Cranberry Buckwheat Energy Bars
A fall spiced energy bar flecked with cranberries, golden raisins, walnuts, and pumpkin seeds. Molasses and spice pair perfectly with the earthy buckwheat flour. Use freshly ground buckwheat flour, not the store bought kind. Take whole, raw buckwheat groats, and process in a blender for 2-3 minutes. It couldn't be easier! If you'd like to frost them, my Autumn Spiced Buttercream is a healthy choice.
Servings: 8 bars
Calories: 251kcal
Ingredients
Dry
- 1/2 cup almond meal (a little less than 1/2 cup almond ground finely in a blender or food processor)
- 1/2 cup buckwheat flour
- 1/4 cup oat flour (grind whole oats in blender or food processor)
- 1 tablespoon flax meal
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg (freshly grated is worth the extra effort!)
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
Wet
- 3 tablespoons butter melted
- 2 tablespoons blackstrap molasses
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin puree (important ingredient for binding- don't sub butter)
- 1 egg
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Mix-Ins
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries
- 1/2 cup walnuts chopped
- 1/4 cup golden raisins (or sub more cranberries)
- 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 320º f.
- Mix all the dry ingredients together in a mixing bowl. Using freshly ground buckwheat flour is important to this recipe. It's okay to sub almond flour, but I like to use freshly ground almonds when possible. I also prefer grinding my own oat flour and find it has a much better texture than store-bought oat flour.
- In a small bowl, mix together the wet ingredients, stirring until the honey and molasses are incorporated.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry, and stir until there are no more dry spots.
- Fold in the cranberries, chopped walnuts, golden raisins, and pumpkin seeds.
- Bake for 18 minutes, being careful not to over bake.
- Cool completely before slicing. They will be very crumbly when warm. I like to freeze them before slicing.
- Frost with Autumn Spiced Buttercream, if desired.
- Store bars in the freezer for best results.
Nutrition
Calories: 251kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 32mg | Sodium: 157mg | Potassium: 227mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 453IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 46mg | Iron: 2mg