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Banana Caramel Granola Bars

February 28, 2013 by 46 Comments
Do you ever need an on-the-go snack that fills you up and it’s healthy?  Well, I’ve got these Banana Caramel Granola Bars that just might do the trick!  Minus the caramel sauce if you really want them healthy, but I’m not that disciplined so caramel sauce it was!

Banana Caramel Granola Bars

In just over a week our family will be on vacation so I’ve been busy packing, organizing, and thinking of snacks to take for the airport.  With 3 kids, there is always one them that’s hungry, thirsty or bored.  That’s why I’m making up some on-the-go snacks to have on hand so that when they ask for a $5 muffin and a $2 bottle of water, I’ll be ready!  Well, the water will have to come from the fountain since we can’t take it past security, but the food I can bring.  

Banana Caramel Granola Bars1

 Ever since I saw Jessica’s (from A Kitchen Addiction) Peanut Butter & Dark Chocolate Chip No Bake Granola Bites I thought they would be the perfect thing to make for the airport.  So, those are next on my list this week!  The reason why I went for these this time was because my kids can still take these to school with them in the meantime.   No peanut butter = school friendly!  Plus I had too many bananas in my freezer that needed to be used up.

Banana Caramel Granola Bars2

 

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Banana Caramel Granola Bars

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

Yield: 14-16 bars

These granola bars are healthy and filling. Perfect for an on-the-go snack!

Ingredients

  • 2 ripe bananas, mashed
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 2 egg whites
  • 1 tsp. cinnamon
  • 1 tsp. vanilla
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 2 cups rolled oats
  • 4 Tbsp. Organic Sprouted Chia & Flax Seed Powder (or just chia or flax seeds)
  • 2 Tbsp. brown sugar
  • 1/4 caramel sauce

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
In a medium bowl add the bananas, applesauce, honey, egg whites, cinnamon, vanilla, and salt. Mix well until all ingredients are combined.
In a separate bowl, mix together the rolled oats and the chia/flax seed mix. Pour into wet mixture and combine.
Pour mixture on paper-lined cookie sheet. Using a spoon, flatten the mixture in to a rectangle and 1/2 inch thick. I also used the inside of my hand to smooth out the edges as I worked the spoon along.
Sprinkle the 2 Tbsp. of brown sugar evenly on top. Bake for 30 minutes.
Remove from oven and let cool completely.
Once granola bars are cooled, spread caramel sauce evenly over top and enjoy!
Recipe adapted from The Svelte Gourmet
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Some other healthy granola bars you might enjoy:
Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookie Granola Bars by Averie Cooks
 Almond Joy Raw Bars (Gluten-Free Heart Healthy) by Beard & Bonnet
Fruit & Nut Granola Bars (Gluten Free) by Hezzi D’s Books and Cooks
Filed Under: Squares & Bars Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Salted Caramel Apple Crumb Bars

November 4, 2012 by 15 Comments

So, first off I want to say that I FINALLY got my cast off after 10 long weeks.  I still need to wear a wrist splint for another 4 but at least I can take it off!  I never realized that now is when the real work begins.  My wrist is still very sore and I can hardly move it.  I’ll be starting physiotherapy next week so hopefully that will loosen things up a bit.  I guess I just assumed that when the cast came off that my wrist would be all better.  Wrong!  The real work is just beginning…..

Onto more appetizing details, I did make these yummy Salted Caramel Apple Crumb Bars that I took to a family Thanksgiving dinner.  They are like little pieces of apple pie but only better.  They have a shortbread crust, a juicy caramel apple filling, and then they’re topped with more of the shortbread.  Oh, and it doesn’t stop there!  You take a big scoop spoon full of salted caramel sauce, pour it over top, and you’ve got one mouth-watering dessert that is sure to be a hit at any dinner party….or potluck, brunch, breakfast, whatever!  These are good, trust me!

I ended up leaving the dinner with some leftover pieces and some caramel sauce so I thought I would freeze them for another time.  I wasn’t sure how they would freeze but they ended up tasting just like the day I made them.  I left them thaw overnight on the counter and them heated them up with some of the leftover caramel sauce and you’d never know they’d been frozen.  Bonus!  If you have some apples to use up I would suggest you try these.  Make sure you brew yourself a nice cup of tea too.  Perfect combination!

Recipe from Two Peas & Their Pod

Salted Caramel Apple Crumb Bars

 
Author: Two Peas & Their Pod
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 16
Shortbread bars of apple pie drizzled with homemade salted caramel sauce.
Ingredients
  • Salted Caramel Sauce:
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into pieces
  • 1 cup heavy cream, at room temperature
  • 1 tablespoon fleur de sel or Maldon sea salt flakes
  • Apple Crumb Bars
  • For the Apple Filling:
  • 5 cups peeled and diced apples (I used Granny Smith)
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • ½ cup all-purpose Gold Medal flour
  • 1 teaspoon cornstarch
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground all-spice
  • For the crust:
  • 3 cups all-purpose Gold Medal flour
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
  • 1 egg, lightly beaten
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
  1. To make the Salted Caramel Sauce:
  2. First, make sure you have all of the ingredients ready. Once you start the caramel sauce you have to pay close attention so you don’t burn it. To begin, heat the sugar over medium high-heat in the bottom of a heavy 2-3 quart saucepan. When the sugar starts to melt, start whisking the sugar. The sugar will clump up, but keep whisking. It will continue to melt. When the sugar is melted, stop whisking. You can swirl the pan to move the sugar around.
  3. Continue cooking the sugar until it reaches a deep amber color. Make sure you watch the pan very closely. This is where it is easy to burn the caramel. You want the caramel to reach 350 degrees F. If you are new to making caramel, I suggest using a thermometer.
  4. As soon as the sugar reaches the dark amber color, carefully add the butter. Whisk until butter is melted.
  5. Remove the pan from the heat and carefully pour in the heavy cream. Whisk until cream is incorporated and caramel is smooth. Whisk in the fleur de sel or Maldon sea salt flakes.
  6. Let the caramel sauce cool for about 10 minutes in the pan. Pour the caramel into a large mason jar and cool to room temperature while you make the apple crumb bars. This recipe makes 2 cups of caramel sauce. You can store the leftover caramel sauce in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
  7. To make the Apple Crumb Bars:
  8. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Spray a 9×13-inch baking pan with cooking spray and set aside.
  9. For the apple filling – place the diced apples in a large bowl and sprinkle with lemon juice. Mix gently. In a separate bowl whisk together flour, cornstarch, sugar, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ground all-spice. Pour over the apples and carefully combine. Set aside.
  10. For the dough-in a large bowl whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Cut in the butter with a pastry blender or by using your hands, until butter is mixed in, but you still have small chunks of butter. Mix the egg and vanilla together. Add into the flour and butter mixture and combine. The dough will be crumbly. Pat half of the dough into the prepared pan.
  11. Spread the apple mixture evenly over the bottom crust. Drizzle about salted caramel sauce over the apple filling, about 3/4 cup. Crumble the remaining dough over the apple caramel layer and pat gently.
  12. Bake for 45 minutes, or until the top is golden brown. Cool completely on a wire rack. Cut into squares. Drizzle salted caramel sauce over the squares and serve.
  13. Note-you won’t use all of the salted caramel sauce for this recipe. Store the leftover sauce in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
 

These are the parties that I’ve linked up to: Link Parties

 

Filed Under: Squares & Bars Tagged With: apple, , , shortbread

Chocolate & Caramel Rainbow Bit Popcorn

October 2, 2012 by 9 Comments

I’ve been having a real craving for Kernels Caramel Popcorn lately but I hate to pay the price for it.  I figured I could probably come up with something that was similar and just as tasty.  Well, I did!  This popcorn was so good that it was gone in less than a day.  It’s not good when everyone in my house a sweet tooth.  Although it has the added flavor of cake batter, the caramel flavor still shines through.

On a different note, I had my x-ray taken of my wrist on Thursday so I followed up today with my doctor’s office and the report said that my wrist is still fractured.  It will be 6 weeks this Thursday that I’ve had my cast on and it looks like it may be seven.  My doctor is going to x-ray it again the end of next week to see if it’s healing.  So, in the meantime, I’m still pecking away at my keyboard, wearing a Walmart shopping bag into the shower, buttoning up my pants with one hand, getting my kids to help me open jars, and having to ask for help to put my hair in a ponytail.  On the bright side, though, I’ve gotten out of cooking, laundry (folding), lifting anything too heavy, and chores outside.  Although it was nice in the beginning I’m getting pretty tired of wearing this cast and I’m so looking forward to getting it off!

Linked up at:  Lil’ Luna, Crazy for Crust, Inside BruCrew Life,  Chef in Training, Mandy’s Recipe Box,  I Heart Naptime, DJ’s Sugar Shack, At Home Take 2, Something Swanky, Back 4 Seconds

Recipe adapted from A Stool At The Counter
Chocolate & Caramel Rainbow Bit Popcorn

 
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 8
Sweet caramel corn with the added deliciousness of cake batter.
Ingredients
  • * See notes
  • 2 bags extra buttery popcorn
  • 3/4 cup butter
  • 1 cup Rainbow Bit Cake Mix (or Funfetti cake mix)
  • 1 cup white sugar
  • 1/2 cup corn syrup
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1 tsp. vanilla
  • 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 250 F.
  2. Microwave popcorn according to package. Spread evenly on a parchment-lined cookie sheet. Remove any unpopped kernels.
  3. In a medium saucepan on medium-high heat melt butter. Add cake batter, sugar, corn syrup, and salt. Boil for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly, and then add vanilla and stir. Remove from heat and pour over popcorn. Toss popcorn to coat evenly.
  4. Place cookie sheet in the oven for 30 minutes. Remove and sprinkle with mini chocolate chips. Let cool completely. Store popcorn in an air-tight container. Enjoy!
 
Notes

*This recipe makes a double batch

 

Filed Under: Sweet Treats Tagged With: cake batter, , popcorn, rainbow bit
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