Smores Brownie Bar

I love how the sweetness is well balanced and just right in these evil seemingly-sugar overloaded smores brownie bar. The use of dark chocolate and espresso powder gave the brownie a rich depth of flavor which complimented perfectly with the toasty crust and marshmallows.

Smores Brownie Bar
recipe adapted from Cupcake Jemma
makes one 8x8 square pan

138g graham cracker crumbs
41g unsalted butter, melted
pinch of salt 

113g unsalted butter
113g dark chocolate *i used one with 88% cocoa
115g sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt
3 eggs
75g white whole wheat flour
1/4 tsp instant coffee/espresso powder
24 large marshmallows, halved

1. Mix together graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, and salt. Press evenly onto lined 8x8 pan. Bake at 350F for 8-10 minutes. Set aside to cool.
2. Melt together unsalted butter and dark chocolate over double boiled or microwave. Set aside.
3. In separate bowl, beat sugar and eggs from low to medium high until pale and doubled in volume. Add vanilla extract and beat.
4. On low, beat in cooled melted chocolate/butter mixture just until incorporated.
5. Fold in flour and espresso powder.
6. Pour onto prepared crust. Bake at 350F for 20 minutes or until top and edges are set.
7. Remove from oven and cover brownie with halved marshmallows, sticky side down.
8. Turn up temperature in oven and return to oven to broil until marshmallows are toasty and golden brown.
9. Cool slightly and cut into bars.

These smores brownies are divine when fresh with the marshmallows still gooey and the brownie so fluffy and light. After chilling, the marshmallow is less gooey and the texture of the brownie is more fudgy. These are absolutely tasty and enjoyable either way.

Taste: 4.8 stars out of 5

Rich dark chocolate-y brownie with toasty marshmallows. Not overly sweet but indulgently satisfying.

Texture: 4.8 stars out of 5

Crust was a bit crumbly. Brownie was perfect- light and fluffy when warm and fudgy and melt in your mouth after chilling. 

Peanut Butter Puffed Millet Squares

Woohoo, finally making a dent in my big puffed millet bag (about 11 cups total) with these no bake Peanut Butter Puffed Millet Squares! I wasn't too fond of their chewy texture after using them in my Chewy Pumpkin Pecan Granola Bar and intentionally forgot about them ever since.

I was reminded of them again when I was looking up no bake bar recipes and got intrigued that these chewy puffed millet can crisp up with a quick toast (inspiration)! I decided to go simple and went with a no bake recipe from All Recipes.

Peanut butter and honey are the main binder for these bars. I threw in chopped peanuts, sunflower seeds, and chia seeds to add some crunch and interest. I love how they turn out, it's definitely a tasty and better-for-you snack to have on hand!

Peanut Butter Puffed Millet Squares
recipe adapted from all recipes
makes one 8x8" pan (about 16 squares)

3 1/2 cup puffed millet
1/4 cup raw sunflower seeds, toasted
1/4 cup peanuts, chopped
1 Tbsp chia seeds
1/3 cup (~90g) peanut butter, creamy no stir
1/3 cup (~108g) honey
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1. Line or grease an 8x8"pan.

2. Optional: toast puffed millet and sunflower seeds at 425F for 5-10mins, stirring occasionally to avoid over- browning.
3. Combine peanut butter, honey, and salt together in a large saucepan; bring to a boil.

4. Add vanilla extract. Remove from heat and stir in millet and dried nuts/fruit. 

5. Press mixture into prepared pan. 

6. Refrigerate until chilled, about 1 hour.

Taste: 4 stars out of 5

pb-y and mildy sweet (sub with brown rice syrup next to further reduce the sweetness!)

Texture: 4 stars out of 5

chewy, crisp and light!

Mixed Berry Oat Streusel Bar

I can't believe berries are still in season in December, and are they juicier and sweeter than the ones in Summer?!! The Fatty's mom has been too kind to stock up berries for us each weekend. There's so much left over even after our weekend fix of acai bowl (which should be more accurately named as berries bowl now). Thank you for the generosity and thank you for longer berry season! 

Happy belated Thanksgiving.

These bars are fairly simple to make as with most of my bakes. The oatmeal almond butter mixture conveniently and strategically doubles as the base and as the streusel topping, killing two birds with one stone! The mixture firmly pressed into the pan creates a hearty and dense base for the lightly sweetened mixed berry filling to lay on. The streusel along with the sliced almonds on top brings the whole thing together with its crispiness and stunning visual. 

Mixed Berry Oat Streusel Bar

recipe adapted from Sally's Baking Addiction
makes one 8x8" pan or 9-12 bars

Mixed berry filling:
2 Tbsp (15g) cornstarch
2 Tbsp (30ml) warm water
2 cups (330g) mixed berries *I used a mix of blackberries, blueberries and raspberries
less than 1/4 cup (65g) pure maple syrup
1 Tbsp chia seeds 

Oatmeal base + streusel:
2 and 1/4 cup (180g) quick oats
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup (250g) unsalted almond butter
1/6 cup (55g) pure maple syrup
1/4 cup (60ml) coconut oil, melted
1 large egg, beaten
1/2 cup (50g) sliced almonds

Bring berries and maple syrup to a boil.

What you need for the oatmeal base/streusel.

Mix everything together until evenly combined.

Mixture will be wet.

Reserve 1/2 cup from streusel.

The three layers before assembly.

Spread mixed berry filling on top of firmly pressed base.

Crumble streusel/sliced almonds and lightly press into filling.

Start by making the mixed berry filling first -
1. Mix cornstarch with warm water until cornstarch has dissolved and there are no clumps. Set aside.
2. Combine berries and maple syrup together in a small sauce pan over medium heat. Bring to a boil and stir well.
3. Remove from heat and stir in pre-mixed cornstarch and chia seeds.
4. Whisk until all clumps are gone and set aside to thicken and cool. 

For the base/streusel -
1. Preheat oven to 325F. Line a 8x8" baking pan. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, combine quick oats, cinnamon, almond butter, maple syrup, coconut oil, and beaten egg. Mix until all of the oats are moistened and the mixture is thoroughly combined.
3. Reserve 1/2 cup of oat mixture. Firmly press remaining oat mixture into prepared baking pan.
4. Spread mixed berry filling on top.
5. To the reserved 1/2 cup oat mixture, add sliced almonds. Crumble and light press down into berry filling.
6. Bake for 25-30 minutes.
7. Allow to cool completely before cutting. 

*Squares stay fresh covered tightly at room temperature or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
*Make ahead tip: Squares freeze well up to 2-3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before enjoying.

There's no refined sugar and no butter in these bars, however, be warned that there's a good amount of almond butter along with coconut oil added to bind the oat mixture together. This brings each bar with about 21g/1.5Tbsp of almond butter to a calorie count of 310 and 32% daily value for fat! Although all ingredients used are wholesome and "good" for you, I highly suggest limiting to 1 bar per day.

If making these again, I would decrease the amount of almond butter and coconut oil added and try substituting with pureed dates. The making of these reminded me of my granola bars. 

Taste: 4 stars out of 5
Lightly sweetened and lovely tart berry filling. Oat mixture is rich and indulgent tasting.
Texture: 3.5 stars out of 5
Oat base is a dense, slightly chewy, and moist/a bit oily. Streusel could be more crispy/hard.