Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Snack Idea: Monkey Bars

 The first time I told my daughter Hannah that we were having Monkey Bars for a snack, she gave me a funny look and said, "No, mommy, I can't eat monkey bars. That would break my teeth." Quickly I realized, she was talking about the monkey bars at our neighborhood playground. "Oh, not those monkey bars. I'm making a new snack called Monkey Bars, and they are called that because they have bananas in them." I saw a look of relief on my 4 year olds face. Needless to say, my family really enjoys these. 

They only have 1 TB of sugar in them for the whole batch, have simple ingredients, and it's fun to get your kids involved. Hannah actually has made these before all by herself! Okay, minus putting them in the oven. :)
Hope you enjoy them as much as we do!

*this recipe came from a www.foodfit.com . Check out the original recipe here.

Monkey Bars Recipe
Serves: 12 Prep: 15 minutes Baking Time:  45 minutes


cooking spray
1 TB butter or margarine
1 TB brown sugar (see Change it Up below for other ideas)
1 cup rolled oats
1/4-1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup whole-wheat flour
1/2 cup apple juice
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup warm water
1 ripe banana
1/4-1/3 cup dried currants (see Change it Up below for other ideas)



1. Heat oven to 350*F. Spray an 8-inch square baking pan with cooking spray.
2. In a medium bowl, mash the butter and sugar together with a fork until creamy. Add oats, cinnamon, and flour. Mix well.
3. In a small bowl, combine the apple juice, vanilla, and 1/2 cup warm water. Add this to the dry ingredients, and stir to combine. Stir in the mashed banana and currants. Spread the dough into prepared pan. 
4. Bake for 45 minutes or until top is golden and toothpick comes out clean in the middle. 
5. Let cool, and cut into 12 squares. Store in refrigerator up to one week. 

Nutrition Facts: 1 bar is 78cal, 1g fat, 15g carbs, and 2g protein. 

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Who likes to CHANGE IT UP? 

~Instead of brown sugar try maple syrup, agave syrup or honey. I've made the recipe with agave and it didn't change the texture or flavor of the bars.
~Don't have currants? Replace with dried cranberries, raisins, dried cherries, or cut up dried apricots. 
~For a fun twist, try orange juice or your favorite kind of juice instead of apple.

2 comments:

Lois said...

All I have to say is that when I make these Monkey Bars I have to at least double the recipe and even at that they don't stay around long!! Everyone loves eating these up.

Meal Planning Made Simple said...

Lois-Same at our house. I love how healthy they are, but that doesn't compromise the taste.

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