Gooey Peanut Butter Chocolate Pretzel Bars

Tried to think of  a shorter title, and couldn't. 

Too many words to describe. 

If you like Sweet and Salty (which we totally do in this household!)
You will LOVE this one!  And ITS GUILT FREE!

Good enough to take for a dinner dessert!

Adapted from the amazing Chocolate Covered Katie!!

Pretzel Bars

1 C Brown Rice Krispies

1/2 C Oat Flour (grind oats in blender)

1/2 tsp Kosher Salt

1 tsp Vanilla Extract

5 Tbl of Honey or my choice is Brown Rice Syrup

3 Tbl All Natural Peanut Butter

1 C Chopped pretzels (GF if needed)

Chocolate Peanut Butter Hard Shell (recipe below)

Combine Dry ingredients in a bowl (except pretzels). Combine wet ingredients, you may need to microwave peanut butter to get it smooth and able to mix well. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet and slowly stir to combine. Line a bread pan with parchment and press into bottom of pan. use a cup to REALLY PRESS hard and smoosh down. Take chopped pretzels and spread them on the top. Take your hands and/or a cup and press the pretzels into the bars. Put in freezer for about 1/2 hour (or overnight if you like).  

Drizzle Chocolate Peanut Butter Hard Shell on top and sprinkle with mini chocolate chips (or mini dark chocolate chips would be even better!). You could also sprinkle chopped peanuts on top! YUM Place back in freezer for about 15 minutes until hardened. Pull out of pan and chop into bars. Enjoy VERY SOON - they get gooier (is that a word??) and gooier as the time goes on!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Hard Shell

2 tsp Peanut Butter

1 Tbl Coconut Oil

Melt those two together in microwave for about 30 seconds. Stir and add:

3 tsp Cocoa Powder

1/2 tsp Stevia (or more if you need more sweetness)

Stir to combine and drizzle over bars. 

ENJOY!

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See ya Soon

So I am going out of town for a couple weeks, obviously I won't be cooking anything. So the posts will be slim! But keep trying the recipes! I am leaving you all with a new granola bar recipe that I just love! Its totally my new favorite. I got it from a blog a friend told me about called the smittenkitchen.com. (not all healthy, but some GREAT recipes)

My husband even loved the bars! The only thing is they were slightly dry, and had a hard time staying together. I may add a little oil, or slightly more honey (or agave) next time. But they were YUMMY! The recipe would also make GREAT granola! We were actually throwing the bars in a bowl with milk!

The key is coarse Kosher Salt - this made for a great sweet/salty taste.

I used blueberries, currants, and pureed dates (a very sweet fruit) for the dried fruit. YUM!

I also added some ground flaxseed, and sunflower seeds, just to sneak in some more healthiness. :)

The perfect snack for the airplane!

You can get the recipe HERE

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Granola Bar Low-Down

This one is tricky. I have been searching for the best granola bar recipe for years! One that kids will eat and enjoy for a snack, and one that's not full of processed junk. So I found my top three and wanted to share. Enjoy making something you know your kids can snack on all they want! And please - share your thoughts!

First Place:

Fruit and Nut Energy Bars

These are the best! Simple ingredients, easy to make, and so tasty! So much sweeter than I had expected, but no added sugar! They barely lasted one day!

The recipe says it makes six, but I only got three. So double the recipe. Or better yet, Triple it and freeze some! Thats what I am planning on doing. There are a lot of variations on this one - and they are all good! I think I like the cherry one the best. You tell me what you think.

Click here for recipe.

Second Place:

Macro Bars

I got this recipe from my good old Rawsome Recipe cookbook, some of it is quack I have to admit, but this recipe is a gem! I love pure wholesome ingredients and you will be shocked when you taste it! Just don't tell anyone whats in them! I think they are good enough to serve at a luncheon. :) My three year old could not stop eating them!

1/2 C Melted Organic Butter (I only did about a 1/3)

1/2 C Agave or Honey (kids love it with maple syrup)

1 1/4 C Whole Wheat Pastry Flour

1/2 C Rolled Oats

1/2 C millet, ground in a processor or coffee grinder (I didn't grind mine and it was fine, slightly more crunchy)

1 tsp cinnamon

1 C prunes, soaked in enough warm water to cover them for 1 hour.

1- Drain prunes, saving water

2- Combine all ingredients except prunes. If too dry, slowly add prune water.

3- Spread dough on cookie sheet. Keep hands moist so it doesn't stick.

4- Process prunes in processor with enough of the prune water to make a firm, but spreadable icing.

5- Spread prune topping on batter and bake 25 minutes at 350. Cut into squares and enjoy!

Third place:

Walnut and Dried Cherry Bars

These are the perfect balance between yummy and healthy, with good fats and full of fiber! I put these third place because they are a little more time intensive and slightly messy considering they have jam on top. They slightly have more of an adult taste and texture, but they are good!

1 C quick cooking Oats
3/4 C Whole-Wheat pastry flour, White whole wheat Flour, or just whole wheat flour
1/4 C toasted wheat Germ
1 tsp. Ground Cinnamon
1/4 tsp. Salt
1/2 C Honey
1/3 C unsweetened Applesauce
1/4 C Canola Oil
1 egg, beaten
1 egg white
3/4 C Chopped dried tart cherries
1/2 C finely chopped walnuts
1/4 C "Fruit Only" preserves

(some of these ingredients can be hard to find. I usually find everything at Trader Joes, but I am sure whole foods would carry the tart cherries and fruit preserves. Wheat Germ is sold at your grocery store.)

Combine dry ingredients. In seperate bowl combine wet ingredients (excluding perserves) Mix both together well, place in lightly greased 8x8 pan and bake for 30 minutes at 350. Bring preserves to boil in small saucepan. Spread a thin layeracross bars right when they get out of oven, let cool completely, cut into bars about 4 x 1 1/2 inches, and store in airtight container.
Hope You Enjoy!!
(I got this recipe from one of my favorite shows on the Food Network called Healthy Appetite!)

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