No-Bake Apricot Bars
No-Bake Apricot Bars are quick and easy to make, a great snack for kids, are gluten-free and dairy-free, and taste amazing!
We love No-Bake Apricot Bars for a few reasons. First they’re very similar to ‘Clif Bars’ and taste great to both adults and kids. Second they are a quick & easy snack. Grab a bar on the way out the door or during a quick break from lessons or serious imaginative playtime. Third, they’re budget friendly and so easy to make. They are nowhere near the normal $1.25-$2.25 per bar as the ones in stores. As for quick to make, the recipe is very similar to energy bites, but you don’t have to take 15 minutes to roll them out. Just mix them together, press all of the mixture into a baking dish, freeze to set and boom – snacks are ready!
I don’t know about you, but we need to have like 1,526,789 snacks on hand at ALL TIMES! Kids are always working up an appetite and asking for a snack. Instead of reaching for a less than desirable snack say a pre-packaged empty-carb filled with a side of a cup of sugar. I have to say I’m quite shocked at all the snack options in a grocery store that are just plain unhealthy. Looking through the aisles, I would choose maybe a handful of them to be on the healthy spectrum with being clean ingredients.
When the kids are hungry I feed them, I very rarely make them wait for the next meal. Of course if it’s going to be dinner in the next half an hour I’ll make them wait. But I feel our snacks are healthy enough it doesn’t matter so much. Plus who wants “hangry” kids?? 😉 My favorite time to get snacks out is during our read aloud time. We grab snacks and our water bottles and while I read aloud to the boys from one of our chapter books, the kids are occupied with a snack. When they finish, their tummies are full and can sit and focus on the book. Win win!
- 1 cup sunflower seed butter or nut butter of choice
- 1/2 cup local honey
- 2 1/2 cups crispy rice cereal
- 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
- 1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds
- 1/2 cup diced apricots
- 4-6 drops Orange Vitality essential oil
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In a small saucepan combine the sunflower seed butter and honey. Over low heat, heat until melted, stirring constantly.
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Remove from heat, pour into a large mixing bowl. Add the crispy rice cereal, stir to combine. Add the coconut, sunflower seeds and apricots, and essential oil. Stir to combine.
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Spread the mixture evenly into an 8x8 baking dish. Press very firmly into the bottom of the dish. Place in the freezer for 15 minutes to set in place.
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Remove from freezer and cut into 9 equal bars.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the freezer.
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More snacks to try:
Homemade Chocolate Chip ‘Clif’ Bars
Paleo Banana Bread
Banana Chocolate Chip Mini Muffins
Apple Crumb Muffins
