Chick Fil A

Jules and Josh came over this week to help us make some special treats for the Chick-fil-A Moms group!  We made up some simple and kid-friendly recipes and we had four helpers in the kitchen (well, I take that back, I'm not sure if we should consider Anne a helper).  Both had similar ingredients and were easy for the kids to pour in and mix together.  The first recipe we made was Pumpkin Spice Granola Bars.

The first step was to line the bottom and sides of an 8x8 baking dish with parchment paper.  Next, in a large bowl, the kids combined 

 

• 1½ cup regular oats
• 1 cup whole almonds, roughly chopped
• ⅓ cup ground flax seed
• ⅓ cup pepitas
• ⅓ cup dried cranberries
• 10 dried apricots, finely sliced
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin spice

In a separate bowl, they microwaved 

• 1 cup peanut butter
• ½ cup maple syrup

for about 20 seconds until the mixture was smooth and runny.  Then, they mixed the two bowls together and mashed everything into the baking dish.  Waiting for the bars to set in the refrigerator for an hour was the most difficult step! 

our next recipe was for Quick and Easy No Bake Pumpkin Oatmeal Energy Bites.  In a medium bowl the kids added 

• 1 1/2 to 2 cups dry, uncooked oatmeal
• 1/2 cup all-natural peanut butter or other nut or sun butter
• 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/4 cup chia seeds
• 1/4 cup quality honey
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice

Once the mixture was soft and not sticky, they added 

• 1/2 cup mini dark chocolate chips

Then they rolled it into balls and placed them on a tray.  They also sampled quite a few before we stored the rest in the fridge to eat later!