opinions on this recipe

[TooPatient]

Makes 3-4 dozen:

1 1/2 cup regular oats
1 1/2 cup spelt oats
2 cups toasted pecans &/or hazlenuts
1 cup dried fruit (cranberries, currants, cherries, dates...)
1 cup different dried fruit (blueberries, raisins, figs...)
1 cup flour
2 eggs
4 Tbsp. honey
1 vanilla bean
fresh ground cinnamon
fresh ground cloves
frshly grated nutmeg


Fruit is unsweetened.

I make these for FI to eat during the day (he is REALLY bad about not eating during the day so if I send a few of these, they can just sit on his desk and he''ll eat them while he''s working).

Any suggestions on how to make them healthier? I''d like them to be packed with lots of good nutrition.

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

cut down on the fruit. It''s got WAY too much sugar and carbs in it and you have enough carbs elsewhere. Maybe add some peanut butter for more protein or add more seeds/nuts for mroe protein and good fat

 

[TooPatient]

Date: 3/24/2010 1:56:40 PM
Author: Hudson_Hawk
cut down on the fruit. It''s got WAY too much sugar and carbs in it and you have enough carbs elsewhere. Maybe add some peanut butter for more protein or add more seeds/nuts for mroe protein and good fat

Peanut butter would fit well with the toasted pecans. Maybe unsalted sunflower seeds....

 

[dragonfly411]

Date: 3/24/2010 1:56:40 PM
Author: Hudson_Hawk
cut down on the fruit. It''s got WAY too much sugar and carbs in it and you have enough carbs elsewhere. Maybe add some peanut butter for more protein or add more seeds/nuts for mroe protein and good fat

+1

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

You could do sunflower, flax (milled for better absorption), pumpkin, almonds, etc.

ETA: but I would cut way back on the fruit. Like only put in 1/4 cup. You've already got 2 kinds of oats, flour and honey. B isn't doing the kind of manual work that really requires that kind of carb/sugar load.

 

[Bella_mezzo]

peanut butter would be great, and I would use something like pumpkin and maybe an extra egg b/c if you cut down on the fruit they are going to get really really dry!

 

[purselover]

I would switch over to whole wheat flour

 

[PumpkinPie]

ditto on cutting down on fruit, adding some (natural) peanut butter, and using whole wheat flour instead of white.

We haven''t used white flour in over 2 years - I bake everything with whole wheat - cookies, brownies, banana bread, regular breads

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

I don''t know why cutting down on dried fruit would make them drier...

 

[TooPatient]

Date: 3/25/2010 12:28:12 PM
Author: Hudson_Hawk
I don''t know why cutting down on dried fruit would make them drier...

I did them without the dried fruit a couple of weeks ago and they were fine.... a little bland, but fine.

After Passover, I''m going to give them a try with whole wheat flour, fresh made peanut butter (I love Whole Foods), and sunflower seeds in place of much of the fruit.


Thanks for all of the great suggestions.

 

[elrohwen]

Date: 3/25/2010 12:28:12 PM
Author: Hudson_Hawk
I don't know why cutting down on dried fruit would make them drier...

Not in the initial product, but after they have sat for a day or so the moisture in the fruit will start to equilibrate with the rest of the ingredients and make the granola part more moist. It shouldn't effect the dough or anything - only the finished product after it has sat for a day or two. I would bake less moisture out of the bars since you can't rely on the addition of moisture from the fruit.

Oh goodness, can you tell I worked in the food industry making granola cookies for a few years?

TP, I agree with the others on taking out a lot of the fruit. Also, look for dried fruit with no sugar added. It's not always easy to find (I know, because I look for it for my rabbit) but it is out there at health food stores. There is a surprising amount of added sugar in things like craisins and you wouldn't even notice the missing sugar in a baked good.

Ditto on switching over to whole wheat flour. Sometimes you can even buy white whole wheat - it tastes a bit more like white flour but is actually a whole grain. You can probably find it at Whole Foods or something (I don't see it in my regular grocery store, but it's used in a lot of baked goods now and is getting popular).

 

[TooPatient]

Date: 3/27/2010 4:04:35 PM
Author: elrohwen

Date: 3/25/2010 12:28:12 PM
Author: Hudson_Hawk
I don''t know why cutting down on dried fruit would make them drier...

Not in the initial product, but after they have sat for a day or so the moisture in the fruit will start to equilibrate with the rest of the ingredients and make the granola part more moist. It shouldn''t effect the dough or anything - only the finished product after it has sat for a day or two. I would bake less moisture out of the bars since you can''t rely on the addition of moisture from the fruit.

Oh goodness, can you tell I worked in the food industry making granola cookies for a few years?

TP, I agree with the others on taking out a lot of the fruit. Also, look for dried fruit with no sugar added. It''s not always easy to find (I know, because I look for it for my rabbit) but it is out there at health food stores. There is a surprising amount of added sugar in things like craisins and you wouldn''t even notice the missing sugar in a baked good.

Ditto on switching over to whole wheat flour. Sometimes you can even buy white whole wheat - it tastes a bit more like white flour but is actually a whole grain. You can probably find it at Whole Foods or something (I don''t see it in my regular grocery store, but it''s used in a lot of baked goods now and is getting popular).

Elro --

If you have a Whole Foods near you, try looking for dried fruit for Otto there. The one near us has a fair selection of unsweetened dried fruits and many more that are sweetened with 100% fruit juice (white grape, blueberry, etc.). I like the unsweetened fruit and try to avoid the others.

Another option I''ve considered (and need to look into further) is getting a dehydrator from a camping supply store and making my own dried fruits (& meats & herbs &.....)

 

[elrohwen]

Date: 4/1/2010 12:56:47 PM
Author: TooPatient

Date: 3/27/2010 4:04:35 PM
Author: elrohwen

Date: 3/25/2010 12:28:12 PM
Author: Hudson_Hawk
I don''t know why cutting down on dried fruit would make them drier...

Not in the initial product, but after they have sat for a day or so the moisture in the fruit will start to equilibrate with the rest of the ingredients and make the granola part more moist. It shouldn''t effect the dough or anything - only the finished product after it has sat for a day or two. I would bake less moisture out of the bars since you can''t rely on the addition of moisture from the fruit.

Oh goodness, can you tell I worked in the food industry making granola cookies for a few years?

TP, I agree with the others on taking out a lot of the fruit. Also, look for dried fruit with no sugar added. It''s not always easy to find (I know, because I look for it for my rabbit) but it is out there at health food stores. There is a surprising amount of added sugar in things like craisins and you wouldn''t even notice the missing sugar in a baked good.

Ditto on switching over to whole wheat flour. Sometimes you can even buy white whole wheat - it tastes a bit more like white flour but is actually a whole grain. You can probably find it at Whole Foods or something (I don''t see it in my regular grocery store, but it''s used in a lot of baked goods now and is getting popular).

Elro --

If you have a Whole Foods near you, try looking for dried fruit for Otto there. The one near us has a fair selection of unsweetened dried fruits and many more that are sweetened with 100% fruit juice (white grape, blueberry, etc.). I like the unsweetened fruit and try to avoid the others.

Another option I''ve considered (and need to look into further) is getting a dehydrator from a camping supply store and making my own dried fruits (& meats & herbs &.....)

No Whole Foods

I think the closest one is like 45 minutes away. *But* I am down in that area every so often, so I need to stop in. We don''t really have any stores like that in my area. Our regular store tries to have lots of dried fruit, but they don''t carry the sugar free stuff.

Have you watched Good Eats when Alton Brown dehydrates his own fruit? He basically uses box fans and furnace filters to do it and it takes a few days. I''ve always been intrigued, but never enough to try it

 

[TooPatient]

Date: 4/1/2010 1:16:49 PM
Author: elrohwen

Date: 4/1/2010 12:56:47 PM
Author: TooPatient

Date: 3/27/2010 4:04:35 PM
Author: elrohwen

Date: 3/25/2010 12:28:12 PM
Author: Hudson_Hawk
I don''t know why cutting down on dried fruit would make them drier...

Not in the initial product, but after they have sat for a day or so the moisture in the fruit will start to equilibrate with the rest of the ingredients and make the granola part more moist. It shouldn''t effect the dough or anything - only the finished product after it has sat for a day or two. I would bake less moisture out of the bars since you can''t rely on the addition of moisture from the fruit.

Oh goodness, can you tell I worked in the food industry making granola cookies for a few years?

TP, I agree with the others on taking out a lot of the fruit. Also, look for dried fruit with no sugar added. It''s not always easy to find (I know, because I look for it for my rabbit) but it is out there at health food stores. There is a surprising amount of added sugar in things like craisins and you wouldn''t even notice the missing sugar in a baked good.

Ditto on switching over to whole wheat flour. Sometimes you can even buy white whole wheat - it tastes a bit more like white flour but is actually a whole grain. You can probably find it at Whole Foods or something (I don''t see it in my regular grocery store, but it''s used in a lot of baked goods now and is getting popular).

Elro --

If you have a Whole Foods near you, try looking for dried fruit for Otto there. The one near us has a fair selection of unsweetened dried fruits and many more that are sweetened with 100% fruit juice (white grape, blueberry, etc.). I like the unsweetened fruit and try to avoid the others.

Another option I''ve considered (and need to look into further) is getting a dehydrator from a camping supply store and making my own dried fruits (& meats & herbs &.....)

No Whole Foods

I think the closest one is like 45 minutes away. *But* I am down in that area every so often, so I need to stop in. We don''t really have any stores like that in my area. Our regular store tries to have lots of dried fruit, but they don''t carry the sugar free stuff.

Have you watched Good Eats when Alton Brown dehydrates his own fruit? He basically uses box fans and furnace filters to do it and it takes a few days. I''ve always been intrigued, but never enough to try it

Alton Brown is THE BEST! I don''t know how I ever lived without him and Whole Foods.

I saw him use the fans and thought it was interesting but strange. I think he also mentioned this as an option for drying herbs?

We don''t have any fans and by the time you add the prices of fans & filters (and new filters each time), you may as well buy the dehydrator. (saw one at a camping supply store for under $150 and I''m sure there are better prices out there)