Rise & Shine! Morning Energy Squares Recipe

Straight from our breakfast baker, Allison, these Morning Energy Squares are packed with protein, fruit and other goodness to make your daily rise a little shinier. These squares are gluten-free and dairy-free, and the recipe can be made nut-free with a few substitutions. Get creative and experiment to find your own favorite flavor combinations—be sure to tell us what you’ve tried out (or would like to try)!

Ingredients

• ¾ cup honey
• ¼ cup flour (we use gluten free flour)
• ¼ t kosher salt
• 2 T nut butter (peanut butter or almond butter) or sunflower seed butter (for a nut-free option)
• 2 cups roasted nuts or roasted shelled pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
• ¾ cup sunflower seeds
• 1 cup dried fruit (apricots, raisins, craisins, cherries, blueberries, etc.)
• 2 cups shredded coconut

Flavor combinations we like:

• Dried apricot and almonds
• Dried cherries, nuts, and chocolate chips (substitute for the sunflower seeds)
• Dried cranberries and cashews
• Pepitas, sunflower seeds, apricots, and cranberries

Make It:

In a large bowl, mix together the honey, flour, salt, and nut/sunflower butter. Add the nuts/seeds and dried fruit, and mix well with the honey mixture. Add the coconut and mix thoroughly.

Prepare a 9×13″ pan by lining the bottom and short sides with a piece of parchment paper (the paper along the short sides can act as a handle to remove the cooked squares from the pan). Spray the bottom and sides with non-stick spray.

Transfer the mix to the prepared pan and press down firmly—use a latex glove on your hand or another piece of parchment paper on top of the mix; the mix is very sticky!—so that the surface is smooth and the thickness is uniform. Bake at 300ºF for 20 minutes. Let cool completely in the pan, then put the pan in the fridge to get cold. Remove from the pan using the parchment paper “handles” and cut into bars or squares.

These squares will remain yummy for several days when wrapped tightly with plastic wrap and stored in the fridge.