Prepare yourself for the latest creation born in the Front Burner kitchen. These “energy” bars get their power from a few different sources – quinoa for protein, agave for quick-burning carbs, and ground coffee for an extra caffeine boost!
Three-Grain Chewy Energy Bars
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup steel cut oats, uncooked
- 1.2 cup millet, uncooked
- 1/2 cup quinoa, uncooked
- 2 bananas, peeled and sliced into thin discs
- 1/2 cup agave nectar
- 2 tbsp cocoa powder
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cinnamon stick (or 1 tsp cinnamon powder)
- 2 tbsp finely ground coffee
- 1 tsp salt
- 4 cups water
- 2 tbsp coconut oil
To Prepare: Add all ingredients through water (leaving out the coconut oil) in a rice cooker or saucepan and stir to combine. Bring mixture up to a simmer and cover for 20-25 minutes until it reaches the consistency of a thick batter. Stir occasionally. (Use the quick-cook setting if using a rice cooker.) If using a cinnamon stick, remove from the mixture once batter is formed.
In the meantime, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Melt the coconut oil by microwaving for 20 seconds and use half to coat the bottom of a 9” by 6” non-stick baking pan. Once your mixture has finished simmering and formed a batter, add the batter to the baking pan and smooth the top with a spatula. Coat the top of the mixture with the remaining coconut oil.
Bake for 1 hour. Let cool completely then slice into 12 bars. Store in the refrigerator – these are best if eaten chilled!
Nutrition Facts (1 bar):
- 165 calories
- 3.6g fat
- 28g carbs
- 2.3g fiber
- 3.3g protein
You would never know that these bars have only 165 calories because they sure don’t taste healthy. And with the calories lower than your typical Clif or Luna bars, you have room for extra mix-ins like nuts or dried fruit if your prefer to make your own variation.
The three-grain blend of steel cuts oats, quinoa, and millet give these bars the perfect amount of chewiness and texture. Not to mention a serious nutritional power punch!
Ground coffee is the (not so) secret ingredient that makes these bars stand out from the pack. Warning: once you try these you won’t be able to go back…
Enjoy!
103 Comments so far
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Awesome! I’ve been wondering what else to use steel cut oats for other than just oatmeal.
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I am SO making these tomorrow!
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I want to marry you and have you cook for me.. seriously- these look insane!
I’m kind of kidding about the marriage part- but I do think you need to open a restaurant so people can go on pilgrimages to your food!
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Emily @ The Front Burner Blog Reply:
July 23rd, 2010 at 8:21 am
I am already married, but the restaurant thing I can consider… :)
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These look really great and convenient to take on the go – is there something to use in place of the coconut oil though? I don’t really have a container of it on hand and I’d rather not get it for one recipe… plus I’m still not 100% sure about coconut oil.
So many creative ideas and informative posts, keep up the awesomeness!!
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Emily @ The Front Burner Blog Reply:
July 23rd, 2010 at 8:21 am
Well first of all, you NEED to get some coconut oil. :) But to answer your question, you could use any kind of oil – whatever you prefer!
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gooorgeous
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Another great creation Emily!!!! Awesome work!
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Omg, what a creation, I really want to make these bars, they look amazingly good!!!
Ana
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YUM! Seriously though, those are the perfect grains and you had me at the coffee part!
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Ahhh my favorite grains AND coffee. I MUST make these!
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ooo these look delicious! do you think i could sub regular oats for the steel-cut and sub something for the millet? maybe replace half with oats and the other half with quinoa?
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Emily @ The Front Burner Blog Reply:
July 23rd, 2010 at 8:20 am
You could sub rolled oats, but it’s definitely going to change the chewiness of the bars. Steel cut are more chewy and nutty, where rolled oats are more creamy. But it’s definitely an option! Half oats half quinoa would probably work too.
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Looks fabulous! Seriously, I love every single recipe you post on here. It’s like you are cooking just for me. ;)
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Emily @ The Front Burner Blog Reply:
July 23rd, 2010 at 8:19 am
I AM cooking just for you, Dorry! :)
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Do you think you could skip the bananas? I hate bananas. Or should you substitute something for them to get the moisture right. What do you suggest?
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Emily @ The Front Burner Blog Reply:
July 23rd, 2010 at 8:19 am
You can skip them, but it will definitely affect the moisture and flavor. They really don’t tasty very banana-heavy, but of course it’s up to you! Maybe substitute in some applesauce or canned pumpkin?
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Lauren Reply:
July 23rd, 2010 at 8:35 am
I was going to ask this question too because I HATE bananas!
I think pumpkin might be a good alternative.
Thanks for the recipe!
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Eeeeeek so excited to make these and I have all the ingredients on hand!!! I can already tell I will have to control myself with these or they will be gone in one day.
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Oh and I hope you post your mushroom and tomato relish with the coconut scented millet that you cooked for katheats…looks insanely yummay!!
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Emily @ The Front Burner Blog Reply:
July 23rd, 2010 at 8:18 am
im making the mushrooms and tomatoes again next week at work, so i will post the details then! :)
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I know what I’ll be doing this weekend! I’m getting exciting just thinking about making them. Those look delish!
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Those look phenomenal!
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Oh my gosh these sound great!!! I LOVE quinoa and made up some bars the other day with it but they weren’t quite right texture wise and this recipe sounds FABulous!!!
Thanks so much for sharing – I saw Kath had posted on her blog about trying these today (right?)
Also….. Since u work on a farm/ with lots of garden veggies etc would u mind taking a minute to identify a veggie for
Me? I love trying new veggies and picked these up-I think they are some type of squash I got them at
WF this wkend but don’t know what they are ??? And want to find a recipe – anyway I posted a pic on my blog at:
http://downtheveggieroad.blogspot.com/
If u wouldn’t mind assisting ;)
Thanks SO much!!!
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Emily @ The Front Burner Blog Reply:
July 23rd, 2010 at 8:17 am
patty pan squash – posted on your blog! :)
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jessica Reply:
July 23rd, 2010 at 2:51 pm
http://ohsheglows.com/2010/07/20/pretty-in-the-pan-stuffed-patty-pan-squash/!!!
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Janice- Down the veggie road Reply:
July 25th, 2010 at 10:50 pm
Thanks sooo much for the help and I’m headed to OSG for that recipe also ;)
Blessings!!!
Love millet! This recipe looks great!
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I wonder what i can replace the coffee with. I don’t eat/drink caffeine and can’t STAND the taste of it.
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Emily @ The Front Burner Blog Reply:
July 23rd, 2010 at 8:16 am
you can always just leave it out!
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Amber K Reply:
July 23rd, 2010 at 12:17 pm
Aha! I am always worried about altering recipes because I’m afraid I will majorly mess them up, but if it won’t do any damage, I will totally try this and just leave it out!
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Emily @ The Front Burner Blog Reply:
July 23rd, 2010 at 12:19 pm
In this recipe, the coffee is really just for flavor and energy – it won’t affect the moisture or anything like that. No worries! :)
Love the quinoa and millet usage! Was the coffee weird in your mouth? I’ve made stuff with coffee grounds and it always left a wonky aftertaste/texture.
These look like chocolate rice krispie treats–at least that’s what my mouth is envisioning!
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Emily @ The Front Burner Blog Reply:
July 23rd, 2010 at 8:16 am
coffee was perfect flavor, and no grittiness. they are crispy on the outside like rice crispy treats, but creamy in the middle with the banana!
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Emily @ The Front Burner Blog Reply:
July 23rd, 2010 at 12:20 pm
Okay I thought more about this and realized it might have been confusing, so I updated the post above too. The coffee grounds were actually ground in a spice grinder, NOT straight out of the bag. So much much finer like a spice! Hopefully that sounds better. :)
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Wow, these sound great and so much more interesting than the granola bars I normally make – this recipe is definitely a must!
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These bars look perfect! I have a ten mile race tonight and I need something to pass the time this afternoon. Making these just might be the perfect activity! Thanks for sharing another great recipe.
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I’m baking these today! And probably again two days from now because now that the boyfriend is home, the food will disapear quickly!! ;)
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Those look delicious! Thanks for the recipe!
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I can’t wait to make these! I’ve never bought millet before and I think this is a good reason to. :)
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Thank you for posting this, I am so excited to try this out!!!
-Alison
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Is it wrong of me to tell you i NEEEEEEEEDDDD to see that fried green tomatoes recipe? :)
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Emily @ The Front Burner Blog Reply:
July 26th, 2010 at 9:43 pm
Fried green tomatoes are coming Wednesday!
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Chelsey Reply:
July 26th, 2010 at 11:11 pm
yessssssssssssssss!!!!!
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Chelsey Reply:
July 26th, 2010 at 11:15 pm
and I didn’t mean to dismiss these bars… bc they look freeeakkkiinng amazing!
These look fantastic, Emily! I bet you could even add some peanut butter mmmm. Bookmarking this recipe right now…
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Emily @ The Front Burner Blog Reply:
July 23rd, 2010 at 11:48 am
We were saying last night that we thought they would be good with the addition of nuts, peanut butter chips, or cacao nibs. Mmmmmm. This recipe is really just a base – so many great mix-ins that could be added!
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Janine Reply:
July 25th, 2010 at 11:04 am
How much peanut butter would you add? I’d like to make these, too, but especially for my kids. My son is allergic to peanuts/tree nuts so we use sunflower seed butter. I’d also need to leave out the cocoa powder because I’m allergic to it. Do you think the flavor from the sunbutter would be enough of a substitute for the chocolate or would you recommend adding something else?
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Emily @ The Front Burner Blog Reply:
July 25th, 2010 at 5:31 pm
We actually made these again Friday night and added 1/2 cup of peanut butter chips. They were amaaaaazing. So if you were going to do SF butter, I’d say maybe add 1/4 cup? I think the flavor will still be really good, especially if you still add the coffee.
Oh I am so trying out this recipe this weekend! Thanks for another AMAZING post, Emily. I swear you are single-handedly going to help me convince my friends/parents that I can actually cook, haha ;)
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Emily @ The Front Burner Blog Reply:
July 23rd, 2010 at 11:47 am
Haha you CAN cook! :)
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Ohhh!!! So excited to make these!!! Thank you!
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150 calories?!?! I can’t wait to make these!
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Those look delicious! And not too complicated:).
Perfect.
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This is exactly what I’ve been looking for for so long! I’m a college athlete and I’ve always had a hard time with things like energy bars and gatorade because I don’t like the ingredient lists but I feel like I need something like that. I can’t even tell you how helpful your home made gatorade has been for me – so I’m really excited to make these! thanks so much!
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This may seem obvious, but is that 1.2 cups of millet or 1/2 cup of millet? Looks good to me and I want to get it right!
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Emily @ The Front Burner Blog Reply:
July 23rd, 2010 at 11:47 am
baaaaaaah it is 1/2 cup – thanks for pointing out the error! I will fix it right now. :)
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Those look great! I’m always on the look out for healthy energy bars and I think the answer to that may be to make them myself! Thanks for sharing
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Looks yummy!!
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[...] I browsed through my Google Reader, I stumbled upon Emily’s post for Three-Grain Chewy Energy Bars. What better race day activity? I got to work whipping up a batch of my [...]
YAY! Finally a healthier version of energy bars, I will have to make some this weekend. Thank you for creating this recipe. I am totally looking foward to putting cocoa in these and having another chocolate healthy treat.
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Emily @ The Front Burner Blog Reply:
July 25th, 2010 at 5:43 pm
Yummmmm. I hope you like them! :)
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Do you think these would work with maple syrup instead of Agave? Would you use the same amount?
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Emily @ The Front Burner Blog Reply:
July 25th, 2010 at 5:42 pm
Yes, definitely. It would give it a slightly different (stronger) flavor though. Maple syrup and agave have very similar calorie contents, so same amount should be fine as far as nutritionals go.
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Ali Reply:
July 25th, 2010 at 8:07 pm
I did try it with maple syrup, and they worked out fine. Thanks!
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Wow, I saw these bars on Kath Eats and I was instantly intrigued… I made them this afternoon and they are delish!!! I can’t wait to try out more of your recipes, especially the tofu! I have been trying to figure out a way to make it crispy with no luck. Thank you!!!:)
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Emily @ The Front Burner Blog Reply:
July 25th, 2010 at 5:42 pm
Welcome to the blog! :) Definitely try the tofu…
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I just made these and tasted them warm(i couldnt wait) and they are amazing. Like banana bread+heaven!!!
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Emily @ The Front Burner Blog Reply:
July 25th, 2010 at 5:41 pm
Haha glad you liked them! They ARE sort of like banana bread. :)
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Is this better made with bananas once they’ve browned (like making banana bread)? Can’t wait to try it!
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Emily @ The Front Burner Blog Reply:
July 25th, 2010 at 5:37 pm
Hmmm I hadn’t thought about that. Probably yes? But ours were normal ripeness and still very yummy. :)
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I also made these bars – I wonder how many people have these in their fridge now! :)
My changes based on available products and coffee dislike:
- no coffee, double the cocoa (wow!! yummy)
- no agave but stevia to taste
- 1 Tbsp chia for “gelling” factor
- extra cinnamon
SUPER delish. Thanks Emily!
Also, I had melted the coconut oil, but once I added the mixture the butter went all over, so I kind of mixed it into the bars and spread some on top. I didn’t have quite as much oil as you. I wonder if that will affect the consistency or texture? Who knows.
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Emily @ The Front Burner Blog Reply:
July 25th, 2010 at 5:36 pm
Yeah the coconut oil sort of spreads all over – it gives the outside a crispy effect when it bakes. Chia seeds are a great addition!
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I just made these this afternoon, and I used 1.2 cups of millet rather than 1/2 cup. After I made them, I saw a previous poster asked and you said the correct ratio was 1/2 cup. Oops. These are okay but I have a feeling they’d be better if they weren’t as millet-y. I think I’m going to have a hard time getting my husband to eat them. Do you think they’d freeze well?
On the bright side, I used decaf espresso powder and gave my 1-year-old a few bites as I was cutting them, and she loved them! She kept scurrying back for more. I feel like it’s a pretty healthy kid snack.
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Emily @ The Front Burner Blog Reply:
July 25th, 2010 at 5:23 pm
oh SHOOT! I am SO sorry! I didn’t see the error at the time. I prooooomise you they are worth making again with less millet. :) I think they would freeze just fine! Definitely a good snack for the kiddos.
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[...] Since I got plenty of friend time earlier in the weekend, I spent today baking some recipes that I’ve found on other blogs. First up was Emily’s Three-Grain Chewy Energy Bars. [...]
[...] since Emily posted the recipe for her Three-Grain Chewy Energy Bars, I knew I wanted to make them. I purchased the grains when I went to the grocery store a few days [...]
I made these yesterday, and found that they taste more like something to eat for dinner than a chocolatey snack. Maybe some sweet additions are required…
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Emily @ The Front Burner Blog Reply:
July 26th, 2010 at 8:14 am
Really? Huh, I think they are good for a pre-workout snack, but that’s just me. We made a few other variations with different toppings this weekend, some sweeter than others. You can definitely up the sweetener amount to your liking! :)
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I made them in a loaf pan, which was the closest to a 9X6 that I had. They were pretty soggy in the middle. Do you think they’d turn out ok in a 9×9 if I baked them for less time?
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Emily @ The Front Burner Blog Reply:
July 26th, 2010 at 9:45 pm
Yeah I think they were probably too thick in a loaf pan :( The outside is crispy, but the middle is kind of spongy like a brownie, so imagine that being any thicker would be too goopy. Sorry they didn’t turn out in the other pan!
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I subbed in espresso powder for the coffee grounds and only used one banana, and they turned out great! I made them in a glass 8×8 Pyrex pan and they baked up perfectly. They were FILLING too, which you usually don’t find in many 150 calorie snack bars. I topped mine with a dollop of PB. Thanks Emily!
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Suzanne Reply:
July 26th, 2010 at 5:47 pm
How long did you bake them for?
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Emily @ The Front Burner Blog Reply:
July 26th, 2010 at 9:45 pm
I’m glad you liked them! They are definitely dense and filling. :)
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Kate Reply:
July 27th, 2010 at 8:07 am
I baked them for 55 minutes.
[Reply]
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[...] petit morceau de barre moelleuse aux trois grains en guise de dessert. Pas mauvais mais pas à se jeter à terre non plus… On dirait un tapioca [...]
Hi!
I tried the bars today but had some difficulty-lol…
Was wondering about the pan size- the recipe says 9×6 which I don’t have, so I used 8×8 which has a tiny bit more space, but they turned out so thick, filling the entire pan and look double the thickness of the ones in your pics. Wondering what I did wrong!!
So then the coconut oil poured off since the bars were near overflowing and poured on to the oven bottom and started smoking! not a success my first try! I put the pan on a cookie sheet and kept baking- they taste good- love the flavor, but since they are so thick they are not chewy, but kinda slimy on the inside, which I can’t do-lol.
Any suggestions?? I love the flavor and think it’d be great if I could get them to turn out chewy!
Thanks!! :)
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HJU Reply:
August 2nd, 2010 at 10:23 am
Wanted to add- I cut the bars in half through the middle and put in a pan middle side down on coconut oil and rebaked- think it worked! :) Next time i’ll need to use a bigger pan, I guess!
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Emily @ The Front Burner Blog Reply:
August 4th, 2010 at 1:22 pm
Ahh, glad they worked the second time! The coconut oil is supposed to be sort of running all over the top – that’s how it gets crispy when it bakes!
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Emily @ The Front Burner Blog Reply:
August 4th, 2010 at 1:24 pm
I think I am answering your comments backwards – sorry, Im so backed up! OMG the smoking oil? Definitely too small of a pan. The inside was probably slimy bc they weren’t cooked enough (too thick). Try again with a bigger pan and I promise you will love them. :)
[Reply]
[...] second baked good is a Three-Grain Chewy Energy Bar from Emily. The jury is still out on this one. I followed the recipe to a “t” The [...]
[...] SO much better when I do!), I’m planning to start making my own homemade bars starting with Emily’s Three-Grain Energy Bars. There’s something so awesome about knowing exactly what is going into your body and the [...]
[...] enough, I was at Whole Foods to buy some ingredients needed to make my first homemade bars, Emily’s Three-Grain Chewy Energy Bars. Emily’s blog, The Front Burner, features endless delicious, healthy recipes. She has a [...]
[...] I made some energy bars tonight. I found the recipe here. [...]
These turned out great. I used maple syrup instead of the agave because I thought I had none…then found the agave in the cupboard! DOH! They worked with maple syrup too :)
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Emily @ The Front Burner Blog Reply:
August 16th, 2010 at 3:03 pm
Oh good – I’m so glad you liked them!
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[...] While the applesauce was cooking away I got distracted and decided to make granola bars, inspired by this post. I made them gluten free though for the little one, and I changed the recipe quite a [...]
I am trying these this week! Can I substitute something for the coconut oil? Canola?
Thanks!
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Emily @ The Front Burner Blog Reply:
August 28th, 2010 at 8:35 am
Oh good, I hope you like them! You could use canola oil for the coconut oil as a sub, but I highly recommend you get your hands on some coconut oil soon! It is AMAZING, and so good for you.
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I love this recipe! And I still want to start making my own granola + granola bars.. is it possible to make a large amount of these bars and store them in the fridge or freezer to keep fresh for longer? And how long can you store them for anyways?… I hope someone can give me the answer :-D
Love this website btw!!
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Emily @ The Front Burner Blog Reply:
August 28th, 2010 at 8:32 am
Hi Leanne! So glad you like the recipe! I would think that they would freeze okay, but to be honest I haven’t tried. In the refrigerator, I’d say they would last up to a week (if you don’t eat them all first!). Outside of the fridge they get a little crumbly. Enjoy!
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