Homemade Hiking Sustenance

I went for an amazing hike on Tuesday with a couple of my girlfriends to Noble Nob near Mt.Rainier National Park. I was really excited about it because I have never done any hikes in that area, nor have I spent much time that close to Mt.Rainier.

We were lucky to have beautiful, sunny weather. The temperature was perfect – not too hot, not too cool. The hike is seven miles round trip and there's only about a 500 ft elevation gain, so it's not too rigorous a hike. We had to traverse a few snowy patches, some that completely covered the trail, but it was fun and melting snow run-off that flowed down little waterfalls made for some interesting scenery along the way.

Because I am the ultimate planner and wanted to bring localtarian snacks to eat along the way, I made homemade energy bars. They are chock-full of whole grains and will keep in an airtight container for up to two weeks (or could be frozen), so they can be fodder for other outdoor adventures as well.

Peanut butter cranberry energy bars

Adapted from Sunset, October 2008

Cooking oil spray or neutral-tasting oil, like Canola oil

Dry ingredients:

1 cup regular rolled oats

1/3 cup oat bran

3 tbsp. flax seeds

1 cup whole-wheat flour

1/2 tsp. each baking powder and salt

1/2 cup raw pumpkin seeds

1/2 cup dried cranberries

Wet ingredients:

3/4 cup natural peanut butter (I get mine freshly ground in the bulk section of the PCC)

1/4 cup milk (I used almond milk)

1 large egg

1/2 cup honey

1 tbsp. lemon juice

Line a 9 x 13 in. pan with plastic wrap, leaving some to overhang on the 9 in. sides, and coat with cooking-oil spray or brush with canola oil. In a large bowl, stir together the dry ingredients until well blended.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together the wet ingredients until well blended.

Add the flour mixture (dry ingredients) to the peanut butter mixture and beat until completely blended. Scrape the dough into the prepared pan and, with wet fingers or a rubber spatula, pat to fill the pan completely and evenly. The dough is sticky so you may need to wash your hands a few times. Chill the dough, in the pan, until firm, about 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Invert the pan onto a work surface, lift off the pan, and remove the plastic. Using a bench scraper or knife, cut straight down lengthwise through the middle, then crosswise to make 16 bars, each 1 1/2 in. wide. Place the bars about 1 in. apart on a baking sheet lined with parchment.

Bake the bars until lightly browned and somewhat firm to the touch, about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool completely.

Special thanks to Hollis for taking these beautiful pictures and Stacey for posing in one of them with me!