all things food
Nut-free friends, this one’s for you! We’re no strangers to energy bites (and cake bites… and cookie bites…), but a nut-free version of these snackable treats was long overdue!
With dates, tahini, pumpkin seeds, and hemp seeds, these tasty snacks…
Nut-free friends, this one’s for you! We’re no strangers to energy bites (and cake bites… and cookie bites…), but a nut-free version of these snackable treats was long overdue!
With dates, tahini, pumpkin seeds, and hemp seeds, these tasty snacks are nutrient-packed and SO easy to make! They’re perfect for lunch boxes, party platters, or just grabbing out of the refrigerator when you need a treat.
Seedy Tahini Snack Bites (Nut-Free!) from Minimalist Baker →
Welcome back, friends! We’ve returned to the magical land of chocolate + peanut butter (one of our favorite places). This timeless combo has won the day YET again, this time in the form of creamy, decadent, salty-sweet vegan ice cream bars!
They’…
Welcome back, friends! We’ve returned to the magical land of chocolate + peanut butter (one of our favorite places). This timeless combo has won the day YET again, this time in the form of creamy, decadent, salty-sweet vegan ice cream bars!
They’re truly better than we ever could’ve imagined, and they just might replace your favorite store-bought bars. Just 7 pantry staple ingredients required.
Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream Bars (Vegan) from Minimalist Baker →
Homemade Granola Bars are wholesome and healthy! Loaded with oats, dates, peanut butter, walnuts, and chocolate chips.
The post Granola Bars appeared first on Budget Bytes.
When I’m looking for a snack, I want it to be wholesome. These Homemade Granola Bars are delicious and free of all the junk and preservatives you can’t pronounce on most boxes of affordable store-bought granola bars. Instead, I loaded mine with quick rolled oats, Medjool dates, peanut butter, walnuts, and chocolate chips. They still taste amazing and are much healthier with whole food ingredients.
I’m not ashamed to say that I’m a bit crunchy… the kind of “crunchy” who left the city for the county, lives on a farm, grows their own vegetables, and makes their own Granola Bars. Guilty as charged! I love a hearty, chewy granola bar with a variety of textures, and this recipe is all of that and more! Marsha and I break these out of the freezer at the Budget Bytes studio on a regular basis; they make one heck of a snack.
Bonus: Because there’s no heat involved, these homemade granola bars are also fun to make with kids! They can mold the dough into fun shapes and help you in the kitchen!
That depends on a lot of factors. In general, granola bars are a good source of fiber (and sometimes protein, too!). However, many times, they also contain as much sugar and calories as candy bars. As a general rule, if I check the ingredient label on something and I can’t recognize or pronounce the majority of the ingredients, I usually put it back.
My homemade bars are made with Medjool dates and honey as the primary sweeteners, which are both lower on the glycemic index, making these bars more nutrient-dense and healthier than ones made with straight up sugar or corn syrup. The peanut butter and walnuts add a good bit of protein, and the oats up the fiber content. Overall, these homemade granola bars are much healthier than store-bought, but taste even better!
Here’s what you’ll need to make granola bars:
Sometimes! I like to buy peanut butter and oats in bulk whenever they’re on sale since they keep well for a long time unopened. This really helps me cut down on costs. Some value-sized packs of store-bought granola bars are cheaper than my homemade recipe, but I can guarantee the ingredients aren’t nearly as wholesome. At just $0.72 per bar, these healthy homemade granola bars are good for your wallet and better for your body!
These bars are a great base for all kinds of mix-ins. Try:
Do you have a peanut allergy? Try swapping peanut butter and peanuts for almond butter. If you’re allergic to all tree nuts, try tahini and pumpkin seeds instead!
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Gather ingredients. In a food processor, process 1 cup pitted Medjool dates (make sure all of them are pitted!) until they form a big ball of “dough”
In a mixing bowl, combine combine Medjool date “dough”, 1/2 cup chunky peanut butter, 1/4 cup walnuts, 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon, 1/4 tsp sea salt, 1 1/2 cups quick rolled oats, 1/4 cup honey, and 2 Tbsp dark chocolate chips and mix together by hand (it’s going to be sticky!)
Spread the granola bar batter into a lined baking dish and freeze for 1-2 hours until firm but not completely solid.
Remove from freezer. Cut bars into the size and shape you want. These will keep in the fridge in an airtight container for up to one month!
You’ll never buy store-bought granola bars again!
The post Granola Bars appeared first on Budget Bytes.
Our new favorite fudgy, not-too-sweet truffles are inspired by a similar treat from Margalaxy in Portland, Oregon. They’re creamy and complex thanks to the inclusion of tahini, bitter and chocolaty because of cocoa powder, and dates lend the perfect te…
Our new favorite fudgy, not-too-sweet truffles are inspired by a similar treat from Margalaxy in Portland, Oregon. They’re creamy and complex thanks to the inclusion of tahini, bitter and chocolaty because of cocoa powder, and dates lend the perfect texture and sweetness.
These seriously snack-able truffles disappeared quickly in the test kitchen. And they’re SO easy to make — just 5 ingredients and 15 minutes required!
5-Ingredient Chocolate Tahini Truffles from Minimalist Baker →
Introducing our DREAM dessert for Halloween (and beyond)! A peanutty, caramelly, vegan chocolate bark studded with flaky salt. It’s like a sophisticated Snickers bar (!!), but words can’t prepare you for the magic of the first bite!
Even better? Minima…
Introducing our DREAM dessert for Halloween (and beyond)! A peanutty, caramelly, vegan chocolate bark studded with flaky salt. It’s like a sophisticated Snickers bar (!!), but words can’t prepare you for the magic of the first bite!
Even better? Minimal prep time, just 5 ingredients, and it keeps well in the freezer for easy snacking for weeks (or so we think…good luck keeping it around that long!). Let’s make candy, friends!
5-Ingredient Snickers Chocolate Bark from Minimalist Baker →
