These bars are a quick and tasty holiday treat. We tested a few substitutions and it turns out that we like the substitutions better than the original!
Cranberry Chickpea Bars
Dried cranberries give these dense brownie-like bars a festive look and tangy flavor. Try raisins or chocolate chips too!
Servings 24 Bars
Calories 110kcal
Equipment
- 9-inch X 13-inch baking pan
Ingredients
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 cups cooked beans Any type of bean. We used chickpeas in our test
- ¼ cup applesauce
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- ¼ cup peanut butter
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ¾ cup oats
- 1 cup dried cranberries (or raisins, fig pieces, or other dried fruit)
Instructions
- Wash hands before preparing food.
- Preheat oven to 375°F and spray a 9-inch x 13-inch pan with non-stick spray.
- In a bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and baking powder and set aside.
- In another bowl, mash beans until smooth.
- Add the applesauce, salt, sugar, oil, and peanut butter to the beans and mix until combined.
- Add dry ingredients and stir until combined.
- Fold in dried fruit.
- Pour batter into pan and spread evenly.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick or butter knife comes out without raw batter.
- Cool before cutting into 24 bars (6 x 4)
Notes
The substitutions we made:
- Whole wheat instead of white flour
- Low-sodium chickpeas. You could use any kind.
- Applesauce instead of oil
- Cranberries instead of raisins (We had them on hand so no trip to the store.)
- We also decreased the sugar and still loved the flavor!
Nutrition
Serving: 1bar | Calories: 110kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Sodium: 96mg | Potassium: 98mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 5IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 33mg | Iron: 1mg