Cherry Pie Snack Bars

I recently gave up desserts for Lent. Because of this, I've put a lot of baking on hold until after Easter (I know that you can bake other things besides desserts, but I've not been into bread lately. Horrors!). I've noticed, however, that I've been eating far more nut butter than I did, and I've been looking for other ways to snack other than sweets.

I bought a few Larabars, and discovered that the only one that I really enjoyed was the Cherry Pie flavor. Curious to make them myself (that's just how I roll), I found this recipe, and decided to share it here.

Recipe adapted from cleaneatingonline.com

Yield is 4 bars

About 7 dates
1/2 cup dried cranberries or cherries

2/3 cup of walnuts (pecans would work as well -- I just had walnuts)
1/4 tsp cinnamon

Am I the only one that thinks that date pits look like something from Star Trek?

Remove the pits from the dates and chop them up into small pieces. Dump into a food processor, then add the berries, cinnamon, and nuts. Pulse until very mushy (see pic for texture example).

Line a cutting board with plastic wrap. Scoop the mixture onto the cutting board, dividing into 4 parts. Pat each part into a bar shape, and wrap securely in the plastic wrap. Refrigerate and enjoy as a healthy snack!

Banana-Cranberry Butter

I'm beginning to have a problem. I'm becoming obsessed with fruit butters. The idea of cooking down fruit into a delicious, sweet, low-calorie way to add flavor is very appealing. Unfortunately, fruit butters seem to be more of an East Coast and Midwest thing, and where I live they are expensive and tough to find, particularly without the dreaded HFCS. After a little internet searching, it turns out that they are actually quite easy to make, and the inevitable follows: fruit that I need to use + inspiration = sometimes great results! And this was a great result!

This banana butter is very simple to make, takes about 15 minutes to prepare, and is delicious on pancakes, peanut butter sandwiches, and pretty much anywhere else that you would use bananas! 

Yield is about 1.5 cups

Ingredients:

4 bananas (very brown is best!)

1 cup brown sugar or sucanat

4 tbsp cranberry juice

1 tbsp cinnamon (more to taste)

Peel and cut the bananas, then dump into a bowl and blend with an immersion blender, or use a regular blender and blend until smooth. 

Dump the mixture into a saucepan, and add the remaining ingredients. Heat and stir until mixture thickens, about 15 minutes. 

Pour into a clean, airtight container. Keeps for about a week in the fridge. I do not recommend canning this recipe. 

Pear & Chocolate Tart

Unusual combination, no? I have to admit, I did not think of this flavor combination -- when my husband and I were in Paris last fall, we had a wonderful tart with these elements. Then, when I came home, I discovered that pear and chocolate tarts are actually a pretty typical French dessert!

Having an abundance of pears from some Christmas fruit, I wanted to put them to good use. This tart isn't an exact replica of what we had, but it tastes similar to what I remember.There are a few steps to this tart, but it is not terribly difficult.

Ingredients:

1 pie crust

1 large pear

1 1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (or whatever chocolate you have)

2 eggs

2 tbsp sugar

1/2 cup whole milk

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees, and roll out the pie crust, poking holes with a fork.

Melt the chocolate using the double-broiler method, or melt it slowly in the microwave (I always scorch it in the microwave, so I just do it on the stove!). To do a double-broiler if your a terrible microwaver like me, boil water in a saucepan, and place a bowl with the chocolate chips on top, stirring intermittently. Remove as soon as melted!

While your chocolate is melting, chop the pear into slices. 

Once the chocolate is melted, spread it over the bottom of the pie crust. Arrange the sliced pear over the chocolate, making a circular pattern (very important to taste!).

Finally, whisk the sugar, eggs, and milk together until well-mixed. Pour onto the pears. 

Bake for 30 minutes, until custard has set. Serve chilled or at room temperature.