Peanut Butter and Cacao Nib Quinoa Cookies

There's not all that big a gap between granola bars and healthy cookies, so I've decided to transfer my DIY granola bar efforts to back to healthy cookies. A quick search for healthy cookie recipes reveals myriad sources, but these quinoa cookies immediately stood out to me since I had just purchased a bag of cacao nibs. Cacao nibs are raw, unsweetened chocolate, so if you're looking for a Hershey bar fix, they are not the snack for you. But if you blend them with rich nut butter and coconut, sweet honey, and whole grains, they come out tasting like a peanut butter version of a Mounds bar with a nutritional bonus. They bake low and slow, drying out just slightly to help bind all the ingredients together and end up much like a no-bake cookie. I made a full batch and froze the extras, and although I ate most at room temperature, these cookies are a wonderful warm weather treat when still slightly frozen. A couple of these portable little nuggets are packed with enough whole grains, protein, and healthy fats to fuel you for a few hours on a long hike, but are also the perfect way treat yourself with zero guilt.

Peanut Butter and Cacao Nib Quinoa Cookies

adapted from Shape

makes about 24 cookies

2 c. cooked quinoa, cooled
1/2 c. natural salted peanut or almond butter
1/3 c. raw honey
1 c. rolled oats
1/2 c. dried, unsweetened, shredded coconut
1/2 c. raw cacao nibs

1. Preheat oven to 170 degrees. Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Flatten tablespoons of the mixture onto parchment paper and bake for approximately one hour.

Peanut Butter Victory Bars

Sometimes my do-it-yourself attitude can get a little exhausting. Most of the time I love my devotion to doing things myself, especially when it comes to cooking from scratch, but sometimes I'm so busy and exhausted I just want to throw up my hands and buy what I need. And I almost did with these granola bars. After spending the entire weekend working outside and running errands, I was very close to abandoning my Sunday afternoon snack-making plan. Now that I've tasted this delicious granola bars, I can't believe I almost missed out on these super-easy and almost no-bake bars. For just the time to it takes to mix a couple of bowls of ingredients together and then combine them, I was rewarded with two weeks of scrumptious work snacks. 

In my opinion, there's practically no way to go wrong with peanut butter and honey, and this perfect pair blends all my other nutritious ingredients together in a perfect balance of richness and sweetness. They perhaps have a bit more sugar that I'd typically go for in an AM snack, but at least I'm treating myself with plenty of whole grains, nuts, and omega-3s in the mix as well. For an extra-special touch, spread a thin layer of melted dark chocolate over the bars before putting them in the fridge. 

Peanut Butter Victory Bars

adapted from CHOW

makes 10 bars

Oil, for coating the pan
1 1/2 cups crispy brown rice cereal
1 cup rolled oats (not instant)
1/2 cup raw sliced almonds
1/4 cup raw wheat germ
2 tablespoons unsweetened, untoasted, dried coconut flakes
2 tablespoons flax seed meal
1/2 cup honey or brown rice syrup
3 tablespoons natural smooth unsalted peanut or almond butter
1 tablespoon packed dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 plus 1/8 teaspoon fine salt

1. Heat the oven to 350°F and arrange a rack in the middle. Coat an 8-by-8-inch baking pan with butter; set aside.

2. Place rice cereal, oats, almonds, wheat germ, coconut, and flax seed meal on a rimmed baking sheet, toss with your hands to combine, and spread in an even layer. Bake, stirring halfway through, until almonds are light golden brown, about 12 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack.

3. Place rice syrup or honey, peanut or almond butter, brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir until mixture is combined and brown sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat, immediately add cereal mixture, and stir until combined. Transfer mixture to the prepared baking pan and, using a spoon, spread it evenly, pushing it into the corners.

4. When the mixture is cool enough to handle but is still warm, evenly and firmly press it into the pan with your hands. Place it in the refrigerator until the chocolate is set, about 30 minutes.

5. Remove the nutty oat slab from the pan (you may need to run a knife around the perimeter to loosen it). Cut it in half to form two rectangles, then cut each rectangle width-wise into 5 bars to form 10 bars total. Wrap each bar in plastic wrap. Store at room temperature for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 weeks; let frozen bars come to room temperature before eating.

Superseed Bar

I'm no paragon of health and fitness, but even still I have a few coworkers who like to give me crap about my healthy diet. Although it wasn't always the case, I have no problem passing up the many mass-produced "treats" that show up at my workplace on a regular basis. There is a time I would have just mindlessly chowed down, but now I actually far prefer foods like this snack bar, which satisfies my sweet tooth (and chocolate tooth!) but is still packed with whole grains, nuts, and seeds. I love the deep chocolate flavor with only a mild sweetness, allowing the nuances of the chocolate flavor to shine without being buried in saccharinity. Given my propensity for making granola and granola bars I always have lots of nuts and seeds in my pantry, but feel free to swap in whatever you'd like for what I have listed here. These bars are dense bites of energy, and although I used them to fuel my all-too-stationary laboratory workday, they would be perfect to take along on a hike, bike ride, or canoe trip. To form perfect squares I used my individual brownie pan, but I've included the original directions for shaping and cutting the bars since it's an uncommon piece of bakeware. One batch makes enough work snacks for two weeks and the extras hold up splendidly in the freezer. With spring fully in swing and dreams of spending the days outside a reality, a few minutes in the kitchen aren't too much to ask to fuel up for the day.

Superseed Bar
adapted from CHOW
makes 10 bars

Oil, for coating the pan
1 1/2 cups crispy brown rice cereal
1/2 cup raw sliced almonds
1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds
1/4 cup raw wheat germ
2 tablespoons whole sesame or chia seeds
2 tablespoons flax seed meal
1 cup dried Medjool dates (about 6 ounces), pitted
1/4 cup natural smooth unsalted peanut or almond butter
1/4 cup honey or brown rice syrup
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup high quality natural unsweetened cocoa powder

1. Heat the oven to 350°F and arrange a rack in the middle. Coat an 8-by-8-inch baking pan with butter; set aside.

2. Place rice cereal, almonds, sunflower seeds, wheat germ, sesame or chia seeds, and flax seed meal on a rimmed baking sheet, toss with your hands to combine, and spread in an even layer. Bake, stirring halfway through, until almonds are fragrant and lightly toasted, about 12 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool slightly, about 5 minutes.

3. Place cereal mixture in a food processor fitted with a blade attachment and pulse until the mixture is broken up and the largest pieces are about the size of uncooked grains of rice, about 5 (1-second) pulses. Transfer to a medium bowl; set aside.

4. Place dates in the food processor and process until finely chopped and a ball forms, about 15 seconds; set aside.

5. Place peanut butter, honey rice syrup, salt, and vanilla in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir until mixture is combined and runs like slow-moving lava, about 1 minute. Remove from heat, immediately add reserved dates and cocoa powder, and, using a wooden spoon, stir, smashing down on the dates, until well combined and no streaks of cocoa remain. Add reserved cereal mixture and stir, pressing as you do, until evenly combined. (This takes some muscle and time, about 5 minutes.) Transfer to the prepared baking pan and, using your hands, spread and firmly press the mixture into the pan. Let cool completely.

6. Remove the date-seed slab from the pan. Cut it in half to form two rectangles, then cut each rectangle widthwise into 5 bars to form 10 bars total. Wrap each bar in plastic wrap. Store at room temperature for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 weeks; let frozen bars come to room temperature before eating.