Serve this healthy vegan, egg-free, dairy-free, soy-free, nut-free, gluten-free filling energy snack bars to hungry little fingers or enjoy yourself as a much needed energy boosting snack on the go!
- 1 cup raisins [140 grams dry weight]
- 150 mL unsweetened apple sauce [150 grams]
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup (or honey or agave nectar)
- 2 tablespoons ground flaxseed
- 2 cups quick cooking oats [220 grams] (or large flake or rolled old fashioned oats)
- ½ cup dried cranberries [70 grams]
- ½ cup diced fresh apple pieces [110 grams] (from about 1 medium apple)
- 2 tablespoons roasted sunflower seeds (optional)
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Preheat oven to 400 F or 200 C. Line a 9 inch x 13 inch glass bakeware with a large piece of parchment paper (enough to have a two inch over hang on two opposite sides).
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Soak the raisins in hot water for 5 minutes or until the raisins are plump and soft (make sure the hot water covers the tops of the raisins). Then drain the raisins of excess water (I just squeeze a handful at a time gently) before placing them in the food processor bowl.
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Peel and dice one apple (cored) into small cubes.
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Using the food processor, blend together the raisins, unsweetened applesauce and maple syrup until a smooth texture is obtained.
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Next, add in the oats and ground flaxseed and pulse again a few times until well combined within the food processor bowl. The oats should be blended down to a finer texture, but the whole mixture does not need to be completely smooth.
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Mix in the dried cranberries (dice first into smaller pieces), sunflower seeds (optional) and diced apple pieces using a rubber spatula by hand until a well combined batter mix is formed. The batter may look slightly wet at this point, but that is fine.
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Transfer this final mixture into the prepared glass bakeware dish (on top of the parchment paper), and use the rubber spatula to press down firmly and smooth the surface to create a layer of approximately 1/2 inch even thickness. Alternatively, if you like, you can use a second piece of parchment paper on top to press down on the surface of the batter mix to get it as firm as possible. (Don't worry if the batter does not spread to cover the entire bottom of the bakeware dish.)
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Bake the dish uncovered in the oven on the middle rack for 18 - 20 minutes, until the surface of the snack bar layer has turned slightly golden and the bar layer looks baked through.
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Remove the dish from the oven, then take out the flat snack bar layer from the glassware (using the overhang sides of the parchment paper) to lay the snack bar and parchment paper onto a cookie cooling rack. Let the dish cool uncovered for at least 10 minutes before cutting (the snack bar layer will harden as it cools).
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Cut into snack bars then serve and enjoy!
Mix the diced apples and cranberries immediately into the blenderized mixture as the mixture will thicken over time due to the ground flaxseed.
If you don’t need these snack bars to be nut-free, you can also add in 2 tablespoons of chopped walnuts for extra protein and to add in an additional healthy omega-3 fatty acid boost. Other options include roasted pumpkin seeds or chopped pecans.
If you don't want to use raisins in this recipe, you can also use 1/2 cup of dates (soaked first in hot water for 10 minutes then drained) as a substitute in this recipe.