Nut Bars

There is a fantastic post for Homemade KIND Bars over on the Yummy Life blog.  The recipes in this post provided a wonderful jumping off point for experimentation.  Goodness knows I love to change around a recipe....ehehehehe.  I was less concerned with a reproduction than a tasty nut bar so I swapped ingredients out freely.


Nut Bars

1 1/2 cups sliced and toasted almonds
3/4 cup roasted peanuts
3/4 cup roasted macadamia nuts
1/2 cup roasted pistachios
1/2 cup oats
1 tbls toasted wheat germ
1/2 cup honey
1/3 cup corn syrup
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
Dark chocolate for garnish

With the bottom of a cup or a rolling pin crush the nuts up into smaller pieces. Mix nuts together with oats and wheat germ. Set aside.

Line a 9x13 pan with waxed paper.

In a saucepan mix together honey, syrup, salt, and vanilla. Stir continuously over medium heat until temperature reaches 260. Remove from heat and pour over nut mixture. Mix together throughly. Pour into prepared pan. Spread mixture evenly across pan. Place another piece of waxed paper over pan and use a rolling pin, or bottom of glass to compress down. Remove top wax paper. Let cool for about 20 minutes before flipping bars out onto cutting board. Remove bottom waxed paper and cut into bars. Garnish with chocolate.  Any bars not consumed keep nicely in the freezer.