the road..

 

[Randyforriding]

Originally Posted by curlymaple42 .

I make power balls that have coconut, peanut butter, honey, flax seed, oats, and chocolate chips. Thinking there was something else in there too. I can post the recipe asap if anyone wants it. No baking required.
Sent from my AT100 using Tapatalk 2

Yes, post recipe. I'll try working on my moms fruit-nut ball recipe. It was no cook too. I really loved those. I have a copy of the old family cook book. It may be in there.

 

[alienator]

I make a killer peanut butter and banana sandwich.

 

[rhysj]

Adding grated carrot is a healthy ingredient to sweeten the taste of bars/cakes

 

[David Gerchman]

To the OP, don't forget about the buttered form of the various nuts for a denser setup. Also instead of going with just whey protien, I would think trying the different flavours of muscle milk could yeild some interesting results.

 

[Randyforriding]

I tried this recipe yesterday. It was a bit sunk down in the middle, which is a problem I need to sort out, but otherwise it was pretty darn tasty (If I do say so myself) and should work well for it's intended purpose, which is to fuel your rides and keep you healthy. To make it easy, I used half a cup of just about everything. Mix in this order.
Half a stick of butter (melted)
half a cup of brown sugar
half a cup of almond butter
half a cup of agave nectar
one egg
half a cup of whole wheat flour
a quarter teaspoon of baking soda
a teaspoon of vanilla extract
half a cup of oatmeal
half a cup of sunflower seeds
half a cup of pecans
half a cup of bittersweet chocolate chips.
Bake at 325 for about 35 minutes in an 8" square pan.

 

[Coleman32]

You have highlighted a good subject,I personally prefer taking something which homemade and by natural ingredients because that is something always one step ahead than any other thing.Basially the main reason behind it is it gives the body goodnutrition and doesn't cause any bad effect on it.

 

[Nasten]

This posting is marvelous and what a fantastic research that you have done. It has helped me a lot. thank you very much. Add some chocolate with it and have fun..