Fruit Filled Bars - Almost Nutri-Grain Bars

Fruit Filled Bars

Recipe taken from here

I had been eying this recipe for a while, and it wasn't until my mom and I were going on an "adventure" i.e. the casino that I brought myself to make these. I mean, we were going to need some snacks for in the car. We need to energize ourselves before we got to the casino right? Right! If we wanted to eat, we couldn't be groggy monsters, we needed to be awake and full of energy. So I decided, what better way then to make almost-nutri-grain bars. I loved these. They were so simple to make and were very easy. The only thing however, I would suggest, is that when you are making these, heat them in the microwave. They were good in the car, but even my mom had found that they were more scrumptious when warm. They are an amazing snack though. I mean really, you could probably even make a large batch and freeze them for later. It's great, especially if you have children, what better way to get some healthy food into them? As well, when making the bars I had some extra dough, and of course I didn't want to throw that out. I decided to make some rolls with them, mmm these were definitely nicer to eat since they were bite size! I just love bite sized food, it's cute and it makes you feel like you're eating less ;). I definitely want to make these again, and with a different filling, the possibilities, mmm but I'm thinking some apple cinnamon for me next time!

Fruit Filled Bars

Ingredients:

Filling:

• 3/4 cup dates
• 3/4 cup blueberries
• 3/4 cup strawberries
• 1/3 cup water or juice

Dough:

• 1/4 cup vegetable oil or melted butter
• 1 cup applesauce
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1 cup quick oats
• 2 cups flour (all-purpose, whole wheat or mixture)
• 1 tsp baking powder

Fruit Filled Bars

Directions:

In a saucepan on medium-high heat, simmer the filling ingredients until the fruit is soft. Blend until smooth and thick with an immersion blender.

While the filling cools, make your dough. Combine butter, applesauce and honey. In another bowl, combine oats, flour and baking powder, then add to wet ingredients until mixture forms a ball of dough. Knead the dough for a few minutes, adding more flour as necessary if it's too sticky. On a floured surface, take half the dough at a time and roll it out into a rectangular shape with about 1/8" thickness. Cut the dough into long strips with about a 3" width. Spread a thin layer of filling down the centre of the strips. Fold the strips over and seal the edges shut. Cut the strips into 3" bars. Place on a lightly greased baking sheet at bake at 350F for 20 minutes.

Fruit Filled Bars

Enjoy :)