Homemade Clif Bars!

Eli loves Clif Bars. I like them too, just fine, but we typically keep just a couple around the house for a quick grab-n-go for him. Especially on Sundays, which don't seem like the day that you want to get up early, but he tries to leave the house by 7:15 to get to church for pastors' meeting, so it always feels rushed, no matter what time he sets his alarm for. He'll grab his coffee and Clif bar and run out the door.

So, I've endeavored to find something homemade that could be a replacement. Not that it "really" matters, but because I like to try and make what I can, and I enjoy trying to new recipes! Why not? I actually started looking and searching under "breakfast cookie" to start and see what was out there. I know blogs upon blogs are doing breakfast cookies and what not ... so I knew there would be a wealth of recipes out there to peruse and think upon.

When I first read this one - I immediately knew this was one I wanted to try! It had ingredients that I had on hand (bonus!), and looked like it would turn out husband-approving. I made a couple tweaks, shaped them in bar shape, and they came out awesome! I made five from my recipe, but you could probably adjust your size and serving size accordingly ...

Homemade Clif Bars

1 c. oat flour (ground my oats in the little food processor - I didn't want big oats in there so Matthias could also enjoy, which he does!)

2/3 c. whole wheat flour

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 c. chocolate chips

1 tsp. baking powder

1/3 c. ground flax meal

2 T. pure maple syrup

1 tsp. vanilla extract

3 T. almond butter

2 T. canola oil

1/4 c. milk

*Combine all ingredients in ONE BOWL (yes- easy!) and mix until combined. You can add a little more milk if it seems to dry. Shape into bar shapes and place on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake at 350 degrees for about 10-12 min. Not too long, or they will be dry.

I wrapped them up when cool, and they disappeared pretty quickly over the next few days. Matthias loved eating little chunks of them, and I was thrilled to see Eli take them for breakfasts a couple days. In fact, I need to send some to a friend, so I'll be making up another batch here shortly!