Millet Crunch Bars

One of my favorite things to do is experiment in the kitchen creating new desserts for my kids.

I buy everything in bulk so I always have enough of our favorite, quality ingredients on-hand. That gives me a lot of opportunity for trial and error. And let me tell you, there’s a lot of error.

Somehow this (crappy) notebook became THE recipe book where I get an idea for something, start with a simple formula, write it down, and then test it out. I’ll make adjustments and try it out again (and sometimes again) and then file it in the “win” or “bust” file.  The pages are filled with a mixture of successes and losses all fueled by passion and pure love of healthy eating, so who really cares if something doesn’t turn out, right!? It’s all for the cause!

These little coconut bars went immediately into the “win” file. I basically took my “No Bake PB Oat Bars” recipe, cut down the measurements and made a few swaps.

I knew I wanted these heavy on the coconut oil so they’d take on the texture of coconut oil fudge. (What’s that you say? You’ve never heard of a healthy fudge made from coconut oil? Click here for my easy Raw Pecan Fudge recipe.)

I also wanted to use almond butter instead of peanut butter just for a little extra nutrients, and try our millet puff cereal instead of oats. Oats tend to be heavier and I wanted to see if I could get these more crunchy like a Kit-Kat bar… NOT that I eat Kit Kat bars, but I do believe I had one back in the late 80’s and it was real nice. 😉

I had some success making Millet Crispy Treats  where I tried to emulate a Rice Krispy treat, so why not try my hand at a different bar, but (per the usual) slide in some extra protein and calcium with… some chia seeds!

To make these you just melt the almond butter, coconut oil, honey and cacao powder then pour the mixture into the puffs and chia seeds and stir together.

Once puffs are coated, you transfer the mixture into a baking pan, pop it in the freezer and then wait for these heavenly treasures to set up.

The result is a crispy, chocolaty bar that is heavy on the chocolate flavor and light on the coconut flavor. The light, airy millet puffs give it a little bit of texture while the frozen coconut oil give the bar an overall crunch.

These bars have antioxidants and minerals thanks to the cacao powder, chia seeds that provide an energy boost, honey which has antimicrobial properties and anti-inflammatory benefits, almond butter which is full of protein, and coconut oil which is good for heart health.

It’s hard to find a *dessert* that packs that much nutrients! A perfect treat for kids, parents, or anyone who simply likes sweets.

Here’s what you’ll need for these gluten free, dairy free Millet Crunch Bars.

Ingredients:

1 & 3/4 c. Puffed Millet cereal
1/2 c. raw almond butter
1/2 c. + 3 Tbsp. unrefined coconut oil
1/4 c. + 1 Tbsp. raw honey
2 Tbsp cacao powder
1 to 2 Tbsp chia seeds (optional)
1 tsp non alcohol vanilla

Directions:

1. Melt almond butter, coconut oil and raw honey in a small saucepan on low to medium heat. Do not let mixture get to a boil, keep it low and stir frequently, if mixture gets too hot the almond butter can scorch.
2. Once melted, stir in cacao powder. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla and mix well.
3. Have millet puffs and chia seeds in a separate bowl. Pour melted mixture into the puffs, coat puffs evenly.
4. In a 9×7 baking pan (a 6 cups pan) grease the bottom with a little coconut oil, or line with parchment paper. Pour mixture into pan (you can use the back of a spoon to tap puffs down to the bottom, they are light and will float), place pan in freezer for one hour, until firm.
5. Take pan out of freezer, use a sharp knife to make squares and serve.
6. Store and serve these from the refrigerator.

Yields- 9-12 servings

NOTES:

*If you want to make these vegan you can use grade b maple syrup. Start with 1/4 c. of syrup, taste mixture, if it’s sweet enough, don’t add an extra tablespoon.

*You could use any size pan, it just depends how thick you want them. 8×8 would work too, they would be a little thinner though.

*If you’re looking for millet puffs, I buy them at Whole Foods in the cereal aisle section. I love this particular brand because the only ingredient is “puffed whole grain millet.” There are no other additives, preservatives or fillers. It’s about $2 for a big bag. My kids eat this as breakfast cereal too. I use grade b syrup to add a little sweetness and add in fresh berries. It’s really good!