Homemade Kind BarsI'd been purchasing Kind Bars for some time, and the cost was just getting prohibitive, so I set out to find a cheaper way, plus a way I could control the ingredients. The result, a basic recipe that lets me tweak the ingredients to match what I feel like or have on hand, and save some money in the process.
DRY INGREDIENTS 2 cups roasted almonds (about 1/3 of them chopped) 1 cup of other nuts (pieces) peanuts, cashews, pecans, etc. 1 cup of chopped dried fruit (like blueberries, cherries, raisins) 1/2 cup crispy rice cereal 1 to 2 tablespoons flax seed meal SYRUP INGREDIENTS* (see notes below) 1/2 cup honey 1/2 cup corn syrup (or agave, or brown rice syrup) 1/4 cup thawed apple juice concentrate 1 teaspoon vanilla 1/4 teaspoon of salt (omit if the almonds have salt) Prepare with cooking spray: large bowl, spatula for spreading, drinking glass bottom, and a 9 X 13 baking pan. Combine the dry ingredients (I use a plastic baggie) then empty into prepared bowl. Measure the syrup ingredients into a medium sauce pan, and cook over medium heat until it reaches the hard ball stage on a candy thermometer (260 degrees). Remove from stove immediately and pour over nut mixture, and stir quickly to distribute syrup. Pour quickly onto the prepared baking pan, and use the bottom of the glass to spread the mixture out evenly. After a couple moments, the mixture will be just warm, and you can move the mixture around with your hands to fill any gaps. Then use the drinking glass again to tamp the mixture down so it is solid. Let the mixture cool for an hour or more. Turn the pan over and coax the finished product onto a cutting surface (the top is now down) and cut into 20 bars. (Cut the rectangle into quarters and then each quarter into 5 bars.) Wrap the bars in plastic wrap. Store in refrigerator for longer life. ********* I've noticed that the first BIG boil when cooking the syrup comes at 212 degrees, the boiling point of water, and a LOT of water is released. You can temporarily turn the heat down to prevent boil overs, but get the heat back up. I tried getting to the hard ball stage at a lower temperature, but I found too much water was evaporated, and the mixture was almost impossible to stir, and the bars were too brittle. *With the syrup, the original recipe I found used honey and brown rice syrup, and the corn syrup was a substitution. Some day, I may also try adding some molasses as part of the syrup. I also like to go a little heavy on they syrup and maybe make a little more than the recipe calls for, so the total amount of liquid gets nearer to 1 1/2 cups. There are several versions of this recipe on the web, and some call for baking the mixture rather than cooking the syrup and adding it in. My version is based on a blueberry-pecan bar, which I like, and adapt to my own needs. Look HERE for the page that inspired this recipe. |