Eric says I make my best recipes when I’m pmsing.
Wait, is that a back-handed compliment?
Errr…
And how did he know I was pmsing?
“Well,…remember the other night when you started to cry watching that wedding dress show…?”
“When the Dad cries, everyone cries.”
“…and the other day, I caught you with chocolate all over your face talking about some chocolate river…”
“….and how is that different from any other day?”
“Good point. Or yesterday, when you were yelling on the phone with the phone company…”
“She was a phone robot, that doesn’t count! Robots have no feelings, pulse,…or comprehension of the English language, evidently.”
“Or this morning when…”
Ooooooook, no need to live in the past. I’m sure we all get the point. ;)
After some careful thought, his statement did make sense.
PMS –> increase in calorie expenditure (yay, eat more) –> increase in hunger –> empty stomach feeling 24/7 –> chocolate river dreams –> cooking/baking success.
Now, let’s look for concrete proof of his claims over the past week:
- Chocolate Cake Batter Smoothie
- Stuffed Phyllo Rolls
- Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Glazed Doughnuts
- Cinnamon Sugar Pumpkin Spiced Doughnuts
- 5 Ingredient Cheeze Sauce
Guilty as charged.
If that is hard evidence, these Chocolate Chunk Toffee Bars are the final nail in my coffin. Eric declared the recipe ‘in the vault’ and mumbled something about chocolate while his eyes glazed over. Typical. The stash quickly disappeared in the span of 3 days. Not surprisingly, more by him than me!
I guess he’s suffering from Male Menstrual Syndrome. I better keep my distance…there’s nothing worse than MAN-MS, right ladies?
And don’t worry, I pointed and laughed at the chocolate smudges on the side of his mouth.
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Chocolate Chunk Toffee Bars
Yield
9 large bars
Prep time
Rest time
45 minutes
Cook time
Total time
Everything I love in a granola bar- a crisp, toffee-like exterior with a chunky and chewy middle. Be sure to allow the bars to cool completely before slicing. If you adapt the recipe, please leave a comment with the changes you made and how it turned out! I’m curious if other flours and nut butters might work.
Ingredients
- 1.5 cup oats
- 1/4 cup whole grain spelt flour
- 2 tbsp chia seeds
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1 cup walnuts, chopped
- 1/2 cup brown rice syrup
- 2 tbsp Earth Balance (or other non-dairy spread)
- 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/4 cup all natural peanut butter (my PB is very ‘drippy’- if yours is dry add another tbsp Earth Balance)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup chocolate chunks or chips
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350°F and line an 8-inch pan with 2 pieces of parchment paper (one going each way), so the bars do not stick to pan.
- In a large bowl, stir together the dry ingredients (oats, flour, chia seeds, cinnamon, salt, walnuts).
- In a microwavable bowl, stir together the brown rice syrup, Earth Balance, brown sugar, and peanut butter. Microwave on high for 45 seconds. Alternatively you can heat this on the stovetop.
- Pour wet mixture onto dry and stir well. The mixture will be very tough to stir (it’s a thick dough!) so don’t be alarmed. Allow the dough to cool a bit before mixing in the chocolate (otherwise, if you add in the chocolate too soon, it will melt, and it’s best chunky).
- Scoop into prepared pan and with a wet spoon spread out the mixture. The dough will be very thick and sticky. I dipped a pastry roller into water and rolled it out. Try to get it as even as possible!
- Bake for 30-32 minutes at 350°F. Allow to cool in the pan, on a cooling rack, for at least 15 minutes. Remove carefully from pan and allow to cool on the rack for another 20-30 minutes. If you cut the bars before completely cooling, they will crack, so it’s a good idea to wait as they will firm up.
These granola bars took me a few tries, but I finally got the outcome I was looking for- a crispy, toffee-like exterior with a chewy, chocolaty middle. They have a slight toffee flavour and are like a less sweet, more natural candy bar!
The bars will firm up a bit once cooled which is exactly how I prefer to eat them. Their flavour and chewy texture gets better with age. :)
Ok, I just Googled ‘male PMS’ for fun and there’s an actual term for it called Irritable Male Syndrome (IMS).
I can’t wait to tell Eric I found his diagnosis!
I made these using sunflower seed butter and ground flax. They make a very tasty and satisfying snack. Thanks for another great recipe!
These are addicting! I triple the batch, keep them in the fridge, and they last about 10 days before we’ve eaten them all. I use honey instead of the brown rice syrup and almond butter instead of peanut butter.
I just used this recipe today with my Food and Nutrition 11/12 class (Home Ec). We subbed whole wheat flour, agave nectar, shortening, and almond butter for cost reasons, and because we’re not allowed to use peanuts in the classroom. They were a huge hit! The kids loved them! Thanks for making it easy to find vegan recipes that high school students will actually eat!
So glad they worked with those subs! Thanks for letting me know :)
To avoid a trip to the store, I made these yesterday with a number of substitutes. I replaced spelt flour with almond flour, replaced chia with flax, replaced 1/2 c. rice syrup with about 1/3 c. maple syrup, skipped brown sugar, replaced peanut butter with raw almond butter and replaced chocolate chips with cacao nibs. The bars held together fine after a night in the fridge and they are plenty sweet. This is a very versatile recipe. Thanks, Angela :).
Im so glad to hear that Amy!
I decided to try these out over the weekend, I had been comtemplating it for quite a few days, I made some additions to it that made them super tasty. I found some Bobs Red Mill dried apples at the store and I also picked up some dried cranberries and I used chunky peanut butter instead of smooth to go along with the walnuts. Yes, I still used the chocolate :) I got a very filling bar that can easily hold over between meals, its also still got the hard top and soft inside as well. which I love and can definitely see myself making these very often.
Angela – Just tried these today for the SuperBowl and they are DELICIOUS!
Few subs: 1/2 the chia seeds for ground flax, white whole wheat flour for spelt (could probably easily use brown rice as well to be GF), and pecans for walnuts. I also used Enjoy Life mini chocolate chips and they worked super-well!
Im so happy to hear that Meredith! I forgot all about those bars!
will whole wheat flour work ? i am intolerant to spelt
never mind i see someone else also used whole wheat, perfect . off to the kitchen i go :)
I just found this recipe, although I have been following your blog for a while now. I used teff flour instead of spelt because that is what I had and I omitted the brown sugar and added 2T maple syrup. They came out delicious! Love your website and recipes!
Could I use brown sugar instead of brown rice syrup? and how much?
Made these last night and substituted succanat for the brown sugar, have not cut them yet as I can’t find the serving size anywhere. Any suggestions? They do look great!
They are amazing!! But…the wax paper is stuck to them and I don’t know how to remove it and keep the integrity of the bars:-(
I use parchment paper – I suggest to use that because it doesnt stick!
Ahaha I forgot the flour when making these… Of course they fell apart when I cut them. Let’s just say I have some extremely tasty granola now :D
Best bar ever! And everyone love them :)
Does anyone have any idea what the nutritional info is for the original recipe?
I think the vanilla in the ingredient list never made it into the actual recipe process–just noticed it sitting on my counter untouched as I put these into the oven. Regardless, the “batter” tasted great and I’m sure it won’t affect the outcome much!
I just came here to say the same thing! I guess you would add it in after heating up the PB and other liquid ingredients. But I totally noticed it on the counter when I was cleaning up too! haha
The parchment paper is a huge issue.
When I took the pan out of the oven, I let the bars sit for 15 min before removing them. The parchment paper seemed well-adhered already when I pulled on the edges. After letting the bars cool completely, I went to pull off the wax paper, but it was stuck like glue. 45 min later, with some serious sideways-sawing with a knife, I surrendered defeat that my bars would have little bits of parchment attached, especially on the edges.
Too sad! The bars otherwise are incredibly tasty.
Hi Kate, I think you may have mistaken parchment paper for wax paper? They aren’t the same thing. Wax paper will definitely stick but parchment will not. Hope this helps and hope the bars can still be enjoyed! :)
I’m a bozo! I just checked and you’re right, I used wax paper not parchment!
Thank you for following up on that. I’m making ’em again today!
Mjam, I just made these – they are awesome. I don’t know if anyone did it already (couldn’t exactly force myself to read through 210 comments!), but I subbed the syrup for mashed banana to reduce the sugar. They turned out delicious! Thank you for all your awesome recipes, Angela! <3
Hi
Can I replace the brown rice syrup by agave or maple syrup? will it take away from the toffeeness of the recipe?
thanks!