Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Homemade Nutty Bars

Forgive me, I wanted to take pictures of my newest creation, but every time I make them they disappear too fast. Do you like Nutty Bars?
I do.
In fact I'm a little addicted to them.
I stopped buying them because I have no self control.
I'd open the box to eat one bar and wind up eating the entire box in less than 10 minutes.
By myself.
Then I'd be sick to my stomach and grumpy for the rest of the day.
Plus the first two ingredients are dextrose (a form of refined sugar) and shortening.
They have more sugar and shortening than flour or peanut butter.
They also have those nasty artificial flavors in them that keep us addicted and going back for more when we should be satisfied with just one.
So guess what I did? I found a way to make my own healthy-ish homemade version of this classic treat. The simplicity will just kill you. So will the ingredient list.
You take 2 of these crackers.
The ingredients in them are rye flour, water and salt.
That's it, nothing else.
They are really thin and crispy.




You spread both crackers with some of this.
Ingredients: Peanuts.

Then spread some of this on the peanut butter.

Ingredients: Pollen and bee spit
Put the two crackers together like a sandwich with all the gooey peanut butter and honey gushing out of the sides.

This is the naughty part. You melt some of these and cover the top of the sandwich with a layer of melty chocolate. I used semi sweet because I like dark chocolate, but milk would work too.
Be sure you use Ghirardelli brand or another brand that does not list vanillin in the ingredients.
Vanillin is bad.
It's a substitute for vanilla which is natural. Vanillin is artificial and a petroleum by product.
You'd be surprised how much stuff they put vanillin in instead of vanilla.
OK, off my soap box now, back to the cookie!
You can either eat them all melty or you can put them in the fridge until the chocolate hardens, about 5 minutes.
The first time we made these they got put in the fridge, the next time they did not last that long.
The best part about these is after just one I am totally satisfied. They fill me up.
Try them, you'll be glad you did!





20 comments:

Chanelle said...

I have the same problem that you have ~ a whole box in minutes. So I've got to try it! Thanks for sharing.

FarmerElwood said...

That sound great. You're not going to be to happy though when you find out about aflatoxins.

John and Lisa said...

I have to admit, I am a little bit skeptical about the rye crackers, but I love Nutty Bars and I really shouldn't eat them, so I think I'll give it a try! Thanks!

Tracey said...

Wow - this looks like a great snack for our family!! Thanks for sharing!

Buffie said...

Wow - these look so yummy. I haven't had nutty bars in so long because of all the "bad" ingredients. Yours are much better and definitely worth a try.

Kristi_runwatch said...

Oh, delish... those are addicting!

Have you ever tried motzoh crackers? We did a seder dinner for the first time this Easter and (long story) also had nutty bars - we were noticing that the texture of the cracker just might work for homemade nutty bars! Now you've given me extra inspiration!

And thanks for the tip on vanillin... I've noticed that certain brands of choc. chips make me sick - I wonder if that's why...

Danielle said...

Those sound so good! Nutty Bars are my favorite! Check out my tackle here.

Lynn said...

These sound delicious. I'm sure they'd last about two minutes around here ;)

Brenda said...

Your nutty buddy version sounds truly decadent w/o all the artificial stuff!

Thanks for the heads up on vanillin - I have never heard of this, but now I'm going to be on the lookout!

. said...

Look at YOU!

Thanks for sharing...You're such a good example to me. You inspire me to want to revert back to my health-nut practices!

PS....my word verification is "untaxed."

...I wish!

girlonwheels said...

Sounds so very yummy. Thanks for signing my blog.

Brenda said...

I have never heard of this combo before but it looks delicious! Thanks for the tip on vanillin too, I appreciate that.

Jerri at Simply Sweet Home said...

I love nutty bars. (or nutty buddies as well call them here.) This was a very interesting post!

Lisa@BlessedwithGrace said...

LOVE IT!!!!! I love nutty bars. Thanks for the recipe. I loved how fun and creative you were with sharing the recipe.

Lara said...

I don't know if I have ever had a nutty bar but anything with chocolate and peanut butter has to be good!

Heidi Boos said...

Sounds like a simple yummy treat!! I never would have figured this out on my own! ;)

Emily @ Marvelous Recipes said...

I will have to try these. I love nutty bars but I'm not sure about the rye crackers.

Jules said...

Looking for homemade nutty bar recipe and your blog came up first on my google search. I am ADDICTED too! I, like you, quit buying them b/c I know that I can eat 2-3 bars in one day. I broke down and bought a large box on Monday. Half the box is gone and it's only Wed. I've got to find a healthier way of eating them. LOL :O) Hope to try yours. Thanks for sharing!

Lauren Smith said...

Thank you. Since giving up processed foods, I've really missed these--a childhood favorite of mine. Will be trying soon!

Myrnie said...

Thank you for this! I'm going to try this with a gluten-free cracker :)