Homemade Clif Bars
Homemade Clif Bars…
With just 5 ingredients and NO soy protein isolate ♥
The stereotypical teenager is like a human energizer bunny, bouncing nonstop from activity to activity. And I was no different. My routine back then included a bike ride to school every morning, whatever activity we were required to do in gym, daily 2-hour soccer practices immediately following classes, then another bike ride back home. It’s no wonder teenagers sleep so much.
It’s also no wonder they require so much food!
Back in high school, I would go through boxes of Apple Cinnamon Cheerios, bowls of spaghetti, containers of raisins, and packages of granola bars like it was my job. It’s as if I had made it my personal mission to make up for everyone doing the popular low-carb thing at the time.
If I saw a carb, I devoured it.
Each day, we were expected on the soccer field as soon as classes ended, with barely enough time in between to throw on our cleats. However, there was no way this particular energizer bunny could go from lunch until 6 PM without fuel…
And, thus, I discovered the magic of Clif Bars.
Unlike many of the other American snacks for purchase in Shanghai (where I lived at the time), Clif Bars were readily available and sold at prices comparable to what one would pay in America. Translation: I bought a lot! They were the perfect portable snack to throw into a backpack and rapidly inhale each afternoon as I changed into my workout gear.
When I made these homemade granola bars, their light-yet-crispy texture immediately reminded me of Clif Bars. I especially like using either peanut butter or almond butter in the homemade Clif Bars—it compliments the berries nicely.
Homemade Clif Bars
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup quick oats or rolled oats (60g)
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1 cup freeze-dried raspberries or strawberries (28g)
- 1/3 cup peanut butter or nut butter of choice (Nut-Free: use Sunbutter) (80g)
- 1/4 cup agave or honey (If sugar-free bars are preferred, try this sugar-free granola bar recipe (60g)
Instructions
Homemade Clif Bars Recipe: Line a pan with parchment or wax paper, and set aside. (Recipe fills a 7×5 pan, or you can double the recipe and use a larger pan.) In a blender or food processor (or patiently with a fork), process the freeze-dried berries until they are broken up into tiny pieces or powder. Stir all dry ingredients together in a cereal bowl, then stir in the nut butter. (If your nut butter is from the fridge, gently heat it until stir-able before mixing with the dry ingredients.) Add in the agave and mix until a sticky dough forms. Transfer to the prepared pan, and smush down evenly into the pan with a second sheet of parchment or wax paper. Freeze the pan at least one hour, then cut the bars with a sharp knife. Store at room temp or in the refrigerator for a few days, OR freeze for up to a month. Makes 6 bars the size of the ones in the photos.
Link of the Day: Single Serving “1 Minute” Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake in a Mug
OMGoodness..I have to tell ya..I absolutely love your blog!!! It has inspired me in so many ways!! Definitely gonna try this over the weekend..I also will be making the Peanut Butter Brownie Bites…you know I had to mention you on my blog lol…you are just so full of inspiration and I absolutely thank you for being you and creating these amazing recipes!!!
Aw I loved your Oreo post!
I spent two and a half hours today on my Summer holiday in the Norwegian mountains, and I could have done with one of these (or two..or..threee?) on the way! They look delicious 🙂 x
I can’t wait to make these!! I have been waiting for you to do this post. I’ll definitely be binging these out with me when I’m climbing. Thanks Katie!
These are fantastic! I have had a package of freeze-dried berries from Whole Foods laying around and FINALLY had a recipe to use them in! Definitely making these again for sure 🙂
These look awesome! Going to try them…I make one similar when I tried paleo and you ground up dates…and slivered almonds were used instead of the oats…YUM!
This is the best! I’m currently a teenager dealing with 2-hour cross country practices right after school… and my go-to energy bar is the Clif Bar as well! I will definitely try these!
I am not a fan of cliff bars at all. Thanks for the better version 🙂
These look awesome, and would be perfect for long trail run refuels! Just wondering, would it be okay to sub maple syrup or brown rice syrup for the agave/honey do you think? I’m about to make some for this weekend’s long runs, and thought I’d ask before diving in…
I’ve not tried, so you will have to experiment.
I went with maple syrup, and can give it a thumbs up 🙂
These look fantastic!! I do have a small question/problem/challenge though if you would be so kind to think about it. I do a lot of hot and..unusual lunch locations (flying helicopters, Search and Rescue work in 110 degrees). My go to lunch used to be a PB sandwich, but now I usually grab that as my grab and go breakfast. Is there any non-spoiling-if-left-in-heat food that’s just as healthy, but not dependent on nuts that you can think of? They are fantastic, but I am getting too nutty!
Hummus on pita? Overnight oatmeal in a thermos? I like my oatmeal cold so wouldn’t mind if it was not straight from the stove. Crackers and carrots and dip? Katie’s boatmeal?
Katie, these look fantastic! I have never tried Clif bars, but I’ve seen them around the store and I’ve considered trying them. Since homemade is always better, I might want to try these instead! I also just got a terrific food processor for my birthday today, so I’ve been looking for recipes to try using processors (:
I’m with ya on the teenagers eat a lot front- I definitely do, but I blame it on all my growing 😉
Those cliff bars look sooo good, I especially love the colour!
hey katie! i came across your blog looking for granola bar recipes. And then saw that you went to HS in shanghai (I did too). I tried to poke around to see where you might have gone (although chances were it was SAS) and I did too! I also played soccer at SAS and can really empathize with the — finish class, change, practice situation. What years did you graduate? Also I’m curious as a large contingent of us lived in hongqiao/gubei area and biking would have been.. unheard of. Did you live at SRC or somewhere on huqingping such that biking was possible? Or did you actually bike.. like an hour a day to school?
ok not to be a super creep but I thought you looked like someone in my class at SAS so I went and looked at her facebook to see if she had any siblings. And she had none listed but “liked” the chocolate covered diet. wow. small world. you are michelle’s sister. we didn’t overlap a lot before she moved so I’m not sure if she remembers me (although it explains why we never played on SAS soccer together. I was probably in middle school while you were on the team.)
Yes! So funny you’d recognize me from Michelle, as I don’t think we look all that much alike! But it’s so great to hear from someone else who went to SAS . And yes, we lived at SRC 🙂
These sound fantastic! Such a great and healthy snack to have on hand!
They look really delicious and easy to make. It would be even fun to use different berries, the flavor would be fantastic! I just started my own blog, check it out 🙂
http://thegreenpandablog.wordpress.com
I made these and they are delicious!
Will definitely make again.
Thanks for posting!
🙂
Those are huge!
Are you participating in Vegan MoFo?
Ooh I hadn’t remembered to sign up… but I will definitely be following their rules of posting only vegan things! 😉