Wednesday, June 29, 2011

No-Bake Cashew Brittle Bars

Just thought I'd share a favorite recipe of mine.

I was reminded of these sweet bars when I saw the unopened bag of cashews in my pantry, so I decided to whip up a batch on Sunday night. And they turned out even better than I remembered from the first time I made them. (Yes, they are a favorite and I've only made them twice.) I think it's probably because I didn't have molasses the first time around, so I recommend using it if you have some leftover from gingerbread making during the holidays! Molasses lends a dark, rich flavor that complements the cinnamon and other sweeteners in the background of these bars.

I've been snacking on these all week at work.

Hope you enjoy too.




No-Bake Cashew Brittle Bars (courtesy of marthastewart.com)

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups old-fashioned oats
1 cup (about 5 ounces) salted cashews
1 1/2 ounces (3 tablespoons) unsalted butter
1/2 cup packed dark-brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 tablespoons light corn syrup
1 tablespoon molasses
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt

Directions

Line a 4 1/2-by-9-inch loaf pan with plastic wrap, leaving a 1-inch overhang on each long side.

Toast oats and cashews in a large skillet over medium-high heat, stirring often, until aromatic and just starting to turn golden brown, 5 to 6 minutes. Transfer to a medium bowl.

Add butter, sugar, cinnamon, corn syrup, molasses, and salt in the skillet, and cook over medium heat, stirring, until butter melts and mixture bubbles, 2 to 3 minutes. Pour hot mixture over oats and cashews, and stir to combine.

Transfer mixture to loaf pan*. Using a spatula, press mixture into an even layer. Refrigerate until set, about 30 minutes. Remove chilled mixture from pan using plastic, discard plastic, and cut into 1-inch thick bars.

*I pressed mine into a 8 inch square baking dish and cut into about 10 bars.

I consider these healthy because they are homemade and they have oats and nuts in them. I bet they are better than most commercially made pre-packaged granola bars anyway.

1 comment:

Bridget said...

Yum! These sound delicious. I love the flavor of molasses too!