I have read a few recipes for home made sports energy bars. I tried to assimilate their good ideas and create my own recipe. I thnk the taste is good. After producing a few batches and testing them on rides, I think I have something that works well. I don’t know what the calorie content is, but it tastes good and help keep me energized on the ride.
Optimally I would like a recipe that I could make on the road while touring. This recipe doesn’t meet that goal. I’m still thinking about that. I need to simplify the recipe and figure out how to make it on a camp stove. That will be a challenge. How do you spread it out? I certainly don’t want to carry a cookie sheet in my panniers.
Here’s the ingredient list. Weights are from my grocery receipt, and packages. Volumes are an estimate , since I didn’t measure anything by volume. I bought protein powder, almond meal and raisins from the bulk section at the local Henry’s Grocery. Each time I make another batch, I further refine the recipe and adjust what’s reported here.
| Ingredient | Weight | Volume | Cost $USD |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ghirardelli Bittersweet Chocolate chips | 11.5 oz / 326g | 4 cups | $3.69 |
| Honey, raw | 1 pound | 2 cups | $3.69 |
| Peanut Butter, smooth | 1 pound | 2 cups | $3.19 |
| Almond meal | 0.35 pound | 2 cups | $1.20 |
| Raisins | 0.25 pound | 1 cup | $0.99 |
| Protein Powder mix | 0.30 pound | 1 cup | $2.05 |
| Coconut | .27 pound | 1 cup | $0.73 |
| TOTAL | $15.54 | ||
| COST EACH – $15.54/32 | $0.49 | ||
To make the bars, I heat the chocolate chips on low until they melt then add peanut butter and honey. Preheating the peanut butter in the microwave speeds things up a little. I gradually add the other ingredients. I start with the raisins, then coconut, then add the Almond meal and protein powder. I may experiment with this. Since the protein powder is the hardest to mix in, I may try adding it first.
Once everything is blended I put the whole mixture onto a cookie sheet.
Lump from stove to cookie sheet
Starting to spread the mixture with the back of a spoon
I spread it out with a spoon until the whole mass is even thickness.
This is what it looks like just before I cut it.
Then I let it cool. I cut it into about 32 bars, which I then wrap in plastic wrap.
Bars cut with Pizza cutter
You might prefer foil. Then I refrigerate until I’m ready to eat them. I’ve given some to riding friends and the reviews have been positive.
Enjoy!
Lee Trampleasure sent me the following note:
I did a quick nutrition calculation for your bars and came up with the
following results (per bar):
256 calories
15 g fat
27 g carbs
9 g protein
Comparing that to a Clif bar (chocolate chip)
240 calories
5 g fat
44 g carb
10 g protein
about the same 🙂
Lee
Thanks, Lee.
Here’s a recipe I got from Matt Cazalas journal on www.crazyguyonabike.com
- 3 cups of oatmeal
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup butter
- 2 eggs
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoons molasses
- Raisins
- Almond slivers
Virtually any combination of dried fruit and nuts will do equally well.
Mix well and compress into greased, rectangular baking pan or iron skillet
25 minutes at 375 degrees
Here’s another recipe from Bill Gobie on the randon list:
These bars have been great. I’ve been tweaking the recipe since it
was posted. One third to half a recipe powers me through a 200k. The
bars freeze well (best to keep them inedible when you’re not riding).
The latest version got good reviews during last week’s 200k.
2 cups rolled oats
1.5 cups natural peanut butter
1 cup raw honey
3/4 cup chopped pecans, almonds, and cashews
1/2 cup chocolate chips or chopped baking chocolate
1/2 stick butter
1 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
Microwave the peanut butter, honey, and butter for one minute. Add
the salt and vanilla and mix. Mix in the oats and chopped nuts. Add
the chocolate last — if the chocolate melts microwave for less time
next time.
Spread on a baking pan, greased or lined with parchment paper or a
silicone baking mat. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes or until lightly
browned (careful — burns easily). Let cool and cut into bite-sized
pieces.
The ingredients reflect my personal preferences. I like unsweetened
baking chocolate to offset the honey. I might reduce the fat (butter
and chocolate) come warm weather.
I’m not a fan of oats stuck between my teeth, so I run the oats and
nuts through a meat grinder to make an oat flour nut butter paste.
The oats are hard to grind by themselves (my weak Kitchen-Aid mixer
attachment stops), so I grind the oats and nuts together. Grinding
the nuts expels enough oil to lubricate the oats.
Bill Gobie
