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Ingredients
- Nut Delight Bar Recipe
- Dark Chocolate & Sea Salt Bar Recipe
- Almond Coconut Bar Recipe
- Fruit & Nut Delight Bar Recipe
- Dark Chocolate Cherry Cashew Bar Recipe
- Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate Bar Recipe
- Almond & Apricot Bar Recipe
- Blueberry Pecan Bar Recipe
Details
Preparation
Step 1
THE BASIC PROCEDURE--Nut and Fruit mixture
Step 1. Assemble the nut/fruit mix ingredients. Each of the 8 bar recipes include some combination of these ingredients.
whole almonds -- in all 8 bars in varying amounts; they are left whole (not chopped)
other nuts -- these vary from bar to bar; you may substitute other nuts of your choice as long as you keep the total volume the same. Whatever nut combination you use, some of the nuts should be chopped, because the smaller nut pieces help bind the mixture together.
dried fruits -- these are included in some bars (not all); the recipes will advise you to chop them either fine or coarse for the best taste and consistency
flaxseed meal (same as ground flaxseed) -- used in most of the bar recipes
puffed millet, rice or other whole grain -- used in all 8 bars. KIND bars contain "crisp rice" in their ingredient list; however their rice pieces are tiny balls. I couldn't figure out how to replicate that, and found the puffed millet to be the closest & easiest option. The puffed grains aren't crispy, but they add lightness to the bar texture. If you prefer something crunchy, you could use a crispy brown rice cereal (similar to Rice Krispies) like the one picture below. I purchased all of these at Whole Foods. They are also available in larger quantities on Amazon.
Step 2. Toast the nuts (if you didn't buy them already roasted). Spread the nuts in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Toast them in the oven for about 10 minutes until they are fragrant and lightly toasted.
Step 3. Spray or grease a large bowl, mixing spoon/spatula, 9x13 baking sheet, and the bottom of a drinking glass. Set them aside for now. (This step makes it so much easier to assemble the bars without having the ingredients stick where you don't want them.)
Step 4. Add the toasted nuts, puffed millet, flaxseed, and dried fruit (if using) to the large bowl. Stir to combine. Set aside.
Homemade KIND bar copycats. 8 varieties. Easy and inexpensive. www.theyummylife.com/Homemade_KIND_Bars
THE BASIC PROCEDURE --
Making the honey syrup & forming the bars (used in all 8 bars)
Step 1. Assemble the ingredients for the syrup:
salt
vanilla
honey
brown rice syrup--it has a nutty flavor. Substitute light corn syrup for a more neutral flavor; maple syrup may be used, if you like its pronounced flavor.
frozen apple juice concentrate (pictured later)--this is only added to the syrup for the bars that have dried fruit to enhance the fruit flavor; I'll identify which recipes need the apple juice further down in the post.
view on Amazon: organic brown rice syrup, organic light corn syrup, organic honey
Homemade KIND bar copycats. 8 varieties. Easy and inexpensive. www.theyummylife.com/Homemade_KIND_Bars
Step 2. Combine the honey, brown rice syrup, vanilla, and salt in a 1-1/2 or 2 quart saucepan. Insert a candy thermometer into the mixture. I used a heat tolerant spatula for stirring; it does a great job of evenly scraping the bottom of the pan as you stir the mixture. A wooden spoon is another option.
If you're shopping for a candy thermometer, I highly recommended mine. It's durable stainless steel, easy to read, and dishwasher safe. I far prefer it over the traditional, tube-shaped one that I used to have (that one was more fragile, had to be hand washed, and eventually broke).
view on Amazon: candy thermometer, heat tolerant spatula, spoon/spatula pot clip
Homemade KIND bar copycats. 8 varieties. Easy and inexpensive. www.theyummylife.com/Homemade_KIND_Bars
Step 3. Over medium-high heat, cook mixture until it reaches 260 degrees--this is the "hard ball" reading on the candy thermometer (takes approx. 6-8 minutes). Stir it frequently; the mixture will foam up as it cooks. Watch it constantly once it reaches 240 degrees, because the heat rises very quickly after that and will hit 260 faster than you might expect.
Homemade KIND bar copycats. 8 varieties. Easy and inexpensive. www.theyummylife.com/Homemade_KIND_Bars
OOPS ALERT! If you accidentally overcook the syrup, as long as it hasn't started burning, you can still use it. The difference is you'll have KIND brittle instead of bars. You can break it off into hard pieces, instead of cutting it into chewy bars. It still tastes great. (I know, because this OOPS occurred when I was developing this recipe.)
Step 4. Immediately pour the hot syrup into the nut mixture. Stir quickly and thoroughly, scraping from the bottom, until everything is evenly coated and mixed.
Homemade KIND bar copycats. 8 varieties. Easy and inexpensive. www.theyummylife.com/Homemade_KIND_Bars
Step 5. Quickly transfer the hot mixture to the sprayed/greased 9x13 pan. It cools and thickens fast. Spread it evenly in the pan. It's easiest to do this with your hands; spread and press the mixture to close in gaps and distribute evenly all over the pan. Use the bottom of a greased/sprayed drinking glass to flatten the mixture further; use a tapping motion to pack it down compactly.
view on Amazon: baking sheet set (I used the big one in this set for toasting the nuts, and the small 9x13 size for spreading this prepared mixture.)
Homemade KIND bar copycats. 8 varieties. Easy and inexpensive. www.theyummylife.com/Homemade_KIND_Bars
Step 6. Cool the bars in the pan approx. 20 minutes. (They are easier to cut when they are still slightly warm and haven't completely hardened.) Flip the pan over and tap it to release the mixture in one big piece.
Homemade KIND bar copycats. 8 varieties. Easy and inexpensive. www.theyummylife.com/Homemade_KIND_Bars
Step 7. Cut the bars. I use a pastry scraper/chopper for making straight even cuts; you can also use a big knife. First cut the slab into quarters. Then cut each quarter into 5 bars, for a total of 20 bars. (NOTE: If the bars cool too much and become too hard or brittle to cut, return them to the warm oven for 1-2 minutes to soften and then proceed with cutting.)
view on Amazon: pastry scraper/chopper
Homemade KIND bar copycats. 8 varieties. Easy and inexpensive. www.theyummylife.com/Homemade_KIND_Bars
THE BASIC PROCEDURE -- Adding chocolate drizzles
Several of the bar flavors are topped with dark chocolate drizzles. If you're a chocolate fan, feel free to add chocolate drizzles to all of the bars.
Step 1. Assemble the ingredients:
dark chocolate chips -- look for chips that are 60-70% cacao. You can also chop a bar of dark chocolate into small pieces.
grapeseed, vegetable, or other neutral tasting oil
Homemade KIND bar copycats. 8 varieties. Easy and inexpensive. www.theyummylife.com/Homemade_KIND_Bars
Step 2. Melt the chocolate chips and oil. Add chocolate chips and oil to a microwave safe bowl. Cook on high power in 20 second intervals, stirring at each stop, just until last chips melt into mixture. Add melted chocolate to a squeeze bottle; insert bottle in a jar of hot water to maintain melted consistency if you aren't using it immediately. Alternatively, you can add melted chocolate to a ziptop plastic bag, snip the corner with scissors, and squeeze chocolate through hole.
view on Amazon: plastic squeeze bottle
Homemade KIND bar copycats. 8 varieties. Easy and inexpensive. www.theyummylife.com/Homemade_KIND_Bars
Step 3. Drizzle the chocolate. If you want to mimic the pattern on KIND bars, apply the chocolate in diagonal stripes. Although KIND bars also have a coating of chocolate on the bottom of each bar, I find the top drizzles to be enough, and you can easily add more drizzles on top if you want more chocolate. However, if you want yours to have chocolate bottoms, it's easy to do. Before adding the drizzles on top, melt additional chocolate chips and dip the bottoms of each bar in the melted chocolate. Rest the bars on parchment paper and add drizzles on top. Let set until hardened, then gently peel the bars off of the parchment paper.
Homemade KIND bar copycats. 8 varieties. Easy and inexpensive. www.theyummylife.com/Homemade_KIND_Bars
If you want the chocolate to harden more quickly, you can move the bars to the fridge after they've set at room temperature for a half hour. (Don't move them to the fridge right way; extreme/quick changes in temperature can cause the chocolate to bloom and get a powdery white film.) Once the chocolate has hardened, you can transfer the bars to an airtight container.
Homemade KIND bar copycats. 8 varieties. Easy and inexpensive. www.theyummylife.com/Homemade_KIND_Bars
STORAGE TIPS. Stack the bars in an airtight container with parchment paper between the layers to prevent sticking. Or, wrap each bar individually in parchment paper before putting them in the container. The wrapped bars are convenient if you want to grab one to take with you when you leave home. Store at room temperature for up to 1 week. I prefer to refrigerate mine to extend storage even longer. Refrigerating the bars also keeps them firmer and less sticky bars. The bars may be frozen, too.
Homemade KIND bar copycats. 8 varieties. Easy and inexpensive. www.theyummylife.com/Homemade_KIND_Bars
Here are ingredients & steps for making the
8 different KIND bar copycat flavors
1. Nut Delight KIND Bar copycat
Click for Nut Delight Bar recipe details
Homemade KIND bar copycats. 8 varieties. Easy and inexpensive. www.theyummylife.com/Homemade_KIND_Bars
2. Dark Chocolate, Nuts & Sea Salt KIND Bar copycat
Click for Dark Chocolate & Sea Salt Bar recipe details
Homemade KIND bar copycats. 8 varieties. Easy and inexpensive. www.theyummylife.com/Homemade_KIND_Bars
3. Almond & Coconut KIND Bar copycat
Click for Almond Coconut Bar recipe details
view on Amazon: coconut flakes, organic coconut flakes (also available at Whole Foods)
Homemade KIND bar copycats. 8 varieties. Easy and inexpensive. www.theyummylife.com/Homemade_KIND_Bars
4. Fruit & Nut KIND Bar copycat
Click for Fruit & Nut Delight Bar recipe details
This recipe adds some thawed frozen apple juice concentrate to the honey syrup to enhance the fruit flavor of the bar. The dried fruits needs to be diced fairly small so they get distributed throughout the bars. I used a mini food processor, but you may also dice them by hand using a knife.
view on Amazon: mini food processor
Homemade KIND bar copycats. 8 varieties. Easy and inexpensive. www.theyummylife.com/Homemade_KIND_Bars
5. Dark Chocolate Cherry Cashew KIND Bar copycat
Click for Dark Chocolate Cherry Cashew Bar recipe details
Homemade KIND bar copycats. 8 varieties. Easy and inexpensive. www.theyummylife.com/Homemade_KIND_Bars
6. Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate KIND Bar copycat
Click for Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate Bar recipe details
I first tried making these bars using regular peanut butter, but couldn't get the consistency right using my basic honey syrup recipe. PB2 worked perfectly though.
What is PB2? It's a powdered peanut butter. It's simply peanut butter with 85% of the fat removed. With all of the flavor and protein of regular peanut butter, PB2 is recommended as a great way to reduce calories in all of your favorite peanut butter recipes. It's available at some Whole Foods and health food stores, and on Amazon. My grocery store recently started carrying it, too.
view on Amazon: PB2 powdered peanut butter
Homemade KIND bar copycats. 8 varieties. Easy and inexpensive. www.theyummylife.com/Homemade_KIND_Bars
7. Almond & Apricot KIND Bar copycat
Click for Almond & Apricot Bar recipe details
This recipe adds thawed frozen apple juice concentrate to the honey syrup to enhance the fruit flavor of the bar. The dried apricots may be chopped by hand or with a mini food processor.
Homemade KIND bar copycats. 8 varieties. Easy and inexpensive. www.theyummylife.com/Homemade_KIND_Bars
8. Blueberry Pecan KIND Bar copycat
Click for Blueberry Pecan Bar recipe details
This recipe adds some thawed frozen apple juice concentrate to the honey syrup to enhance the fruit flavor of the bar.
Homemade KIND bar copycats. 8 varieties. Easy and inexpensive. www.theyummylife.com/Homemade_KIND_Bars
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