Sometimes when I look through desserts on Pinterest, I get carried away and pin almost every dessert I come across. Every. Single. Delectable one I see. I have almost 4,500 pins alone just for sweets!! And I plan on making them all... one day. Yeeees... oh yeeeeeeeeees.....
*AHEM*
Sometimes, when I see a healthy dessert, it makes me wanna try and make a recipe even more. The fact that these bars are so easy to make and I virtually have everything listed in the ingredients list was a major plus! One problem though... I kind of didn't follow the recipe.
Let me explain... Turns out I was out of some of the things. Like maple syrup. Or canola oil. Or raisins. Or pastry flour. And I wanted to get rid of things that I had hanging around... like a handful of cinnamon chips. And pecans. And dried cranberries. And blueberries. So yeah...
They're not as "healthy" as the original, but they didn't turn out so bad. It's got the taste of granola with a nutty, almost shortbread-like crust. I thought they were awesome. Definitely adding this to my cookie repertoire. Next time I will bake them a little less though... following the recipe almost burned them (hence why they look a little dark)! The sweet spot is definitely around the 25 to 30 minute mark. Maybe even less. Hmmmm.... Anyway, enjoy!
Cinnamon Honey Fruit and Nut Bars
(adapted from Healthy Seasonal Recipes)
½ cup chopped walnuts
2 cups chopped pecans, divided
1 tbsp granulated sugar
¾ cup whole wheat flour
3 tbsp plus 1 tsp all-purpose flour, divided
½ tsp salt, divided
3 tsp ground cinnamon, divided
2 eggs, plus 1 egg yolk, divided
1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted and divided
3 tbsp vegetable oil
½ cup honey
1 tsp vinegar
1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
½ cup dried cranberries
½ cup dried blueberries
¼ cup cinnamon chips
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Coat an 8 x 8 baking dish with cooking spray.
For the crust:
Place ½ cup walnuts and sugar in a food processor fitted with steel blade attachment. Process until the walnuts are the consistency of rough meal. Add whole wheat flour, 3 tbsp all-purpose flour, ¼ teaspoon salt, and 1 tsp cinnamon and pulse until combined.
Stir together 1 egg yolk, 2 tablespoon melted butter, and oil in a small bowl.
With the food processor motor running, drizzle yolk mixture through the feed tube and process until mixture clumps together.
Turn mixture out into the prepared pan; spread evenly and press firmly into the bottom to form a crust. Prick all over with a fork and transfer to the oven. Bake, pressing down with the back of a fork only if it starts to puff, until dry and slightly golden along the edges, 13 to 15 minutes.
For the filling:
Meanwhile, whisk honey, vinegar, vanilla, the remaining ¼ teaspoon salt, the remaining 2 tsp cinnamon, the remaining 2 eggs and the remaining butter in a medium bowl, reserving ¼ cup of the honey mixture for topping. Add in ½ cup of chopped pecans. Stir in the dried fruit. Set aside.
For the topping:
Mix the reserved ¼ cup of honey mixture in a small bowl with the remaining 1½ cup of chopped pecans. Set aside.
Putting the bar together:
Remove the crust from the oven and reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F. While the crust is hot, brush the remaining 1 tsp flour over the crust with a pastry brush to fill in any holes or cracks.
Spread the fruit and nut mixture in the baked crust. Arrange pecan topping over the top. Drizzle on any remaining honey mixture then evenly sprinkle on the cinnamon chips.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until the center no longer jiggles when gently shaken, the top is lightly crackled, and the filling is set. Cool completely, at least 1 hour. Cut into 16 squares.
