No-Bake Energy Bites

from www.gimmesomeoven.com

No-Bake Energy Bites 

Ingredients:

• 1 cup (dry) oatmeal (I used old-fashioned oats)
• 1 cup toasted coconut flakes
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1/2 cup ground flaxseed
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1 tsp. vanilla

Method:

Stir all ingredients together in a medium bowl until thoroughly mixed.  Let chill in the refrigerator for half an hour.  Once chilled, roll into balls of whatever size you would like.  (Mine were about 1″ in diameter.)  Store in an airtight container and keep refrigerated for up to 1 week.

Makes about 20-25 balls.

Ali’s Tip:

Substitution ideas can abound for just about any of these ingredients!  Feel free to substitute in your favorite nut butter (almond butter, sunflower seed butter, etc.) for the peanut butter.  And you could also add in some wheat germ in place of some or all of the flaxseed.  I would caution, though, against substituting agave nectar for the honey, as the honey’s thickness helps hold things together.

Some other fun substitutions for the chocolate chips (or an addition to them) could include:

• chopped dried fruit (apricots, dates, raisins, etc.)
• dried berries (cranberries, cherries, etc.)
• chopped almonds, pecans, or sunflower seeds
• other chips (butterscotch, dark chocolate, milk chocolate, etc.)

Update: Many of you in the comments have asked about substitutions for other ingredients.  The joy of these bites being “no bakes” is that this recipe is super flexible.  If you end up needing to omit one of the dry ingredients (such as coconut or flax), just add in some extra of whatever other dry ingredient is remaining (for example, the oats).  If you feel like your energy bites are too dry, just add in extra honey or peanut butter.  Enjoy!!!

Source: Slightly adapted from Smashed Peas & Carrots.

Coconut Chocolate Chunk Blondies

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
4 ounces unsalted butter, melted and cooled to room temperature
1 cup light brown sugar
1 large egg
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup sweetened flaked coconut
1 cup chocolate chips or chunks


Topping:

1 cup semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips
1 teaspoon butter

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour an 8-inch square baking pan.
2. Combine the flour and salt; set aside.
3. Stir together the melted butter and brown sugar until smooth; beat in egg and vanilla extract until well blended.
4. Slowly beat in the flour mixture until blended, then stir in the coconut and chocolate chips.
5. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth even with a rubber spatula.
6. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until set in the center but still soft. Do not overbake. Let the bars cool slightly before drizzling with chocolate, then cool completely before cutting into squares.
7. For the topping, combine the chocolate and butter in a small bowl and microwave in 30-second intervals until melted and smooth. Using a spoon, drizzle over the bars.

I usually double this and put it in a 9x13 pan- 30-35 minutes.  I've never made the topping.  Good stuff!

School Lunch Peanut Butter Bars

Remember the peanut butter bars from elementary school lunch? They were the BEST! I searched the internet high and low and found this recipe that is very similar to the ones from elementary days. I even had the chance to do a taste test with the real deal at a Davis County School District lunch one day and I'd say they were about equal. Enjoy!

School Lunch Peanut Butter Bars
This recipe is for a large 18X13 inch pan.

Make sure to half the recipe if you are using a 9X13 inch pan!

Cream together:
1 C sugar
1 C brown sugar, packed
1 C butter, softened

Add and combine:
1 tsp vanilla
2 large eggs
1 C peanut butter (I prefer chunky because I like peanuts, but original recipe calls for creamy)

Add and mix with above mixture:
2 C flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt

Add last:
2 C oats (I prefer whole oats, but the original recipe called for quick oats)

Spread dough on greased cookie sheet cake pan.

Bake 350 degrees for 20-23 minutes until golden brown.

While hot, spread 1 ½ C creamy butter on top. This layer should be thin. It is easier to spread the peanut butter if you microwave the it for about 15 seconds so it is hot and thin.

Cool so that peanut butter is solid again. It helps if you place pan into the refrigerator for 10 minutes after they are completely cooled off so the peanut butter will become very solid.

Spread chocolate frosting on top. This layer should be thicker than peanut butter layer.

Cut into bars.

Hershey’s Cocoa Best Frosting

18X13 pan:not needed to double frosting recipe.

½ C butter
4 TBS Hershey’s Cocoa
1 tsp vanilla well.
4 TBS milk
4 C powdered sugar



1. Melt butter over low heat in medium saucepan.

2. Gradually add all other ingredients and mix well. Make sure you put frosting onto peanut butter bars immediately because this recipe sets rather quickly.

Raspberry Oat Breakfast Bars

3/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 1/2 cups rolled oats
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 (5 ounce) jar raspberry preserves - or any flavor you like. I just take whatever jam and spread a thin layer. It is so sweet you really don't need that much.
DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease a 9x13 inch pan.
In a large bowl, cream together the butter and brown sugar until smooth. Combine the oats, flour, salt and baking powder; stir into the creamed mixture. Press half of the mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan. Spread the preserves over the crust. Crumble the remaining crust mixture over the raspberry layer.
Bake for 15 minutes in the preheated oven, or until light brown. Cool completely before cutting into bars. You can eat them warm- but they will likely fall apart. Still tasty though.