Energy bars

On our hike to the top of Skoften yesterday, we brought along with us some delicious homemade energy bars...So should you go for a hike, you might want to consider making these ahead of time! The mixture of flavours, especially of syrup and peanut butter is really good! (But I may be biased, as I'm addicted to peanut butter!) Ok....lots of energy in these energy bars, and that energy comes from lots of calories...but by hiking before and after eating one of these, you'll burn those calories right off again!

Energy Bars
(makes about 20)

Ingredients:
3 dl crushed bran flakes / rolled oats
1 dl dried / shredded coconut
2 dl nuts (any type), coarsely chopped
1 dl sunflower seeds
1 dl raisins
1,5 dl peanut butter
1,5 dl dark syrup / agave syrup

Preparation:
1.) Mix all the dry ingredients in a medium sized bowl.
2.) Melt the peanut butter and the syrup in a pan on medium heat, whilst stirring continuously.
3.) Mix the melted peanut butter and syrup with the other ingredients.
4.) Pour into a small baking tray (20 x 30 cm) that is lined with baking parchment.
5.) Use the back of a spoon to flatten and spread out the mixture.
6.) Put the baking tray into the fridge for at least 20 minutes, to let the mixture set.
7.) Cut the mixture into squares and wrap each square individually with baking parchment.
8.) Put the squares into the freezer and just take out as many energy bars as you will need for each trip. They will thaw just enough during the first couple of hours of your hike, so that they can be eaten without breaking any teeth, yet still be sticky enough to not fall apart.

Hubby rating: 6-

Enjoy!

Oatmeal Coconut Cookies

With the sun hiding behind the clouds again, it still feels like summer inside - especially with these Oatmeal Coconut Cookies. The taste of coconut just makes me dream of hanging in a hammock on a tropical beach.

These cookies remind a bit of coconut macaroons, but the combination with rolled oats and hazelnut gives it a different taste.

Oatmeal Coconut Cookies

(makes about 25-30)

150 gr butter / margarine
200 gr dark muscovado sugar
2 eggs
2 tbsp cream (27%)
400 gr all-purpose flour
100 gr hazelnuts (or walnuts), chopped
100 gr dried coconut
125 gr rolled oats

1.) Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius.
2.) Melt the butter and mix in the eggs and the cream.
3.) Mix the flour, sugar, hazelnuts, dried coconut and rolled oats together in a large bowl.
4.) Pour the buttermixture into the bowl with the dry ingredients, and stir until well mixed. The mixture will be sticky, but will hold its shape when clumped together.
5.) Line a baking sheet with parchment and use a tablespoon to form small domes and lay them onto the baking sheet.
6.) Bake the cookies in 12 to 15 minutes on the middle rack of the oven.
7.) Cool on the baking sheet first and when firm on a rack. Store in a airtight container.

Enjoy!

Sætre's Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies

In 2009 the Norwegian cookie company called "Sætre" came with a new series of cookies - all marketed under the name "Café Bakeriet" (Café Bakery). They have been my favourites ever since, because these cookies just taste so good!!

I guess the one called "Sjokoladeterapi" (Chocolade Therapy) is a pretty good runner up, but my favourite one is the one called "Havre & Bare Bær" (Oatmeal and Berries). They are soft oatmeal cookies with raisins and cranberries.

Best of all, the recipe for the cookies is printed right on the package, so that everyone can have their own go at baking these crumptious cookies. So guess what I did today....I made my own batch of Oatmeal and Berries cookies!

Here's the recipe. Enjoy baking!

Sætre's Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies
(makes approx. 20 cookies)

Ingredients:
210 gr all-purpose flour
210 gr rolled oats
145 gr butter
55 gr dark muscovado sugar
90 gr sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp syrup (golden or dark)
110 gr raisins, chopped
75 gr dried cranberries, chopped
0,5 dl water


1.) Mix flour, baking powder, butter, sugar, rolled oats and salt in a bowl into a crumbly dough. Add syrup, cranberries, raisins and water and mix until it becomes a ball of dough.

2.) Shape the dough into a saucage, wrap with aluminium foil and let it rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.

3.) Cut the dough into disks of 1 cm wide and place them unto a baking sheet, greased or lined with parchment or wax paper.

4.) Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius. Then lower the temperature to 175 degrees Celsius and bake the cookies for 10 to 15 minutes on the middle rack of the oven. Cool on a rack. Store in air tight container.