These are the perfect substitute for those store bought energy bars you're eating for a snack or breakfast. These bars are gluten free, low sugar, vegan (if using dairy free chocolate chips) and homemade, which simply just makes them better in my book!
I love me a good energy bar, I tend to always have one in my purse (because I'm always snackin'), however these days the market is saturated with so many different brands it's hard to know which brands are actually nourishing your body and which ones are not, so I prefer to make my own, like my Energy Bites or these bars!
If you've been making your own almond milk at home, these bars will be your new best friend! They use the left over pulp from almond milk as the main ingredient so you no longer need to waste the pulp! Don't worry if you don't have almond pulp you can substitute almond flour instead.
Have fun with these bars and Scrounge with the types of nut and fruits you add in, change it up and experiment. One of the things I love about Scrounging is never making the same recipe twice, I always try to change something up just a tad so that when I go to taste it for the first time it's always a surprise!
Happy Scrounging!
Jenna
T h e S c r o u n g e
If you don't have these exact ingredients, Scrounge with the things you have at home and you may end up creating something even better!
If you don't have agave, use maple syrup
If you don’t have almond pulp, use almond flour
If you don’t have walnuts or sunflower seeds, use chopped almonds, chopped cashews or pepitas
If you don't have dried figs, use chopped dried apricots or chopped dates
If you don’t have almond butter, try creamy peanut butter or cashew butter
If. you don't have vanilla extract, try almond extract
I n g r e d i e n t s
1/2 cup + 2 tbsp agave
1/4 cup ground flaxseed
1 cup almond pulp or almond flour
1 cup gluten-free rolled oats (NOT quick oats)
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp fine sea salt
1/2 cup TOTAL of chopped walnuts, sunflower seeds, chopped dried figs, mini chocolate chips. Fill 1/2 cup with a mixture of these 4 ingredients or measure 1/8 cup of each ingredient (Enjoy Life has mini chips and that are dairy free).
1/2 cup almond butter
2 tsp vanilla extract
D i r e c t i o n s
If using almond pulp make sure it’s been in the fridge for at least one day as that helps dry it out a bit.
Preheat oven to 350°F and line a 9X5 loaf pan with parchment paper hanging over the sides for easy removal later.
Mix the agave and flaxseed in a small bowl well with a fork and set aside for 10 minutes to gel up. Do not skip this step, as it is what acts as the "egg" and binds the bars together.
In a large bowl, combine the almond pulp (or almond flour), oats, cinnamon and salt and whisk well.
Stir in the nut, fruit and chocolate chip mixture.
After the 10 minutes is up for the agave and flaxseed mixture, stir in the almond butter and vanilla until very smooth. Pour over the dry ingredients and stir for a couple of minutes until absorbed.
Add the dough to the loaf pan and spread out evenly and flat with a rubber spatula.
For dough using almond pulp, bake for 30-32 minutes until very golden brown and firm on top. For dough using almond flour, bake about 27-30 minutes until very golden brown and firm on top.
Cool 1 hour before cutting, or they will fall apart! They firm up a lot as they cool.
If desired, melt some chocolate chips and drizzle the tops for added sweetness.
Once cooled slice carefully into bars. Wrap each individually in plastic wrap or foil and store in the fridge. They will hold their shape this way and it makes for an easy grab-and-go snack!
*This recipe was adapted from The Vegan 8 “Almond Pulp Chocolate Chip Bars” recipe.
