Recipe: Cakey, Oaty Energy Bars Packed with Fruits & Seeds

When I had to adopt a restricted diet last year, I also got a crash course in planning ahead for snacks. Grabbing an impromptu bite to eat became a lot more complicated, and even store-bought energy bars were off-limits due to various food allergies and intolerances. I quickly developed the habit of always — always! — carrying something edible and energy-boosting in my bag. Packed with fruit and seeds, these oat bars are like a thick, cakey granola bar, and so much more exciting than a bag of

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Although these bars won’t satisfy everyone’s dietary restrictions, they are free of dairy, refined sugar, tree nuts, and gluten. You can also think of this recipe as a template and adapt it to your own preferences.

In my version, I use a combination of certified gluten-free oats, naturally sweet raisins and dried apricots, and roasted pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds. Holding the mixture together is coconut oil, peanut butter, brown rice syrup, flax seeds, and apples. Many similar recipes use bananas as a binder, but I’m allergic to them and have found that ground flax seeds and applesauce make a good and nutritious substitute. The bars are just lightly sweet, and despite not having any dairy, they’re nice and buttery from the coconut oil and peanut butter. (Substitute another nut or seed butter if you can’t have peanuts.)

Sometimes it takes a crisis to jumpstart your cooking, and in this case I’m glad I was given the incentive to make my own healthier snacks. They’re loads more satisfying than most foods you’d buy on the road, anyway!

(Images: Emily Han)