Help me hold it together

January 14, 2011 2:40 PM

I want to make some healthy grab and go snack bars. I am looking for help finding a binder that has no (or low) sugar. Also, especially if a sugar binder is needed, how do I figure the minimum ratio of that binder to dry ingredients to make a food bar hold together without being too sticky.

I've seen several questions about food bars like this one, but they all seem to settle on binders that are basically sugar. What is the lowest sugar binder out there?

I am looking to bind various combinations of dried fruit, nuts, cereal, seeds (quinoa, chia, sesame) and flavorings.

Yes, I could use flour and eggs and bake it, but that's not the texture and flavor profile I am looking for what I am looking for. I want to mix, set, cut into bars, and eat on the go.

If I cannot escape a binder that does have sugar, what ratio guidelines would I use to minimize the binder while still holding the bars together?

posted by cross_impact to Food & Drink (10 answers total)

I have never made snack bars, but if you need "edible glue", how about wheat paste or similar? You just need a combination of starch and water that dries into a solid, so you maybe you could use oatmeal, or rice cooked into a mush (i.e. congee), etc.
posted by Chicken Boolean at 3:01 PM on January 14, 2011

I haven't tried this recipe but am currently doing a cleanse where no refined sugar is allowed and found a recipe for gluten-free breakfast bars that uses agave syrup (you can also use brown rice syrup):

Gluten Free Breakfast Bars
1 ¼ cup blanched almond flour
¼ teaspoon celtic sea salt
¼ teaspoon baking soda
¼ cup grapeseed oil
¼ cup agave nectar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup shredded coconut
½ cup pumpkin seeds
½ cup sunflower seeds
¼ cup almond slivers
¼ cup raisins

In a small bowl, combine almond flour, salt and baking soda
In a large bowl, combine grapeseed oil, agave and vanilla
Stir dry ingredients into wet
Mix in coconut, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, almond slivers and raisins
Grease an 8x8 baking dish with grapeseed oil
Press the dough into the baking dish, wetting your hands with water to help pat the dough down evenly
Bake at 350° for 20 minutes
Serve
posted by jasbet07 at 3:02 PM on January 14, 2011 [2 favorites]

Do you mean no sugar, no refined sugar, what? Dates have a quite high glycemic index.
posted by kestrel251 at 3:54 PM on January 14, 2011

Do you mean no sugar, no refined sugar, what? Dates have a quite high glycemic index.

And so does agave. What about nut butter? And maybe long bake (almost dehydrate) at a low temp? Coconut fat (solid cool, but will bind melted) might also be a possibility.
posted by kch at 5:06 PM on January 14, 2011 [1 favorite]

Try looking around on primal/paleo websites. Here's a post from Mark's Daily Apple that talks about making the best energy bars. That one is baked for 10 minutes, but the there are others in the links in that page which are not.
posted by CathyG at 5:14 PM on January 14, 2011 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: going for low glycemic index in specific and low calorie in general. Also want the option of making savory bars and don't want too much sweetness from the binder.
posted by cross_impact at 5:29 PM on January 14, 2011

Definitely nut butter, it works well.
posted by insectosaurus at 9:22 PM on January 14, 2011

I'm a big fan of using brown rice syrup. It has a deep, nutty flavor and is not too sweet. I often use it in small amounts in savory foods to add another flavor layer, and it works great in various granolas.
posted by shamash at 9:30 PM on January 14, 2011

You could also try egg whites.

Lightly whisk the whites, then add to your mix until just moistened. Spread in a tray bake/dry out in a low oven, 200°, for an hour or two.

If salmonella is a concern, you can buy pasteurized jars of egg whites.
posted by fontophilic at 10:11 AM on January 15, 2011

As a FYI, agave nectar and brown rice syrup are pure sugar (the types of sugars may differ, but they will still count as carbs). I'd try almond butter and dried milk.
posted by benzenedream at 5:48 PM on April 26, 2011