homemade power bars

power bars in the food processor

chilling in the glassware pan before chocolate is spread

My friend Sharon makes wonderfully creative power bars for her gluten-sensitive son and I finally got my hands on the recipe.  Sharon couldn't say enough wonderful things about Elana's Pantry, a food blog.  And so I picked out most of the ingredients from the grocery store.  Being too creative as usual, I made the following recipe with a slight variation.  I used olive and sesame oils instead of coconut oil and soon found out why that wasn't the perfect substitution.  You can probably already guess, but sometimes it takes me a while to figure these things out through trial and error.  The oils I used were liquid, while the coconut oil is more solid to hold the bars together.  At first I planned on making healthy bars without chocolate, but then I spied the jar of dark chocolate chips in my cupboard.  I swear I only used the cup required of the recipe, but the layer of chocolate deliciousness was almost 1/2 an inch thick.  You may notice there are no pictures of the chocolate-topped bars, as they were consumed so quickly that the camera couldn't capture it.

My first batch was so terribly delicious that I shared a bit with my family and then hid and consumed the remaining portion entirely by myself.  And it is mostly healthy, so I can slightly justify eating it all single handedly.  For my next batch, I plan hand chopping almonds before adding them to the food processor.  And I will use coconut oil as the recipe suggests.  I would already have a second batch prepared and half consumed by now, but I have to run to the store eventually to get the coconut oil.  Maybe I'll indulge with more dark chocolate chips as well.

Finally, here's the recipe.  Make sure you check out Elana's Pantry for more scrumptious ideas.

Gluten Free Almond Power Barsprinter friendly
2 cups almonds (raw)
½ cup flax meal (flax seeds ground in a Vitamix)
½ cup unsweetened shredded coconut
½ cup unsalted creamy roasted almond butter
½ teaspoon celtic sea salt
½ cup coconut oil
4 drops stevia
1 tablespoon agave nectar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup dark chocolate chips 73% cacao (optional)

1. Place almonds, flax meal, shredded coconut, almond butter and salt in a food processor
2. Pulse briefly, about 10 seconds
3. In a small sauce pan, melt coconut oil over very low heat
4. Remove coconut oil from stove, stir stevia, agave and vanilla into oil
5. Add coconut oil mixture to food processor and pulse until ingredients form a coarse paste
6. Press mixture into an 8 x 8 glass baking dish
7. Chill in refrigerator for 1 hour, until mixture hardens
8. In a small saucepan, melt chocolate over very low heat, stirring continuously
9. Spread melted chocolate over bars; return to refrigerator for 30 minutes, until chocolate hardens
10. Remove from refrigerator, cut into bars and serve; makes 20 bars