gather some goodies ::
- dates
- brown sugar
- butter
- slivered almonds
- gluten-free rice krispies (they are brown rice and they are yummy)
- raw, flaked coconut
- toasted sesame seeds or poppyseeds
- ground flax
- other nuts or grains of your choice
- parchment paper
do some melting and mixing ::
- in a heavy saucepan, melt 6 TBS butter, 1/2 c (or less) brown sugar, and 1 c dates (chopped if you wish)
- when melted, add about 4 TBS water and 1 tsp vanilla extract
- remove from heat, cool a bit (for a couple minutes)
- stir in 2 c rice krispies, 1/2 c ground flax, 3/4 c chopped almonds, 1.4 c sesame or poppy seeds, 3/4 c raw coconut (these are all subject to your taste and discretion - mix up ingredients and amounts to your liking)
do some lining and pressing and finishing ::
- line a 9x13 pan with parchment paper
- scoop your mixture into the pan
- press the mixture flat and relatively evenly in the pan using another piece of parchment paper
- refridgerate till firm
- grab the lining paper and pull the bar out of the pan
- cut into squares or rectangles (or stars or hearts or circles, it's up to you!)
- keep refridgerated (these do fine in a lunchbox, though they get stickier the warmer they are)
- enjoy a sweet bit of energy!