Dr. McDougall's Online Discussion Board

Do you think these would work with cooked millet? I used to make something very similar with oats, but I can't eat oats anymore.

It might work with cooked millet...or maybe puffed millet? Also, can you eat quinoa? I have found quinoa flakes and they cook up just like oatmeal. Let us know what you try.

lfwfv

Okay, I just took a batch out of the oven. They are cut and cooling. Oh, they only needed a half hour instead of 40 min, probably because I baked them in a tray from a frozen something...you know, that black plastic type stuff (not plastic, though; you can put in the oven)

anyway, I checked them at 30 min and they were done. So, they're cooling now. I'll take to work for lunch dessert and let you know. They sure smell good!

btw, I'm glad you changed the directions to say "thawed" Unthawed is the word I use, too, but it DOES mean "not thawed."

My oven's ancient and crappy! That's probably why mine took 40 min. to bake! If you have a convection, I wouldn't doubt 20 min. would even do it. And yes, thawed is the correct word hehe

waiting to hear what you think Buns!
lfwfv

okay, I made em, and have been eating them this week. I love the texture. They stay chewy, and have a real good mouth feel. It feels like I want more sweet, though. I'm going to try them with three bananas next time. Oh, and I will leave out the cloves. I'd rather have really strong cinnamon flavor.

It fixes up so fast, there's no reason not to make these regularly and have them for snacks or even brekkie. I'll prolly put a batch together tomorrow...freeze the bananas tonight. whup it together before work tomorrow.

Good recipe!

I have edited the recipe at the top of this thread. I have made changes that have made the preparation easier, and the end result tastier. I have also added in a variation of the basic recipe.

Bump

I made these today, and I can see endless possibilities for making them into a "special" treat, maybe at Christmas/Thanksgiving. I am thinking how good they would be with some nuts, dried fruit (cranberries, pineapple, blueberries, raisins, etc.) I would like them to be a tad sweeter, so I'll experiment with adding more Stevia next time . What would happen if I added some maple syrup? How about some rum flavoring to give it a "fruitcake" resemblance? Again, all these "extras" are ideas for special days/holidays, or maybe to take to a potluck. For now, I will be very happy with them in the original form.

Mine came out more cake-like, moist - rather than chewy. I only cooked them 30 mins., since they seemed to be browning on the top and I was afraid they would burn. That's where I got the idea for turning them into fruitcake. Should I have cooked them longer?

Anyway, they're delicious the way they are, and thanks again for the recipe.

NellieC

Mine came out more cake-like, moist - rather than chewy. I only cooked them 30 mins., since they seemed to be browning on the top and I was afraid they would burn. That's where I got the idea for turning them into fruitcake. Should I have cooked them longer?

I cooked my last batch longer by accident, and it was the first time DH was seeing them--he'd been out of town for my previous batches. He loved them! I did too, and I admit, they were much more like a portable granola bar than my previous bars, so maybe you adjust your baking time for the purpose.

Thanks for posting your recipe. I just made a batch and it was great. I love the "meaty" texture.

Since I didn't have any cherries I modified your recipe slightly and it came out great.

(Note: This is a very calorie dense product. I used 1/2 cup of water for 2 cups of oats. See Jeff Novick's posts on calorie density for more information.)


3 large bananas
1/2 Cup water
1 tsp each: cinnamon, nutmeg, ground cloves, ginger, vanilla
2 cups old fashion oats

1) Preheat oven to 350F. Line an 8x8 dish with parchment paper cut to fit.

2) Mix bananas, water, spices and vanilla in a large bowl with a fork. Use the fork to mash the bananas and work in the other ingredients. Combine well, but leave chunks of banana.

3) Add the 2 cups of oats and mix in well. Pour into the baking dish and level out the mixture.

4) Bake for approx. 40min. or until bars are set and slightly browned.

5) Remove the bars from the oven and cut into 8 bars immediately, but allow them to cool completely in the pan before removing. (I couldn't wait, I ate them hot and they were fantastic).

Note: My wife (who doesn't McDougall) suggested they would be better with a little salt. Dr. McDougall says you should only salt your food AFTER it has been cooked, if you are going to use any salt at all.

The texture of these seems to vary depending on how much fruit I use (i tend not to measure the fruit when I try new variations (i've done different berries with banana, pineapple with banana, and peaches with banana) and I just keep baking them until they look slightly browned and they are peeling away from the side of the silicone pan.

Sometimes they are 'fluffier' or more cake-like, and sometimes they are really dense and more cookie-like I think. Maybe chewy is not the right word...I can't eat these because of food intolerances so I am basing all of this entirely on my huband's tasting experience!

I have found them to be very fool-proof and I'm sure endless variations are possible. They seem to hold together very well no matter what....maybe because of all the bananas?

And yes, they are very calorie dense, but no added fat or refined sugars, so it's the healthiest bar I can think up. My husband is 6'3" and 183 pounds and needs the calorie-density of these bars (he also eats 1-2oz of nuts per day, but we don't want to add more fat into his diet).

I'm glad people are enjoying these!
lfwfv

I just wanted to thank you for posting this recipe! I have made them several times and really love them. At Thanksgiving I made some using canned pumpkin, banana, oats and pumpkin pie spice - I was happy to eat those for dessert rather than the other things that were hanging around. And this week they have been very useful to me on a business trip.

Thanks again!

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lunaboyd wrote:I just wanted to thank you for posting this recipe! I have made them several times and really love them. At Thanksgiving I made some using canned pumpkin, banana, oats and pumpkin pie spice - I was happy to eat those for dessert rather than the other things that were hanging around. And this week they have been very useful to me on a business trip.

Thanks again!

You're welcome! Glad you like them. I keep tweaking them too...I recently added 1/2 cup applesauce (unsweetened) to the mix and my husband says they're the best yet

I am going to be making some of these, I have been looking for something like this! Thanks for sharing.