Working day snacks for the fall semester.
I made these for A to take to work with him. Every so often I’ll make a batch of office snacks – snacks that will keep for a while, well-wrapped and contained, and will fuel the afternoon brain through it’s foggy work. Or is that just my afternoon brain?
Fig and pumpkin seed is a lovely combination, and I made these bars with olive oil instead of butter. This, in combination with the high seed ratio here, means that the bars are crumbly, but that is all good as far as I’m concerned.
There is something very satisfying about making granola bars at home. Of primary importance, for me, is the fact that you can control the sweetness. I don’t want a sugar crash after my afternoon pick-me-up. The crash might (read: will) probably happen anyway, at least in my brain with its afternoon lethargy, but at least I know I’m not making it worse with loads of artificial sweeteners.
Another key trick here (via Smitten Kitchen): cool the bars completely, then chill them in the fridge for an hour so that they are easier to slice. Let them crumble in (on the way to) your mouth, not in the pan.
- 1⅔ cups porridge oats
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup oat flour (or oats pulsed in a blender or food processor until floury)
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup chopped dried figs
- 1 cup toasted pumpkin seeds
- ¼ cup almond butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- ¼ cup honey
- 2 tablespoons water
- Heat your oven to 350 F
- line an 8" x 8" pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhand to pull out the bars
- spray parchment with baking spray
- stir oats, sugar, flour, cinnamon, figs, pumpkin seeds, and salt together
- in a smaller bowl, stir almond butter, vanilla, olive oil, honey, and water together
- mix the wet ingredients with the dry, then spread them in the prepared pan. Press the mixture down with the base of a glass so that everything is firmly compacted. (this is important so the bars stick together and don't crumble as much).
- bake for 30 minutes, or until the edges are browned. Cool in pan on a rack, then chill cooled bars in the fridge for 30 minutes to an hour.
- Remove from fridge, slice with a sharp knife, and slice into fingers. For office storage: wrap each one in plastic wrap, then place all wrapped bars in a ziplock bag and seal. Will keep in a cool room or refrigerator for about a month.