Easy apple cinnamon energy bars that mix up quickly and are a hit with the kids – plus you can be happy they get a healthy snack that will keep them going!
I’m back with more healthy snacks for the kids disguised as treats!
Okay, I suppose that these don’t really look that treat-like, so I guess I’m not disguising them very well. In fact, my husband spied them on the counter and quickly walked over saying “ooooh, what did you make?” When he got closer, his face fell and he informed me that they looked “suspiciously healthy”.
I guess I need to work on my ability to disguise healthy things so that he actually tries them.
Or, I’ll just keep making these types of things for the kids. Because they love my healthy treats and are always gobbling them all up and asking me to make more. Clearly they don’t need chocolate and sugar in everything in order to make them want it. I’ve trained them well. Or I’ve gotten lucky. Either way, I’ll take it!
These apple cinnamon energy bars are full of good for you ingredients. They’re sweetened with dates and a tiny bit of maple syrup. They’re filled with oatmeal, fresh apple, and pecans to make them wholesome and hearty. And some cinnamon to give them that great apple cinnamon taste and make your house smell amazing while they bake. Because apples and cinnamon always smell amazing while baking.
And to make them even better? They take literally 5 minutes to mix up and get into the oven because it’s all done in the food processor. I suppose you do need to soak the dates for 5-10 minutes first to make them easier to process, but it’s okay. You need to give the oven time to warm up after all.
It really doesn’t get a whole lot better as far as homemade snacks go. Healthy, fast, easy, and the kids will love them. That’s a winner in my house. Even if the adults don’t eat them!
Tips for perfect Apple Cinnamon Energy Bars:
- you will need a food processor for this recipe – I have and love this one
- make sure you soak the dates before mixing everything up – they process much easier if you soak them first
- this recipe will work just fine without the flax meal if you prefer to leave it out
- here are a few more healthy snack recipes for you: Healthy Chocolate Banana Snack Cake, Healthy Chocolate Cherry Thumbprint Cookies, and Apple Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies
I’ve also shared this Apple Cinnamon Energy Bar recipe over at Food Fanatic.
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What could you use in place of nuts in the recipe please? Maybe coconut?
Yup, coconut should work. Or you could just increase the oats if you like. Or sesame or sunflower seeds if those are okay. I think any of those would be fine.
I was wondering what size food processor you have. I have been wanting to try recipes like this but I need to get a machine first.
Hi Tiffiny, I have a 7 cup Cuisinart food processor and I like that size. It works well for small batches and I haven’t often found that I want it to hold more than that. I actually just bought the one that was available at Costco, and I’ve had it for almost 17 years and it’s still going strong!
Could you use peanuts instead of pecans?
I haven’t tried that, but I’m sure it would be fine!
Yeah, grown men are probably trained away from healthy snacks a lot of the time. But kids are more open-minded! Glad yours enjoyed these. They’re so simple to make. Love being able to throw it all in a machine and have it mix up all the ingredients for us!
I can’t believe how few ingredients these bars call for! And they look like JUST the thing to snack on when you need a little afternoon energy boost! Love the apple and spices combo!
I am all about healthy treats right now! These would be perfect for breakfast or a snack!
These bars look absolutely delicious!! I love that they’re sweetened with dates.
These look treat-y to me! Isn’t it great when kids go for the healthy things? Love the looks of these!
These bars look amazing!I love that apple cinnmon flavor combo- never fails to warm me up 🙂
These bars look SO good, Stacey! I’m all about kid treats that are adult-approved! 🙂 Apples and cinnamon make the perfect combination. What a delicious snack!