As open-minded as I try to be about food, there’s one thing which I will attest to being a snob about: Snack bars. If they contain a dodgy ingredient list (i.e too long), I will 99.9% turn my nose up at them. I rather have a piece of fruit & some nuts which are as portable and delicious.
Although companies like Kellogg’s tout their Special K cereal bars as being a healthy alternative, I personally wouldn’t say they are any healthier than a cookie. Sure they contain around 100 calories, but they also pack in plenty of nasties to compensate:
CEREAL (RICE, WHOLE GRAIN WHEAT, SUGAR, WHEAT BRAN, SOLUBLE WHEAT FIBER, SALT, MALT FLAVORING, MALTODEXTRIN, THIAMIN MONONITRATE [VITAMIN B1], RIBOFLAVIN [VITAMIN B2]), CORN SYRUP, SOLUBLE CORN FIBER, FRUCTOSE, STRAWBERRY FLAVORED FRUIT PIECES (SUGAR, CRANBERRIES, CITRIC ACID, NATURAL STRAWBERRY FLAVOR WITH OTHER NATURAL FLAVORS, ELDERBERRY JUICE CONCENTRATE FOR COLOR, SUNFLOWER OIL), SUGAR, VEGETABLE OIL (SOYBEAN AND PALM OIL WITH TBHQ FOR FRESHNESS, PARTIALLY HYDROGENATED PALM KERNEL OIL), MALTODEXTRIN, CONTAINS TWO PERCENT OR LESS OF DEXTROSE, SORBITOL, GLYCERIN, NONFAT DRY MILK, NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL STRAWBERRY FLAVOR, SOY LECITHIN, SALT, NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR, NIACINAMIDE, COLOR ADDED, PYRIDOXINE HYDROCHLORIDE (VITAMIN B6), BHT (PRESERVATIVE);LESS THAN 0.5g TRANS FAT PER SERVING
Gaaaa-ross! That’s definitely not something I’m buying any time soon. When I’m buying snack bars, I have a few requirements:
- Minimal ingredients, all of which I can pronounce & recognise
- Decent dose of protein (at least 4g per bar)
- Free from any artificial sweeteners
- Under 200 calories
- Tastes yum
Although my go-to favourite is KIND bars, sadly they aren’t available in Mumbai…which only means one thing: try to come up with something that’s equally great in a pinch.
My sister shared a yum recipe for Oatmeal Snack Bars with me last week and I tweaked the add-ins based on what I had at home. The end product? Cashew & Coconut Oatmeal Bars. Between changing up the nuts or adding in other ingredients, these bars are completely customisable. If you’re allergic to nuts, replace ’em with seeds. If you’re sensitive to gluten, use gluten-free oats. If dried fruit is your thang, add ’em in. If you’re feeling wild, chuck in a few chocolate chips. Rather than chewy or crispy, the texture of these bars reminded me of muffin tops…i.e. the best part about muffins :)!
Each bar contains 180 calories & 6.1 grams of protein…perfect! I love ’em with my afternoon cup of coffee (or chai) but they’d also make a great breakfast option…especially if time is money for you in the morning.
[yumprint-recipe id=’6′]What do you look for in a snack bar? What’s your favourite?
No joke….I actually ate two of my no bake cashew coconut protein bars (http://thebigmansworld.com/2014/05/20/bake-cashew-coconut-protein-bars/) for breakfast today!! I love the idea to bake them and a muffin like texture? Nice one!
Clearly great minds eat alike 😉
Delish! I love coconut!
Snap!
I love the last point: Taste yum 🙂 most important thing ever!
These look so good, I know the wouldn’t survive for too long in my house!
Taste is always top priority 🙂
hey, this looks so awesome!
By unsweetened coconut do you mean the normal one we get?
I used toasted unsweetened coconut flakes which I bring back from London.
I used to adore the macadamia nut white chocolate Cliff bars – then I read an article where they were compared to a candy bar’s sugar and fat content 🙁 So I switched to Larabars – and recently to AMRAP bars – both awesome -to me-in taste and filling factor! Your list of ingredients on these bars read a lot like my two current fav’s ingredient list – I love making bars at home and I love being wild (with ma food) So a chocolate chip version of these HAS to happen in ma kitchen pronto!
AMRAP bars sound great- love the name 🙂
Ok i was JUST commenting on Sam’s post (better with sprinkles sam) that i want to try making my own bars. I’m therefore taking this as a sign- this will be the first recipe i try. im excited!!
Err this makes me really excited- hope you love ’em 🙂
i have been just making my own at home…it is so much easier and healthier than buy the store bought ones.
And cheaper 🙂
I’m totally with you – I’m a snob about snack bars.Those Kellogg or Quakers granola bars seriously have no appeal to me. They’re so boring tasting and they leave me hungry like 2 minutes later. Also, they usually have enough sugar to qualify as a chocolate bar. 😛
These bars look delicious!!
Gah same here- they do nothing for my hunger levels!!
I guess one of the good things about having nut allergies is the fact that I can’t eat most store-bought bars by default, meaning that if I want one, I have to make my own… and therefore can control what goes into them. I mean, there are certain Quaker bars that are nut-free, but let’s be real — it’s junk food in disguise.
Pssh I’d rather have something outta your kitchen than ANYTHING out of Quaker’s factory….just saying 🙂
Nom nom nom!! These look amazing! Bookmarked and planned for weekend baking 🙂
Hope you enjoyed ’em, Whitney 🙂
I so agree with you on the bars! Most of them are like desserts. Or scary unidentifiable shit storms. Love your recipe. I’m a huge cashew fan!
Shit storms…I couldn’t have phrased ’em better myself!
This looks 100x more delicious than a special k bar…never liked ’em anyways!
Thanks, P 🙂
Muffin top bars. What a fabulous concept. I could totally get down with these.
I rarely mess with store bought bars either, although I will make an exception for the KIND bars, when I can afford them, that is.
They aren’t cheap…that’s for sure!!
This looks amazing Khushboo. They kinda remind of Coconut Burfi with cashews. Right? or am I right? 🙂
I’m bookmarking these.
Sorry been MIA – lot going on.
Hope you’re well!
Ah so GREAT to hear from you Nisha! All is well with me- and hope you are too!! Any chance you are starting up your blog again??
Mmmm, I should make this for my mom! She loves cashews. I also like how they are packed full of wonderful nutrients. Good for you food that tastes great is my fave.
Yours & mine both- hope your mom enjoyed the bars :)!
Hi ! Can’t seem to find coconut flakes in Dubai! Can we substitute with the fresh grated coconut we get in packets here ??
I can’t see why not 🙂
Tks a ton ! Keep you posted on results once I try xoxo