Tuesday, September 4, 2012

Just Breakfast Cookie-Bars


“My love for art and for cooking spring from the same source. Both interests are lifelong, and at times they have readily intertwined.” Mollie Katzen, Still Life with Menu

Long before anyone had heard of Lara or her bars, my mom was whipping up Breakfast Cookie-Bars. Don’t let the word “cookie” fool you. These are very healthy granola bars and can be modified in numerous ways to fit your tastes. The recipe is from Still Life with Menu which was written by Molly Katzen, who was named by Health Magazine as one of the "The Five Women Who Changed The Way We Eat" and the brainchild of Moosewood. The Moosewood Restaurant http://www.moosewoodcooks.com/ is a famous natural foods restaurant in Ithaca, New York. I haven’t been there yet, but it’s definitely a place I’d like to check out. These bars are delicious when crumbled and put in a Greek yogurt, with a little bit of nut butter or by themselves. They are low sugar, low fat and have no preservatives. Be careful when buying granola bars in the stores and read the labels to check the nutritional information.  I like to modify this original recipe with almond or coconut flour and coconut oil. If I add sweetener, I typically use honey or maple syrup in place of the brown sugar. Nothing against Larabars of course…I love these natural bars and they are perfect when you are on the go. http://www.larabar.com/

Below is the original recipe. I like to use almond or coconut flour. I also use coconut oil for my vegetable oil and omit or use a little bit of honey or maple syrup as my sweetener.


2 cups rolled oats
1 ½ cups whole wheat flour
1 cup apple juice
¼ cup wheat germ and/or ¼ cup millet flakes (optional)
1 cup (packed) dried currants or other dried fruit, finely chopped
¾ teaspoon cinnamon, plus extra for the top
6 tablespoons (maybe increased, decreased or even omitted)
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup vegetable oil
¼ sesame seeds and/or ½ cup minced cashews (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 9x13 inch baking pan.
Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well.
Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan and distribute as evenly as possible, patting the batter into place with your hands. Sprinkle the top with a little extra cinnamon.
Bake for 30 minutes. Cut into large squares while still hot, but don’t try to remove them from the pan until they are completely cool or they will seriously crumble.



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