Homemade Nutrition Bars

Nutrition bars aren't hard to make at home. Once you have stocked your pantry with wholesome, energy-dense ingredients, you'll find you can make many variations of these bars. By making them yourself, you'll save money and avoid some of the preservatives and additives contained in industrially produced bars sold in stores. Here are some tips to enhance your homemade nutrition bars.

Ingredients

• Equip yourself for making a variety of nutrition and energy bars by stocking a healthy natural foods pantry. Whole old-fashioned oats are one of the most common ingredients in these bars. You'll also want to have natural sweeteners, such as honey, brown rice syrup, maple syrup and turbinado sugar. These are less refined than white sugar. Dried fruits, such as cherries, cranberries, prunes or raisins, will add fiber to your bars. Nuts, especially walnuts, are high in omega-3 fatty acids.

  Most recipes also call for some oils and binders. Flaxseed oil is a good choice for energy bars because it is high in omega-3 fats. Unrefined coconut oil and peanut butter are other possibilities.

  Some recipes call for flour, so choose whole wheat pastry flour or whole wheat flour over plain white flour, because these will offer more fiber and nutrients. You might also consider substituting some of the flour with wheat germ or ground flaxseed.

Adding Flavor

• Spices are an important component of homemade nutrition bars because they can add flavor without packing on calories. Cinnamon is not only tasty but, according to the World's Healthiest Foods website, it's also high in fiber, calcium and iron.

  When preparing the ingredients, take the time to toast any nuts you're using. Put them on a sheet pan and bake at 350 degrees for five to seven minutes. They should smell fragrant, not burned.

Assembly

• There's nothing difficult about assembling homemade nutrition bars. Some recipes will call for you to heat your oils and sweeteners over medium heat in a saucepan to loosen them up. In this case, you don't want to boil these ingredients. Simply warm them up until they become easy to stir, and avoid scorching them. Other recipes will ask you to mix your wet ingredients in one bowl and your dry ingredients in another, then combine them. In this case, stir the mixture only until it is combined, no more, or else your nutrition bars could turn out overly tough.

  Make sure to grease the baking pan with whatever oil you used in your recipe. You don't want to lose any of your homemade bars because they stuck to the pan, so in addition to greasing the pan you might also consider laying down a layer of parchment paper that covers the bottom and sides of the pan, then greasing that paper. This way, you can simply lift the paper from the sides to remove your bars.

  Although it might be tempting to grab one right after they've come out of the oven, wait for your energy bars to cool before you cut or eat them. Baked goods continue cooking in the minutes after you have removed them from the oven. Cool bars will be much easier to cut and store.