David's Trail Bars

Being vegan and buying pre-packaged foods can be a real challenge. I think some people would be really surprised to know how many animal by-products go into various foods. Anyways, in lieu of trying to decipher ingredient lists and spending oodles of money on snacks for on the trail, or anytime really, David had the idea for these simple, scrumptious snacks that would be easy to eat and give an extra dose of energy. He told me the ingredients that he wanted in the bars, and I elaborated on that for this result. They are great because you don't really need more than a mixing bowl and wooden spoon to make them, and they are really delicious.

Ingredient List

• 1 1/4 cups organic peanut butter (we used crunchy for these)
• 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup agave syrup (we used Madhava's hazelnut flavor)
• 2 tablespoons oil, more for the baking dish (coconut would be best, but whatever works. we used mild olive oil)
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 cup of unbleached all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup of old fashioned oats
• 1 tablespoon golden flaxseeds

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 350º.
2. Mix together peanut butter, salt, agave, oil and cocoa powder until well combined.
3. Add in all of the dry ingredients and once again stir until well combined.
4. Lightly oil a small square baking dish and add in the mixture. Press down firmly and evenly across.
5. Bake for 15 minutes to set, to and make your place smell yummy!

They reminded me ever so slightly of no-bake haystack cookies, and we'll be making them again soon. Maybe with the addition of raisins or something. Hmmm...