The very negative side effect of hating mornings is that I tend to skip breakfast. Often. In my haste to be on time and make that conference call, I completely forget to put any food in my stomach. Or worse, I'll just eat a cookie instead of something healthy.
Which leads me to this post about granola bars. Why buy a box of rock hard oat bars with nasty raisins, when I can make mine custom to what I like to eat, and just a smidge of sweetness? Why settle for processed food when I can enjoy a little homemade TLC? I sifted through many recipes before I settled on Nigella Lawson's Breakfast Bars - too many recipes called for a ton of butter, things like flax seeds, or maple syrup - none of which I really wanted in my breakfast or in my tiny kitchen.
I substituted sliced almonds instead of peanuts and used a mix of salted pumpkin seeds and sesame. I really liked the taste and texture of the mix. I found the recipe was a bit too sweet - even though it doesn't call for extra sugar, the condensed milk and sweetened coconut was a little much. The bars also had a duplicitous texture - the top was quite dry and the bottom was very moist. Baking it at a low temperature seemed only to allow the condensed milk to sink to the bottom rather than incorporate everything together. As I removed the bars from the pan, they tended to crumble a little, and I had to break out some sushi rolling skills to make sure they stayed in little bars.
I do really like how they taste and it was super easy to make. Supposedly they store well (and actually get better over time) so we'll see how the bars in my desk vs my freezer fare over the next week and if the texture improves. If I make this again, I would probably soak the oats in some water first, drain them, and then use 2/3rds of the condensed milk. Additional cons are the lack of health benefits in condensed milk (I'm estimating the calorie count for this bar at around 170 but with a hefty amount of saturated fat) and the cost - a Nature Valley bar retails at 59 cents a bar but the ingredients for my bar cost 50 cents each - what about labor?
But the important thing is - will I like them enough to make sure I always eat breakfast?
Well, the bars lasted 2 weeks! The bars did get better with time, maintaining a slightly crumbly texture. The sticky condensed milk actually hardened, so it was easier to handle and the bar fell apart less. Perhaps I should bake longer next time and leave to rest for several hours before I slice.
ReplyDeleteIn the frozen quarter sheet bars, Perry did note that his last one tasted funny - perhaps it was the storage method or the freezing, but I should be really conscious of air and moisture exposure.
Batch 2 modified as follows:
ReplyDelete3.5 cups oats soaked 24 hours in warm water. Oats then toasted for 30 minutes in a sheet pan with shredded coconut (mixed halfway) to get more even evaporation
2/3rd cup each of pumpkin and sesame seeds for more crunch
Cranberries diced rather than whole
Condensed milk heated up with 1/4 cup honey to thin out the "glue"
Added 2 tablespoons of peanut butter to condensed milk and honey just before pouring
Spread bars in 3/4 inch thickness - I had enough for a 13 x 9 and an 8x8 dish for more bars
Baked at 300 for an hour and 15 min.
Much fluffier, less sweet, and even consistency. Still moist and full of flavor. WIN!