Apricot Cereal Bars

If you want a nice, energizing, cereal bar for breakfast, this is your bar.  This bar has really nice flavor.  The only down side, is that it does fall apart a little as you are eating it. I suppose I should have packed it before I baked. Since I will make these again, I will be sure and do that. And yes, those brown spots in there are apricots because my apricots got dark.  They are unsulphured.  I'd rather have dark apricots than sulphured ones though.  I just pretend they are apricot tasting raisins.



Apricot Cereal Bars
Largely adapted from this recipe at Eating Well

3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup chopped walnuts, (about 2 ounces)
3 cups unsweetened puffed-grain cereal, such as Kashi
2 cups chopped dried apricots
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
12 ounces silken tofu, drained (about 1 1/3 cups)
1 large egg
1/2 cup canola oil
1 cup honey
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons freshly grated lemon zest


Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a large (15 1/4-by-10 1/4-inch) jellyroll-style pan with cooking spray.

Spread oats and walnuts on a baking sheet with sides. Bake until fragrant and light golden, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl and add puffed cereal, dried apricots, flour and salt; stir to combine.

In a blender or food processor, puree tofu, egg, oil, honey, vanilla and lemon zest until smooth, scraping down the sides as needed. Make a well in the center of the oat mixture; fold in the tofu mixture until combined. Spread evenly in the prepared pan.

Bake until firm in the center and golden brown, 35 to 40 minutes. Let cool completely in the pan on a wire rack before cutting into bars with a sharp knife.

16 bars- 306 calories per bar.