Fruity Nutty Yummo Bars

I was looking for a snack that didn't have the “white flour + sugar + sugar + sugar” ingredients. I found one that I particularly liked, and of course, tweaked the heck out of it. They're quite tasty and pack well too.

The original recipe was posted on A Handmade Life in April of 2008.


2 cups whole wheat flour
2 cups oatmeal (I used regular old Quaker)
½ tsp salt
2 cups FINELY chopped nuts (I used 1 c pecans + 1 c walnuts)
2 ½ cups FINELY chopped dried fruit (I used 1 c cherries + 1 c apricots + ½ c raisins)
½ cup applesauce
¼ cup agave nectar (honey works too)
1/3 cup oil
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla
½ cup cold coffee (or water)

That's the basic recipe. Just for fun I threw in:
½ cup chocolate chips (also FINELY chopped)
½ cup sweetened coconut

Make sure the nuts and dried fruit are sufficiently chopped. I processed the chocolate chips the same way to make the sweetness go farther on the small amount I added.

Mix the flour, oatmeal and salt together. Add the nuts and fruits. If adding chocolate chips and/or coconut, add them at this time too. Mix well. You'll have to get your hands in there and break the fruit bits up to get everything mixed properly.

Add the oil, applesauce, agave nectar, cinnamon, vanilla and coffee. Mix well. The dough should have a pretty sticky consistency, add extra coffee or water if it's not sticking together.

Spray a 9 X 13 pan with non-stick spray and press the dough into the pan. Bake at 325 degrees for 25 – 30 minutes.

Tips & Comments
If not adding the chocolate chips I would really recommend some brown sugar unless you just don't like any amount of sweet. I would add between ½ and ¾ cup.

Adjust a lot of items in this recipe for what you have in your cabinet:

• Cinnamon and vanilla are not necessary at all
• No honey? Increase applesauce to ¾ cup
• Exchange 2 cups flour for 1 ½ cups + ½ cup wheat germ
• Throw in some ground flax seed

This recipe is linked up at:
Potluck Sundays, Remodelaholic, My Meatless Mondays, Just Another Meatless Monday, Just Something I Whipped Up, Meatless Monday, Made By You Monday, Market Yourself Monday, Two for Tuesdays, Wholesome Whole Foods, Tasty Tuesday