fruit/breakfast bars without syrup/honey etc

[navyeyelasH]

I want to make some snack bars similar to the organix fruit bars but have no idea how to stick the oats etc together if not with syrup/honey?

Any ideas?

Could you use butter and then put them in the fridge to set?

I'm not sure newbeginning - do you think they'd be high in sat fat if I did that? How do you think organixs do it? Could it be they soak the oats etc in fruit juice?

They might do as it says that there is fruit juice in them. The only other thing i can think of is maybe blending the raisins to make a paste and adding fruit juice to it so that binds it but i'm sure thats not how they do it.

the bars are quite moist and break really easily so I reckon they are soaked in fruit juice, or maybe like you say some sort of fruit paste thinned with juice.

I wonder what is better fruit juice, natural honey or butter?!

Nigella has a recipe that uses condensed milk but works OK with evaporated milk (no added sugar) (oatmeal, coconut, mixed seeds, dried berries and peanuts - I'm sure you can vary the added ingredients!)

I also have a kids food book that is anti sugar which has an oatcake recipe, fine oatmeal (I whizz porridge oats in a blender), sunflower oil, water, bicarb of soda. Pretty bland but I think you could add fruit puree to this.

Or, same book has date slices, boiled in water to make a puree to go in the middle of an oat mixture, flour and oats mixed with unhydrogenated marg or butter.

Boil and puree raisins / other fruit to make a paste sounds like a good idea.

Let us know when you have perfected your recipe!!

I made some with cashew butter. Then some others with raisins and some other dried fruits smashed up to help it all stick together (and soaked in fruit juice (actually, a thick smoothie). It worked, but I'm a horrible, horrible cook. DS loved them and there was nothing horrid in them (besides raisins).
Someone once told me to bake them and when stirring them up add an egg then bake in a rectangular pan and cut into bars... I haven't tried that but it sounds right?

Ohh these all sound like really good ideas I'm going to have a whirl tomorrow and I'll let you know how I get on. I'm a childminder so as you can imagine I go through quite a lot of these snack type bars in a week and really resent paying £2.50 for 6. I have 6 children each day!

DeirdreB, what is the name of the anti sugar children's book? I may get a copy!

I can't really use egg or nuts due to allergies! ARGH, but yes I think baking with an egg could work?

navy - surely you mean £1.50 for 6? Or are you buying the raw food ones from H&B?

I have put DS back onto goodies bars due to poor behaviour owing to the sugar rush. I would bake my own but I doubt i'd be able to keep up with the demand!

I suppose agave is v sticky and could work in place of sugar?

Yes! I have used agave, too. It does work.
It's 2.25 for 6 where I am (Surrey). I only buy for one ds and I think it's an astronomical price (organix bars). So I try to make my own when possible.

Can you use Tahini (sesame seeds) or is that an allergy for you, too? That's a spread that a little boy with peanut allergies that I know can have. There's also sunflower seed spread...

Lucy Burney Good for allergies too.

oh yes and dierdre makes a good point. You can puree or smash up dried fruits like dates/raisins and put oat mixture on either side of this so it's in the centre and it works. I saw someone else do this. Have not tried it myself. I went through a phase of making oat bars...

Are you buying from a supermarket chain or an independant? the difference in price does not make any sense to me?

tesco, waitrose, ocado, sainsburys... all 2.25 for a pack of 6 organix bars

Watching this thread with interest as our children love these nakd bars but they are very expensive.

I came on to advocate the Nigella breakfast bars, but see that someone else already has - I don't stick to her recipe - just use whatever fruit and seeds we have, but the condensed milk and a very low oven binds them beautifully.

I paid around £1.65 per pack today at Asda - last week, it was on at 2 for £3

electrofagz.

So how did it go? You have inspired me to try some myself and pureed some raisins in apple juice with sunflower oil and baked for an hour at low heat. Not really thick enough, could have been softer and possibly not baked for so long. Would love to hear any tips you have.

I socked them in some pomegrante juice that I had at home and made a sort of paste from prunes and set them in the fridge - far too gooey and a bit sickly really!

I might try soaking them then baking them but I'm not sure that will work either!