These turned out SO DELICIOUS! I used the recipe as a base and then added a few more things that we like. I think the original recipe would be super good too, just wanted to throw some more things that we had. Along with all the listed ingredients I also added about 3/4 cup peanut butter to help it stick together and for flavor. I didn't have any applesauce so I used shredded apple. I only used 1 1/2 - 2 cups of the quinoa and 3 cups of oatmeal. They turned out moist but firm enough to eat like a granola bar. Basically keep adding stuff until you get the flavor and consistency you like and smoosh it down firmly in the 9x13 dish. Will definitely be a staple in our house!
The first time I made this recipe I grumbled a whole lot. The process, as written, is unpleasant and difficult. I added all of the ingredients to the food processor as directed and while the ingredients close to the blade were chopped and mixed, the bulk of them sat undisturbed. I ended up adding more applesauce, which allowed everything to blend into a gluey paste. As anticipated, when I added the quinoa mixture to the remaining ingredients additional oats were required to get a decent consistency. I ran out of oats and used a bit of granola. I felt the result was still too moist and so ended up baking the bars for about 10 minutes. As I mentioned, I grumbled a lot and felt the recipe was not well executed. I decided to withhold judgement, however, until my 12, 17, and 22 year old sons gave me their votes. They all 3 LOVED them. One of them said it was like a Cliff Bar but better because it was moist. The second and third times I made this recipe I ground the dates first and used about 3/4 of a cup of applesauce. I baked them for about 10 minutes at 325 degrees. They turned out beautifully and were a lot easier to make. Nutritionally speaking, these are fabulous. I have 2 athletes who need a lot of protein and didn't like feeding them the chocolate covered store-bought bars. The core recipe is versatile and can be adjusted to suit your taste. I added hemp hearts and additional coconut. I made one batch of cherry walnut bars, and a second of peanut butter ch
This is AWESOME! My toddler and preschooler thought it was cookie dough the night I made it! I put it in mini muffin tins and then let it "dry out" overnight and it was more like a dense muffin and they still loved it:)
This tasted like a brick and looked like one too. I don't know what I did wrong but it was never not sticky. I used double the ground oats. Still sticky. I also don't know why the flavor was so gross.
Great idea with the quoina. But the kids did not like the flavor. I Put in 1/4 cup brown sugar but it did not work.
Husband approved added one more TBS of vanilla
These protein bars were bland and time-consuming to make. I had to separate the first part of the recipe into two batches because my Kitchen Aid food processor had difficulty dicing up the dates. For anyone considering making this recipe - I would recommend running just the dates alone in the food processor before adding the other ingredients. I also added a few tablespoons of almond butter and peanut butter a bit of cocoa powder and dark chocolate chips for added flavour.
Easy to make but my hubby didn't care for these!
