3 Ways To Make Homemade Energy Bars

You can make them in the oven, in the microwave or just without cooking them. You can also choose the ingredients to make energy bars to your liking at home.

Energy bars are a healthy option for those who need to recharge their body with energy. However, most of these bars available in the market contain colorings, preservatives and other additives.

How about doing them yourself at home? This way you will be sure that all the ingredients are of high quality. And above all that they are to your liking!

How to make homemade energy bars

In general, energy bars are made from grains, which provide extra energy thanks to their high content of complex carbohydrates. They also have a compact size which is ideal for taking with you and consuming when you need it, for example, before or after exercise.

Although the main ingredient in bars is cereal, they also often contain other ingredients rich in complex carbohydrates such as nuts and fruits. They are also made with a more liquid ingredient that will help the rest to bind together: honey, yogurt, butter, etc.

On the other hand, you can make homemade energy bars in different ways, depending on the time you have available and your tastes, of course. Indeed, some will have to be cooked while others can be prepared without having to turn on the oven.

In this article, we show you three ways to make energy bars. We also give you a recipe.

Energy bars in the oven

Ingredients

• ½ cup of almonds
• ½ cup of nuts
• ½ cup of raisins
• 2 cups of oatmeal
• 2 cups of wheat flakes
• 1 cup of rye flakes
• ½ cup mixed chia and sesame seeds
• 200 grams of honey

Preparation

• First, cut the dried fruit. It is important not to crush them, because after cooking the bar, it can melt in our hands. It is therefore best to leave them in small pieces.
• Then crush the seeds.
• Then, in the same bowl, combine the cereals, dried fruits and seeds. Incorporate everything well.
• Now put these ingredients together slowly adding the honey. To do this, stir while adding it until everything is well combined in the form of a paste.
• Then, on a baking sheet or mold covered with paper, roll out the dough and give it a rectangular shape, smoothing the surface.
• Then put the mold in the oven and bake it at 150-170 ºC for about 20 or 25 minutes. It is important to check the cooking process: the dough should not harden too much.
• Then take it out of the oven and wait for it to cool. Now cut the bars into sticks the size you want.

Energy bars without oven

Ingredients

• 25 dried figs
• 100 g of cereals (mixture of muesli, oats, etc.)
• 25 g of dried fruits (nuts, almonds or hazelnuts according to your taste)
• 2 tablespoons of honey

Preparation

• First, mash the figs until they are totally crushed, no lumps, like a thick paste.
• Then, mix the figs and honey in a bowl until they are well combined.
• Then, also crush a little more than half of the cereal.
• Add half of the crushed cereal to the fig-honey mixture and stir everything well.
• It’s time to spread the dough on a square or rectangular container. To do this, give it a shape until you obtain an elongated and smooth rectangular mass.
• Then you can cut it into smaller pieces, which will be the bars.
• Finally, separate the bars and decorate them by adding the rest of the cereal.
• Place them separately in the refrigerator and wait for them to cool (about two hours) to eat them. It’s that simple !

And this time … in the microwave

Ingredients

• 40 grams of butter
• 20 grams of brown sugar
• 120 grams of oats
• 40 grams of almonds
• 100 grams of dark chocolate (to melt)

Preparation

• First, crush the almonds.
• Then mix the powdered ingredients well in a bowl: sugar, oats and almonds.
• Then, melt the butter in a double boiler or in the microwave.
• Then add the butter to the powdered ingredients and mix well.
• Place this dough in a microwave-safe container. Smooth the dough and give it a rectangular shape.
• Cook it in the microwave for about 2 minutes 30 minutes at maximum power.
• Then, after this time, let everything cool.
• Then melt the chocolate and pour it on the dough of the bars.
• When everything has cooled, you can cut the bars to the size you prefer.

As you can see, there are three groups of ingredients that you need to include : grains, dried fruits, and an ingredient to bind them together (honey, butter, yogurt). From there, just let your imagination fly.

In fact, you can prepare the bars with whatever ingredients you prefer. For example, oats and bananas, grains and apples, strawberries, etc.