As you know, we’re roughing it this weekend in Wisconsin with some friends – and yes, by roughing it I mean sleeping in beds in a multi-bedroom cabin in the woods with running water, electricity and wifi. Sue us – we like nice things! True also, we have plans to tube down rivers, jetski in lakes and swim our little hearts out, so I figured we might need a snack.
These pretzel granola bars seemed perfect: fortified with flaxseed and wheat flour and sweetened with chocolate and peanut butter, I hoped they would be a total crowd pleaser. And they’re portable – enough said! I found this recipe on howsweeteats.com and knew it was the one for me. Money-saving tip: buy whole flaxseed kernels – not only can you use them in a number of other dishes, but it tends to be cheaper to buy them whole and grind ‘em up in your trusty (if not dirty!) coffee grinder.
Pretzel Granola Bars (www.howsweeteats.com)
1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1 cup puffed rice cereal
1 cup crushed salted pretzels
1/4 cup ground flaxseed
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup chopped dry roasted peanuts
2/3 cup creamy peanut butter
3 tablespoons butter, melted
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon honey (agave should work too)
2/3 cup mini chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a bowl, combine oats, flour, puffed cereal, pretzels, brown sugar, peanuts, and flaxseed, and stir to combine. Add in peanut butter, and mix with a spoon to break it up and create a “dough,” mixing it in as much as you can for at least 5 minutes. Mix melted butter with vanilla extract and add to dough, then mix. Add in honey and stir to moisten completely. Fold in chocolate chips.
Spray a 9 x 13 inch baking dish with non-stick spray and press the dough into the pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the top is golden brown. Remove and let cool completely before cutting – there may be minimal crumbling but they should hold together completely. If you find they are crumbling, stick them in the fridge to chill for a few minutes and try again.