toddler approved: coconut apricot snack bars.

Around these parts we LOVE Bob’s Red Mill. Coincidentally my dad and my husband both work there, but that isn’t the reason we love it so. Bob’s Red Mill is a wonderful company that cares deeply about both it’s employees and its customers and works very hard to create the best quality whole grain and gluten-free products possible.

If you happen to be gluten-free, then you are probably already quite familiar with Bob Moore and his products since they make a vast array of gluten-free products (the GF Brownie Mix is our favorite!). BUT, if you aren’t familiar you should check out their full product line. They have every grain and baking product you could possibly imagine and the Bob’s Red Mill Visitor Center store/restaurant is a veritable treasure trove filled to the rafters with delicious whole grain goodness!

We buy all of our flour and baking supplies here, but recently they sent us some products to play around with to create a few toddler-friendly snack recipes. I will be sharing a quinoa pancake recipe soon as well, but first up are these Coconut Apricot Snack Bars – perfect for toddlers and adults alike!

sometimes I cook: coconut apricot snack bars.

Finding toddler-approved snacks that they will eat and that can be easily taken with you on-the-go can leave parents with few options. Most toddler snacks are filled with processed junk. Often I buy Larabars for Fern to snack on, because they have only real-food ingredients and are easy for her to chew (the girl is only just recently rocking more than a few teeth!). The problem is that although they are super convenient, they can be pretty expensive, and they are also a little thick for her little toddler mouth to bite which results in quite a bit of mess unless I want to break off chunks for her. So, even though I will still be buying Larabars for myself, I decided to whip up my own version of these snack bars for Fern that would be a little thinner and easier for her to eat.

Here’s what you’ll need to make your own:

Dried apricots, dates, unsweetened coconut (I like the finer macaroon variety, but you can definitely use the regular shredded variety), flaxseed meal, sliced almonds (you can use regular as well, but this is what I had and it made it easier to chop), and almond meal. You will also need a food processor and a baking dish lined with parchment paper. I used my Vitamix, but I’m sure a smaller one would work as well although you may have to blend your ingredients in smaller, partial batches.

sometimes I cook: coconut apricot snack bars.

Step 1: Pour 1 1/2 cups of sliced almonds into food processor and pulse gently. Don’t overpulse or you’ll end up with almond meal or almond butter. You want your blend to be slightly chunky still, just easier to eat for toddlers with few teeth. Set almonds aside.

sometimes I cook: coconut apricot snack bars.

Step 2: Pulse 2 cups of pitted dates + 2 cups of dried apricots together to make a paste. This can be tricky and my Vitamix shut off at one point to keep itself from overheating. Dates are no joke you guys. Mine had been in the fridge too, so they were a bit hard, which didn’t help matters. You will definitely need to use a spoon to periodically help the paste along as it tends to stick together and you may also want to blend this in multiple batches. Once you have a paste, you’ll add in your 1/2 cup of coconut, 1/2 cup of almond meal, and 1/4 cup of flaxseed meal and pulse a few more times to blend.

sometimes I cook: coconut apricot snack bars.

Step 3: Mix your apricot/date/coconut paste in with your almonds in a bowl. I just did this by hand until all of the almond chunks are incorporated.

sometimes I cook: coconut apricot snack bars.

Step 4: Place your mixture in a baking dish that has been lined with parchment paper and press it flat with your hands.

sometimes I cook: coconut apricot snack bars.

Step 5: Place your baking dish of coconut apricot deliciousness into the refrigerator to chill for at least 30 minutes (I waited an hour).

sometimes I cook: coconut apricot snack bars.

Step 6: Cut into square of desired size.

sometimes I cook: coconut apricot snack bars.

Step 7: Wrap in parchment paper and tie with bakers twiner for portability, or just leave them in the fridge and eat the squares as you want. You could also store these in a reusable container or in a plastic storage bags.

sometimes I cook: coconut apricot snack bars.

Step 8: Enjoy!

sometimes I cook: coconut apricot snack bars.

{Disclosure, I was not compensated for this post. Bob’s Red Mill sent me product to use in my recipe. All thoughts and opinions are my own}

 

INGREDIENTS:

*2 C. dried apricots

*2 C. pitted dates

*1 1/2 C. sliced almonds

*1/2 C. fine unsweetened coconut

*1/2 C. almond meal

*1/4 C. flaxseed meal

DIRECTIONS:

1. Pulse 1 1/2 C. almonds a few times in a food processor. Do not over pulse or you’ll end up with almond butter and you just want small pieces. Remove from processor and set aside

2. Combine 2 C. apricots and 2 C. pitted dates in food processor until they make a paste, then add in 1/2 C. unsweetened coconut, 1/2 C. almond meal and 1/4 C. flaxseed meal and pulse in food processor until combined.

3. Mix chopped almonds with your apricot/coconut/date paste by hand in a bowl.

4. Press out the mixture into a baking dish that has been lined with parchment paper. Use your hand to make it flat and even.

5. Pop the dish in the refrigerator for at least a half hour for the bars to firm up.

 6. Cut your bars into pieces and enjoy!

Hope you guys enjoy these! I know Fern and I did!

Love and snack food,

Lauren

Comments

  1. These look so good! Yum. And I love the new site! 🙂

    • Thank you Natalie! I’m really liking the new set up so far, although there are definitely still kinks to work out :).

  2. Yum!! These sound delicious. Love the new look!

    • Thank you Megan! I’m really loving the new look – Craig put so much time into it, so it’s nice to hear that everyone likes it. And also…these bars are SO good. Super easy too.

  3. Love the new site! These bars look so good! I love healthy alternatives to satisfy my sweet tooth. 🙂

  4. Look at you! I’m impressed! I will definitely have to make Huck these. 😉 He also loves Larabars, but the chunks of nuts are always too big and hard for him, so I am always getting my fingers sticky, trying to break off smooshed pieces. I’ve been thinking it’s time to make our own, so I will give these a go – and not going to lie, your little packaging detail is my favorite part!

  5. I am deeply and profoundly jealous of your employment at Redmill. Between my own gluten free preference and the fact that my dogs eat grain free and I make most of our treats at home, I feel like an extremely large chunk of my income goes directly to the company. You’re right though, the products are fabulous and I never get tired of playing with them.

  6. Which dimensions baking dish do you use?

  7. These look delicious! I’m wondering if they freeze/thaw well for future use?

  8. Also, do you happen to have the nutrition facts by any chance? I’d love to make these for a friend, but her daughter has diabetes, so she just has to know how many carbs are in the food she eats.

    • @Stacy – You can add in the ingredient amounts here and it will calculate the nutritional facts: http://caloriecount.about.com/cc/recipe_analysis.php

      I would probably say this might not be the best for someone diabetic. Dried fruit is SUPER high in carbs/sugar, but I could be wrong. My mom is diabetic though and this isn’t a recipe I’d probably make for her without modifying it a bit. I’d probably sub in a fruit with a lower glycemic index than apricots and maybe more nuts to balance it. Just a thought.

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