Trail Bars, Breakfast Bars, Snack Bars, Whatever Bars!

The following is my husband's recipe for delicious bars packed with fruit and nuts, naturally sweetened with Maple syrup and Vanilla. These are great to pack along for a day hike, camping trip, or to grab for a quick weekday breakfast. We brought an entire batch along to the Catskills with a group of six last year and they got devoured on the first hike! We'll be baking some this week to gear up.

Recipe for Trail Bars:

(Originally adapted from a Recipe for Breakfast Bars at wholeliving.com)

• 1 tablespoon walnut oil, plus more for pan
• 1 1/4 cups spelt or wheat flakes
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1/4 cup white raisins
• 1/4 cup coarsely chopped pecans
• 2 tablespoons coarsely chopped pistachios
• 2 tablespoons sunflower seeds.
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup maple syrup (The real deal, preferably organic, no Aunt Jemima)
• 1/4 cup fresh ground peanut butter (We like Whole foods honey nut)
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees Brush an 8-by-8-inch baking dish with oil. Line bottom and two sides with parchment paper, leaving a 2-inch overhang on each side. Brush paper with oil. In a bowl, combine flakes, cranberries, raisins, pecans, pistachios, sunflower seeds and salt; set aside.

2. In a small saucepan, combine maple syrup, peanut butter, oil, and vanilla. Cook over medium until melted. Add to dry ingredients and stir to combine. Transfer mixture to prepared pan; smooth top. Bake until golden and edges pull away from sides of pan, 30 minutes. Cool completely in pan. Using paper overhang, lift bars out of pan. On a cutting board, cut into 8 pieces using a serrated knife. Store in an airtight container, separating pieces with wax or parchment paper, for one week.