Earth Day Bars

I'm happy to say that the "Dirt Dessert" from yesterday did result in a post-dinner smile from my youngest boy.  I've been waiting days to see one so it was a great relief to finally catch a glimpse of his loose-tooth grin.  Having said that, the above Earth Day bars didn't elicit quite the same response from him, although my older boy thought they were very tasty and eagerly shared them with his friends on the playground after school.  

Inspired by a recipe I found on-line, featuring a dish created with ingredients from different countries around the world, I decided to do the same thing in the form of a snack for my boys.  I also knew I wanted to make something healthy as we've been indulging in far too many sweet treats in our home of late (Easter, a birthday and dirt dessert!).  I discovered the below recipe on-line, and tweaked it a bit to suit my family's tastes.  I chose to make these bars with dark chocolate (native to Asia and Latin America), dried cranberries (native to North America), coconut (native to South Asia) and walnuts (grown worldwide).  

These would be a great treat for your kids to make with some friends as the add-in's can be customized to suit the likes of each child.  I might also suggest using these bars to teach geography...Earth Day Asia Bars, Earth Day North America bars...you get the idea.  Simply use add-ins from specific continents or countries while studying those geographic regions.  Happy Baking! 

Earth Day Bars, adapted from this recipe

1 1/2 cups of whole wheat pastry flour

1 1/2 cups of rolled oats

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup olive oil

1/2 cup apple butter

1 egg

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

Add ins:

Chopped dark chocolate, coconut, dried cranberries, walnuts

Possible add ins:

raisins, dried fruits, nuts, pineapple, apples, blueberries

~ Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees

~ In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, baking soda and salt.  Set aside.  In a small mixing bowl whisk together the oil, apple butter and egg.

~ Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix with a wooden spoon until the dough has a crumbly texture.  

~ Customize you add ins and fold in 1 cup total of the add-ins of your choice.

~ Lightly oil an 8x8 baking pan and press the dough in firmly.  Bake in pre-heated oven for 17 minutes or until the bars are set.  Let cool for 30 minutes before cutting.  Store in an airtight container for 2-3 days.

~ Enjoy!

Comments

[Monkey Lobster]

thanks that looks great.