Make Your Own Energy Bars at Home

# DIY Energy Bars: A Delicious and Cost-Effective Treat

## Introduction: Why Make Your Own Energy Bars?

In today's fast-paced world, energy bars have become a popular go-to snack for their convenience and nutritional benefits. However, with prices often exceeding $5 per bar, making them at home can be both economical and fun. This guide will walk you through the process of creating your own energy bars using simple ingredients and easy steps, ensuring you save money while enjoying a homemade treat.

## Ingredients You’ll Need

- **Binder**: Dried cherries (or any dried fruit of your choice)

- **Body Components**: Quinoa, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds

- **Crunchy Additions**: Chopped almonds (or any other crunchy ingredient)

- **Sweetener**: Brown rice syrup

- **Liquid Component**: Water

- **Seasoning**: Salt

## Step-by-Step Guide to Making Energy Bars

### 1. Preparing the Ingredients

Begin by preheating your oven to 200°F (approximately 93°C). Spread your quinoa, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, and almonds on a rimmed baking sheet in an even layer.

**Pro Tip**: If you're unsure about using nuts, feel free to substitute with other crunchy ingredients like granola or oats.

### 2. Toasting Nuts and Seeds

Place the baking sheet with your prepared mixture into the preheated oven. Allow them to toast for about 10-15 minutes until they turn golden and fragrant. Keep an eye on them to prevent burning, as this can affect both taste and texture.

### 3. Preparing the Binder

While your nuts and seeds are toasting, prepare the binder in a food processor. Add dried cherries, brown rice syrup, and a splash of water. The water helps soften the cherries, ensuring they bind effectively without being too dry.

**Pro Tip**: If you prefer a sweeter taste, adjust the amount of brown rice syrup to suit your liking.

### 4. Mixing Ingredients

Once the binder is ready, transfer it to a bowl. Fold in your toasted nuts and seeds until well combined. This mixture should be thick but manageable; if it feels too sticky, add a bit more water, one teaspoon at a time.

### 5. Pressing the Mixture

Line an 8x8 inch baking dish with parchment paper, ensuring there's overhang on all sides for easy removal later. Transfer your mixture into the prepared pan and press it down firmly using the flat bottom of a measuring cup or your hands. This step is crucial for setting the texture.

**Pro Tip**: If the mixture sticks to your hands, lightly wet them before pressing to make the process smoother.

### 6. Baking

Place the baking dish in the oven at 200°F and bake until dry to the touch, approximately 15-20 minutes. The goal is a slightly crispy exterior with a chewy center.

### 7. Cooling and Cutting

Once baked, let the energy bars cool completely before handling. Flip the parchment paper over onto a cutting surface, peel it back, and cut the mixture into desired shapes—bars or squares work well.

**Pro Tip**: For perfectly even cuts, use a sharp knife and wipe it between cuts to ensure clean lines.

## Conclusion: Enjoy Your Homemade Energy Bars!

With these simple steps, you've created a delicious, homemade energy bar that's both nutritious and cost-effective. Experiment with different fruits and nuts to find your favorite combination. For more recipes and tips, visit [Bonap Petite](https://www.bonapetite.com) for additional inspiration.

Happy baking, and enjoy your new-found skill in creating these delectable energy bars!

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enenergy bars they're tasty easy pickme up in these days you can find them anywhere but who wants to Shell out five bucks a pop when you can make it at home I'll show you how most energy bars are made up of the same building blocks first you've got your binder in this case we're using dried cherries but pretty much any dried fruit will work then body something to really chew on in the bar for these I've got some quinoa and some seeds pumpkin and sunflower finally a little crunch I like some chopped almonds but really any crunchy n will work I put the quinoa the seeds and the almonds on a rim baking sheet and just suck them in the oven to toast until they're golden and fragrant so while your nuts and seeds are toasting prepare the binder so I've got my dried cherries here they're going to go right in the food processor next I've got a little brown rice syrup then add a little water the Cherry tend to actually bind up too tight without a little liquid so that's going to help smooth it out and a little salt okay now let's give it a whz so that looks good it's nice and smooth it's almost like a paste so I'm just going to transfer that to this bowl okay so fillings in there Ino my toasted nuts and seeds and then we fold in in okay so now I'm going to transfer to my prepared pan so this is just an 8 by8 in baking dish I'm sure you've got one at home and I've lined it with some parchment paper leave an overhang on all sides that way it's going to be really easy to get the bars out of the pan so in they go so now that I've got my mixture in the pan we've reached the key moment so I'm going to use my hands to kind of spread it out but to really pack it in I like to use the flat bottom of a measuring cup this is going to help the bars hold their shape if it gets a little sticky you can even fold the parchment over a little bit that kind of helps it get in the corners okay so those look pretty good and even so now I'm going to pop them in the oven at 200° just to dry them out okay so I baked these low and slow 200° until they were dry to the touch so I've let them cool completely and since I left that part overhang out of the dish no problem so just flip them over and peel back the parchment now we're going to cut them into actual bars you could definitely cut them into squares but we like bars so you can see how they're still crunchy but also chewy they're a little bit wobbly that's perfect for this and more energy bar recipes go to bonap petite.com new healthy see youenergy bars they're tasty easy pickme up in these days you can find them anywhere but who wants to Shell out five bucks a pop when you can make it at home I'll show you how most energy bars are made up of the same building blocks first you've got your binder in this case we're using dried cherries but pretty much any dried fruit will work then body something to really chew on in the bar for these I've got some quinoa and some seeds pumpkin and sunflower finally a little crunch I like some chopped almonds but really any crunchy n will work I put the quinoa the seeds and the almonds on a rim baking sheet and just suck them in the oven to toast until they're golden and fragrant so while your nuts and seeds are toasting prepare the binder so I've got my dried cherries here they're going to go right in the food processor next I've got a little brown rice syrup then add a little water the Cherry tend to actually bind up too tight without a little liquid so that's going to help smooth it out and a little salt okay now let's give it a whz so that looks good it's nice and smooth it's almost like a paste so I'm just going to transfer that to this bowl okay so fillings in there Ino my toasted nuts and seeds and then we fold in in okay so now I'm going to transfer to my prepared pan so this is just an 8 by8 in baking dish I'm sure you've got one at home and I've lined it with some parchment paper leave an overhang on all sides that way it's going to be really easy to get the bars out of the pan so in they go so now that I've got my mixture in the pan we've reached the key moment so I'm going to use my hands to kind of spread it out but to really pack it in I like to use the flat bottom of a measuring cup this is going to help the bars hold their shape if it gets a little sticky you can even fold the parchment over a little bit that kind of helps it get in the corners okay so those look pretty good and even so now I'm going to pop them in the oven at 200° just to dry them out okay so I baked these low and slow 200° until they were dry to the touch so I've let them cool completely and since I left that part overhang out of the dish no problem so just flip them over and peel back the parchment now we're going to cut them into actual bars you could definitely cut them into squares but we like bars so you can see how they're still crunchy but also chewy they're a little bit wobbly that's perfect for this and more energy bar recipes go to bonap petite.com new healthy see you\n"