EatingWell Energy Bars

Rating: 4.38 stars
8 Ratings
  • 5 star values: 3
  • 4 star values: 5
  • 3 star values: 0
  • 2 star values: 0
  • 1 star values: 0

Instead of buying pricy energy bars, fuel your fitness routine with this great-tasting homemade energy bar recipe. Whether you use these energy bars as a pre-workout snack or to refuel and recover post-workout, they'll give your body what it needs. Best of all, you can make this energy bar recipe in minutes.

EatingWell Test Kitchen
Source: EatingWell Magazine, July/August 2012

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Recipe Summary

total:
1 hr 15 mins
Servings:
12
Nutrition Profile:
Gluten-Free
Vegan
Nutrition Info
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Ingredients

Directions

  • Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line the bottom and sides of an 8-inch-square baking pan with foil and coat with cooking spray.

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  • Combine peanuts, rice cereal, oats, pumpkin (or sunflower) seeds, blueberries, apricots and chocolate chips in a large bowl. Drizzle with syrup and gently stir until thoroughly combined. Spread in the prepared baking pan. Coat another piece of foil with cooking spray and place on the bar mixture, sprayed-side down. Place another pan on top and press firmly to compress the mixture. (Pressing before baking helps the bars hold together after baking.) Remove top pan and foil.

  • Bake until just beginning to turn golden at the edges, 20 to 24 minutes (metal pan) or 30 to 35 minutes (glass pan). Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes.

  • Carefully lift the baked square out of the pan by holding the edges of the foil and place on a cutting board, leaving the foil underneath. Cut in half, then cut each half crosswise into 6 bars. Let cool completely before lifting the bars off the foil.

Tips

Make Ahead Tip: Store airtight between sheets of wax paper for up to 1 week. Or individually wrap in plastic and freeze.

People with celiac disease or gluten-sensitivity should use oats that are labeled “gluten-free,” as oats are often cross-contaminated with wheat and barley.

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size: 1 bar
Per Serving:
168 calories; protein 4.7g 9% DV; carbohydrates 18.7g 6% DV; exchange other carbs 1; dietary fiber 2.4g 10% DV; sugars 8.8g; fat 9g 14% DV; saturated fat 1.7g 8% DV; cholesterol 0.4mg; vitamin a iu 63.6IU 1% DV; vitamin c 0.1mg; folate 22.1mcg 6% DV; calcium 14.6mg 2% DV; iron 0.9mg 5% DV; magnesium 56.2mg 20% DV; potassium 201.8mg 6% DV; sodium 28mg 1% DV; thiamin 0.1mg 8% DV; added sugar 6g.
Exchanges:

1/2 starch, 1/2 other carbohydrate, 2 fat

Reviews (8)

Read More Reviews
8 Ratings
  • 5 star values: 3
  • 4 star values: 5
  • 3 star values: 0
  • 2 star values: 0
  • 1 star values: 0
Reviews:
Most Helpful Most Positive Least Positive Newest
EatingWell User
Rating: 4 stars
07/09/2014
Quick easy and tasty I happened to have most ingredients around from other efforts at similar energy treats so I let my 5 year old help put these together. The only change in this batch was replacing all of the dried fruit with raisins. End result they turned out great and they're vanishing very quickly (my wife took some to a dance class where they were a hit as well). My only issue was that the brown rice syrup sort of seeped to the bottom during baking so it's sort of like ingredients sitting on top of the syrup. I'm not sure if pressing down more might provide a better distribution or if it's just unavoidable since liquidy-sugary things get soft and seep when heated. Pros: Very fast to put together Cons: Couldn't get the brown rice syrup distributed evenly Read More
EatingWell User
Rating: 5 stars
10/20/2013
Amazing definatly worth a try!! I added more pumpkin and sunflower seeds! i also put in slivered almonds and chopped them a bit and also put coconut which tasted amazing! Totally going to make these again they are great for pre and post workouts as im a rower so need the energy! Love much try them out! Pros: Easy taste great and you know what ingrdients are in it so you have all the power to create. Cons: absouetly none Read More
EatingWell User
Rating: 5 stars
10/14/2013
These are great but the recipe is deeply flawed On my first try the foil stuck and was almost impossible to remove and the bars crumbled. We liked these but wanted bars instead of trail mix so I didn't give up. Consistent success were achieved after several experiments. My changes: I used walnuts instead of the peanuts so I added 1/2 tsp salt & 1 Tbs flour also 1/4 C raisins. Mix all the dry ingredients well. The 5 Tbs corn syrup measurement was changed to 1/4 C into a 2 C measurement cup adding 1 generous Tbs Almond butter. Microwave this for 15 - 20 seconds and blend well with a small whisk add in an egg white and whisk some more pour over the dry and mix well. Pour into the 8 X 8 pan lined with plastic wrap generously coated with olive oil cover with another piece of wrap coated with the oil pack down paying particular attention to the corners and edges remove the top wrap and invert onto a greased cookie sheet again packing and forming. Remove the wrap and cut into 16 (4x4) pieces with a large chefs knife (keep the knife clean). Baking for 22 min in my oven is just right. Remove and cut again keeping the knife clean and push the edges of each bar together. Slide the knife under to loosen and separate work the edge of the bars together cool. Pros: versatility of ingredients Cons: Recipe needs modification Read More
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EatingWell User
Rating: 4 stars
06/01/2013
FABULOUS I use a pizza roller or fondant roller rather than another pan to press the mixture together and they do not fall apart. Follow the cooling recommendations and they should turn out perfect Pros: EASY - can change up the fruit Read More
EatingWell User
Rating: 4 stars
06/01/2013
Eating Well Energy Bars I use a pizza roller - about 5 across to press down on the bars rather than another pan. If you take them out of the pan and cut then let cool they should not break apart at all. I used brown rice syrup. Read More
Kelly
Rating: 4 stars
08/09/2012
Delicious! The first time I made this as written. They were good. The second time I tried subbing honey for the corn syrup - it didn't hold the bars together well at all but still tasted yummy. The third time I nailed it! Here's what I did: 1/2 cup slivered almonds 1/2 cup rolled oats 1/2 cup puffed rice 1/3 cup raw pumpkin seeds 1/4 cup dried cranberries 6 dried apricots diced 3 T. mini chocolate chips 4 T. light corn syrup 2 T. almond butter Combine the dry ingredients. Melt the almond butter in the microwave (peanut butter would work too but we have an allergy hence the slivered almonds instead of peanuts) and pour over the mixture along with the corn syrup. Cook as in the original recipe. I cut it into 14 bars and they were GREAT! Pros: Healthy delicious I control the ingredients Read More
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EatingWell User
Rating: 5 stars
08/04/2012
Fantastic I'm really enjoying this recipe. I've been taking them for my morning snack at work. They are much less expensive than purchasing energy bars and I get to control the ingredients. We made them using corn syrup and they stayed together nicely and are not dry. I look forward to making this recipe with variations on the ingredients. Pros: Easy to carry; Quick to make Read More
EatingWell User
Rating: 4 stars
07/13/2012
yummy! My family really likes the taste. the problem I had was that they did not hold together. I pressed them as the recipe directed but they fell to pieces. Next time I may try adding a small amount of whole wheat flour and maybe a little more sweetener. I used agave instead of brown rice syrup or corn syrup because that's what I had on hand. And I used all sunflower seeds as the pumpkin seeds were very expensive. Except for the falling apart these are very good. Pros: easy to find ingredients not alot of sugar great tasting Cons: didn't hold together Read More
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