Apricot Almond Energy Bars

Recipe by Canadian Living

I am so excited about this recipe. These bars have no added sugar and they taste great! They take quite a bit of time to make, but it's nice to have a heathy snack to pack in our lunches. 

What you'll need

3 cups Whole dried apricots

1 cup Whole almonds

1 1/2 cups Large-flake rolled oats

1 cup Dates, pitted

1/2 tsp Cinnamon

1/2 tsp Ground ginger

1/2 tsp Salt

1/4 tsp Cloves

How to

1.  In bowl, pour 2 cups boiling water over apricots; let soak at room temperature until almost all liquid is absorbed, about 12 hours

2.  Meanwhile, cook almonds on rimmed baking sheet in 350°F oven until fragrant and toasted, about 10 minutes. Let cool and coarsely chop. Set aside.

3.  Toast oats on rimmed baking sheet in 350°F oven until fragrant, 8-10 minutes. Set aside.

4.  In food processor, puree together apricots, soaking liquid and dates until almost smooth. Scrape into heavy-bottomed saucepan. Bring to oil over medium heat, stirring constantly; boil, stirring until very thick and mixture can mound stiffly on spoon, 10-13 minutes.

5.  Add oats, cinnamon, ginger, salt and cloves; cook, stirring, until mixture becomes solid mass that is difficult to stir, 8-10 minutes. Fold in almonds.

6.  Scrape into parchment paper-lined 9-inch square cake pan, smoothing top. Bake in 200°F oven until dry to the touch, about 1 hour. Let cool in pan on rack. Turn out onto rack and remove paper. Let dry for 12 hours. 

7.  Cut into 2 1/4 x 1 1/2 inch bars; wrap each in plastic wrap. Makes 24 bars.

Nutrition information per bar:

123 calories

3 g protein

4 g fat

23 g carbohydrates (3 g dietary fibre, 15 g sugar)

0 mg cholesterol

51 mg sodium

8% iron

7% vitamin A

2% folate