My KIND of bars!

I got a little adventurous in the kitchen today.

Have you ever had a KIND bar before? They are seriously one of my favorite snacks. If you haven't tried one, I really don't know what you're waiting for. My personal favorites come from the KIND Plus line, where you can find bars with added protein. They are all delicious though.

Back to the adventure! Today I tried my hand at making a homemade version. Like always, my inspiration was something I found on Pinterest. Since these are fruit and nut bars, you can use whatever you prefer or have on hand. My recipe is as follows.

What you'll need:

I pulsed my nuts for just a few seconds.

1 cup mixed nuts - I went with half almonds and half cashews.

1/2 cup seeds - I went with sunflower.

1/2 cup dried fruit - I chose raisins.

1/3 cup honey

1/3 cup molasses

A pinch each of sea salt, black pepper and cinnamon
Optional chocolate for drizzling!

 What you do:

1. Totally optional, I pulsed my almonds and cashews for a few seconds to get pieces.
2. Roast nuts and seeds in oven, on parchment paper, at 350 for 15 minutes. Stir them at the halfway point.
3. Combine molasses and honey. Microwave for 30 seconds to make them easier to stir. Stir in spices. 
4. Combine roasted nuts and seeds with honey mixture. 
5. Pour into a parchment lined and greased baking dish of your choosing. Spread to an even consistency.
6. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes.
7. Remove from oven and allow to cool while you melt the chocolate. 
8. Drizzle chocolate over the top of the bars, or if you're like me, just dump it on there and spread it around.
9. Move to refrigerator to set. Once firm, remove and cut into desired sizes. Make sure you store them in the fridge!

 

I don't have a cooling rack, so instead I turned a muffin tin upside down! 

These make a great snack because nuts are wonderful for you! Packed with healthy fats and protein! Just don't eat half the batch in one sitting, they do pack a caloric punch!

Happy baking!

Lauren