No-Bake Fruit n' Nut Breakfast Bars

It's Wednesday.

You know what that means? We're half way to the weekend, so Happy hump day!

If you've ever made snack bars at home, you're aware that most of the store-bought one's don't have much in comparison. Larabar's and Vega are awesome though, and no I was not paid to say that.

You've also most likely noticed just how many additives and un-natural ingredients most have. Added preservatives, fillers, colourings, high-fructose corn syrup and other fake processed sugars like maltodextrin...these things are NOT clean. Anything with palm oil is also a no-no. It turns off our natural appetite suppressors grehmlin and leptin.

I usually vote for a sweet breakfast over a savory one. That's what make these the perfect eat clean grab-and-go meal on those days when there's no time to throw breakfast together. We all have those days now and then.

Of course they also double up nicely as a sweet ending to a meal.

These bars will serve you well on day hikes, long drives, and early mornings.

Using toasty nuts in this recipe really add to the flavour of these bars.

They are grain-free and gluten free, and perfectly chewy, with a bit of crunch from the toasted nuts. If you prefer to use all the same nut instead of a variety feel free.

Adapted from: Eat Clean Diet Cookbook.

No-Bake Fruit n' Nut Breakfast Bars  gluten-free, vegan option Yield: 9 bars

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Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup raw, unsalted slivered almonds
• 1/2 cup pecans
• 1/4 cup coconut butter
• 1/2 cup natural smooth almond butter
• 2 tbsp blackstrap molasses
• 1 tsp honey, or maple syrup
• pinch sea salt
  
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 tsp matcha green tea powder
• 1/4 cup sesame seeds
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1/2 cup chopped dried apple

Directions:

1. Toast the nuts: place almonds and pecans in a large frying pan, set on stove top at medium-high heat. Do not add any oil or cooking spray - the nuts have enough oils on their own to cook. Frequently stir or give them a shake until they turn a golden brown and become fragrant. Don't overcook. Remove from burner and let cool for several minutes.
2. Transfer nuts to a cutting board or food processor to give them a coarse chop. Set aside.
3. In a large mixing bowl, combine coconut butter, almond butter, molasses, honey and sea salt. Heat this mixture over a double broiler just enough to soften the ingredients. Mix well. Remove from heat.
4. Add vanilla, matcha green tea, chopped nuts and sesame seeds to butter mixture. Combine well.
5. Stir in dried cranberries and chopped dried apple.
6. Press into a 8"x4" baking pan.
7. Let the dough set in the refrigerator for half an hour.
8. Cut into bars. Store in an airtight container or place bars in individual zip-bags so they are ready to go when you are. Keep refrigerated.

Maple Cinnamon Almond Butter

Happy Friday!

You're in for a real treat today.

This is something so special that it would be a crime not to share it with you.

As you might already know I'm obsessed with nut butter. And if you didn't. . . well now you do. I love making my own nut butters, so I pulled out my food processor yesterday and decided to try a spin-off of Ashley's roasted maple cinnamon almond butter. After the first time I ever made her almond butter I was hooked (she creates some of the best nut butters). Before then I don't think I even liked almond butter all that much (*gasp* Sacrilege). Well the rest is history. She inspired me to start creating some of my own nut buttery goodness.

Like this one. Maple Cinnamon Almond Butter.

Move over peanut butter, because there's a new favourite in town.

If you've never made your own before, then you're missing out. You may be a little intimidated at first like I was, but it couldn't be easier. Trust me. Once you make it you'll never want to go back to the store bought variety again. This stuff is so gourmet, you won't even believe you made it yourself. There's just a few ingredients involved including: almonds, maple syrup, maple butter, cinnamon, and sea salt.

It takes approximately 30 minutes in total to make and you want to make sure you've got a good powerful blender. Roasting the almonds will make them easier to process plus it enhances their taste.

Here's what it looks like when it's just getting going:

This is after about 10 minutes of blending:

And here it is nice beginning to smooth:

One of the wonderful things about living in Canada is being so close to pure maple syrup all the time. I got the maple butter at our farmers market last weekend (this stuff isn't cheap, but it's a real treat! And it's of course local). The syrup actually came from my brothers girlfriend's family maple bush here in Ontario. There's nothing like the real thing! It's always been a tradition in my family every Spring to go to a maple syrup bush. When I was growing we would go visit my grandparents and meet up with my aunt and uncle out in the country, and all go together for pancakes and then a horse ride through the bush. Oh, and the maple taffy that they make right on the snow was a special treat. 

I love eating this on my oatmeal, with apple slices sprinkled with cinnamon, on whole grain toast, and it also makes a killer sandwich! I have yet to still try this in this sandwich. You can store this in the fridge in a glass mason jar or a recycled nut butter jar. It should keep as long as store bought nut butters.

Maple Cinnamon Almond Butter gluten free, vegan

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Ingredients:

• 2 cups raw almonds
• 2 Tbsp pure maple syrup
• 1 Tbsp pure maple butter
  
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 325*F and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a medium sized bowl mix the almonds and 2 tbsp of maple syrup together to coat.
3. Roast for 15 minutes stirring once or twice and half way through to prevent burning.
4. Take them out and let them cool slightly, about 2 minutes. Then place them in the food processor and and start it up. It may seem a little intimidating but just let the processor do its job. You will want to scrape down the sides with a spatula every now and then once it starts to clump together. Don't worry it will begin to start smoothing out and turn creamy, you just need to be patient. It shouldn't take any longer than 15 minutes.
5. Once it begins to smooth out, add in the sea salt, cinnamon, 1 tbsp of maple butter. Give a whir in processor again until it mixes all together and is nice and smooth.

If you've never been to a maple bush before when the sap is flowing then I really suggest you do it. It's one of the coolest things I remember from growing up, and I still love going every Spring. You have to make sure you go while they're boiling the sap though. The smell is divine!

I've never been more excited for breakfast!

Shared at Fit and Fabulous Fridays and Fresh Bites Friday