Homemade gluten-free energy bars are an easy, no-bake, nutritious, and economical alternative to commercial energy bars. Best of all, you can substitute your favorite dried fruits, nut butters, nuts or seeds, and sweeteners to create your own personalized energy bar.
Pack gluten-free energy bars in lunch and travel bags for a healthy, away-from-home gluten-free snack.
Ingredients
3/4 cup nut butter (almond or cashew or peanut or sunflower butter)
3/4 cup sweetener syrup (honey or GF brown rice syrup or good quality agave nectar)
1 1/2 cups roasted raw nuts and/or seeds (almonds, pecans, walnuts, cashews, peanuts, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds - use your favorites in any combination)
1 cup unsulfured dried fruit (cherries, cranberries, blueberries, apricots, pineapple, raisins - use your favorite dried fruits in any combination)
4 cups gluten-free rice crispy cereal
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Steps to Make It
1. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Place nuts and/or roasted seeds and dried fruit in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse several times, just until the mixture is coarsely ground.
3. In a large saucepan melt nut butter with liquid sweetener over medium-low heat. Stir and watch carefully to prevent scorching. When the mixture is smooth and bubbling cook for about 1 minute. Remove from heat. Add salt and vanilla and stir to combine. Use a large spatula to stir in nuts, dried fruit, and cereal. Stir until all ingredients are coated with nut butter mixture.
4. Scrape mixture onto the prepared baking sheet. Use the spatula to evenly spread the mixture on the pan. Place a large piece of waxed paper over the mixture and use a rolling pin to smooth the top of the mixture. Cover with the waxed paper and refrigerate for about 2 hours before cutting the energy bars into whatever sizes you prefer.
5. Wrap bars in waxed paper and store in a covered container in the refrigerator.
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