Looking for a homemade snack bar that's yummy and healthy? Try these simple Hidden Honey Snack Bar recipe made with whole grains, honey, and hidden veggies. They are perfect for kiddos and big people too.
I love honey and use it regularly in my cooking and baking (see my Honey Pumpkin Muffins) . Why? Well, let me count the ways...
Honey is an all-natural sweetener choice and therefore something you can feel good about using.
It helps keep whole grain baked goods moist and actually increases shelf-life due to being anti-microbial.
It adds a complex sweet flavor (that is different from honey to honey) as opposed to just sweet.
It's delicious!
With over 300 varietals of honey, each one tastes different and makes honey tasting and using very fun. Being from Florida, I love orange blossom honey. But really, I'm not picky.
As a mom of two hungry toddlers, I am always looking for healthy, affordable and portable snacks. We are on the go every day so I have to have snacks that I feel good about and can give to the boys while they're in their carseats. So let me set the stage for how this recipe came to be...
The Problem: My toddler son is SUPER hungry all day long and needs nutritious snacks. He loves these Kashi bars, I like that they have hidden veggies, but they are expensive.
The Challenge: Create a Kashi-like bar that has hidden veggies, uses honey as the sweetener and tastes delicious.
The Solution: This incredible Hidden Honey Snack Bar recipe I created. Honey really is the secret ingredient as they are super moist (even after refrigeration) and delightfully sweet (but not too sweet).
To help you through the recipe, just in case you are at all intimidated to make your own bars, here are some shots to guide you:
First, make sure you grate your zucchini on the finer grate of a box grater. Then put it in a fine sieve and gently press it to get out some liquid. If the zucchini is too wet, it impact your bars.
Second, here is what the flour looks like before and after pulsing in the food processor.
Lastly, here's what the mashing of the sweet potatoes look like. Try to get a smooth, chunk free consistency, but don't be worried about it being perfect.
After these bars cool, I put these bars in baggies for an easy on the go snack for my little super-eaters. I store them in the fridge and you can even freeze them for later. I seriously make these ALL THE TIME.
Have fun with the add ins and use your favorite dried fruit or nuts to change things up. Mini chocolate chips are obviously an excellent choice too. =)
Give this Hidden Honey Snack Bar recipe a try for your little ones or just YOU! I gobble these things up myself as they are great for big people too.
PrintRecipe
Hidden Honey Snack Bar
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 14 -16 1x
Description
Looking for a homemade snack bar that's yummy and healthy? Try these simple snacks bars made with whole grains, honey, and hidden veggies. They are perfect for kiddos and big people too.
Ingredients
- 1 cup finely shredded zucchini (pressed through a fine sieve and drained)
- 1 cup mashed sweet potato * (see bottom for instructions)
- ⅔ cup honey
- 2 eggs
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup old fashioned oats
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- ⅓ cup almonds
- ¼ cup flax seed meal
- ⅓ cup dried cherries (roughly chopped)
- ⅓ cup mini chocolate chips (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a 9 x 13 pan by spraying with non stick cooking spray.
- In a food processor or blender, combine oats, flour, almonds, and flax seed. Pulse until almonds and oats are broken down into a meal-like consistency. Set aside.
- In a medium mixing bowl combine sweet potato, honey, eggs, canola oil, and vanilla extract and mix until well combine.
- Add dry ingredients into sweet potato mixture and stir to combine.
- Gently fold in zucchini until incorporated throughout, then fold in dried cherries and chocolate chips.
- Evenly spread batter (will be thick) in baking pan and bake for about 25 minutes (or until edges begin to golden brown and fork inserted into the center comes out clean).
- Let cool and cut into 28-30 squares.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Snack
To eating our veggies and loving them too,
