Monday 12 May 2014

Banana Bread Granola Bars














I love black sesame seeds. Only trouble is, when I cook with them, for days after I find little escapees scattered over my kitchen benches and floor. For a split second, I freak-out thinking that I might have a mouse in my house. Toilet humour goes well on a food blog don't you think?



Banana Bread Granola Bars
slightly adapted from Delicious
Makes 16

For the Bars:
2 large overripe bananas
70g almond butter
60ml rice malt syrup
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 tablespoon coconut oil, plus extra for greasing
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
270g rolled oats
100g toasted almonds, chopped
30g sunflower toasted sunflower seeds
20g toasted black sesame seeds
100g dark chocolate chips

For the Drizzle:
100g dark chocolate, chopped
1 tablespoon coconut oil
1 tablespoon milk

Make the Bars:
Preheat the oven to 180C. Grease a 20 x 30 cm pan with coconut oil and line it with baking paper, making sure there is plenty of over-hang. Set aside.

Place the bananas, almond butter, rice syrup, maple syrup, coconut oil, cinnamon and salt in a food processor and blitz to a puree.

In a large bowl, combine the oats, toasted seeds and nuts and the chocolate chips. Add the banana puree and mix until well combined.

Scrape the mixture into the prepared pan and press down to compact. Bake for 40 minutes, or until golden brown. Leave to cool in the pan completely.

Once cooled, lift the slab out of the pan using the over-hanging paper and cut into 16 bars.

Make the Drizzle:
Place all the ingredients into a heat-proof bowl and set the bowl over a pan of simmering water. Don't let the bowl touch the water. Stir until smooth. Pour the mixture into a disposable piping bag and snip a small hole in the end. Drizzle over bars. Chill for 30 minutes in fridge to set the drizzle.

16 comments:

  1. I love everything about these!! The textures, the flavors, EVERYTHING!

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  2. I love black sesame seeds too! And I definitely think toilet humor belongs on a food blog. If not here, where? :) These look divine!!

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    1. Ha ha. So true Maria. If not here, then where?

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  3. Wow, these are going on my to make list! What a great little treat! I love black sesames too, I can already taste how fabulous they'd be in these bars!

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    1. Thank you. These are so good. I have eaten 4 already.

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  4. Hahaha... toilet humour? Oh yes. Delicious! I equally end up finding black sesame escapees all over the kitchen when I use them. Same with chia or poppy seeds. Evasive little things! Totally worth it for a granola bar like this one though. I love that thick chocolate drizzle... yum x

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    1. Whenever I cook with seeds, I inevitably end up with them all over the place. Sometimes I think I should let the chickens into my kitchen to do the clean-up.

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  5. Cute post! I love black sesame seeds too... they don't remind me of mouse pooh though, thankfully : )

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  6. Rejoicing because I have finally found wheat free certified oats here in Brisbane and now I know what to use them in! Can't wait to make my colleagues jealous with my awesome morning tea snack :)
    Also, I would freak out too! I baked with chia seeds the other day and every time I see one I have visions of a plague of geckos!

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    1. Oh yay Amy! I'm surprised you haven't been able to get your hands on some gluten-free oats up until now. You're going to be the granola/porridge Queen now.

      PS: Not sure which is worse, mice or geckos? :)

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  7. What's not to love about this hun?? I'm sure that it would be eaten fast in here!

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  8. I'm going to have to get me some rice malt syrup, these look amazing!

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    1. You should be able to find it in the "health food" aisle in the supermarkets.

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