Mountain Bars - Gluten Free, Awesome, Addictive

Chomping on an energy bar at Healy Pass

I've been making this these Mountain bars since I adapted an energy bar recipe in 2009 from the Joy of Cooking.  They have come with Meghan and I on so many backcountry trips I can't keep track... Bugaboos, Assiniboine, Wapta, Egypt Lake, Fundy, Loch Alva and many more. There are a huge hit with everyone we travel with.

They are especially great in the winter - the cold keeps them from crumbling and yet they don't get rock hard like so many other bars do. They are packed with calories to keep your furnace burning on ski and climbing trips. I've tried many recipes and after find that these bars sit well in my stomach.  Just the right combination of fat, carbs, and proteins for quick and sustained energy.

They hold together pretty well (I recommend freezing them before cutting). For longer trips I wrap them individually in parchment paper and store in a ziploc bag (this also keeps us honest to our daily rations!). They don't last long around the house so better to make them just before the trip!





Ingrediants

• 1 cup Rolled Oats (I use Only Oats because they are Gluten Free and delicious)
• 3/4 cup Flour (*I make them Gluten Free* See note below)
• 1 cup (packed) Brown Sugar
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 1 Tbsp Cinnamon
• 1 1/2 cup Dried Fruit (could be a mix of raisins, chopped apricots, cranberries)
• 1 cup chopped Nuts/Seeds (In this order depending on what I have on hand- Almonds, Walnuts, Pumpkin Seeds, Sunflower Seeds, Buckwheat groats)

• 3/4 C Melted Butter (Dairytown Butter if you can get it!)
• 2 tsp Vanilla

Options:
Ginger Version is so good! 1/2 cup Chopped Crystallized Ginger  & 1 Tbsp Ginger Powder
1/2 cup chopped Milk Chocolate
*Gluten Free*: If you're making them Gluten Free like I do, then I would recommend GF Oats, standard featherlight flour (white rice, potato flour, and tapioca starch) and 1-2 tsp of ground Chia Seeds or 1/2 tsp Xanthum gum. 

Directions:

Mix all dry ingredients in large bowl (oats, flour, nuts, fruit, etc)

Melt Butter in Microwave/stove until liquid. Add Vanilla.

Now add the melted butter to the dry ingredients and stir together well.

Pour this sticky-gloppy mixture into a 9"x9" greased (buttered) cake pan.

Bake at 350 F for 35-40 minutes until top is browned. You'll see some butter bubbling around the edges.

Let cool/freeze before cutting to keep them from crumbling. Keep the extras in the freezer. They freeze well because there isn't any water in the recipe, just fat!

Sticky but not wet texture

Tamped down ready to bake

Bars on our ski camping trip to Skoki

 gluten free, energy bar, granola bar, camping, skiing, graham waugh, wapta, skoki, assiniboine,

Tracks

Cross country Skiing, March 2013

Grotto Falls and Chickadee Valley

Chickadee Valley. A beautiful half day ski in Kootenay National Park.
Wish I had known about it a couple years earlier!

Challenging wax conditions as the temperature hovered around 0'
 in the Chickadee Valley.

On the trail to Assiniboine

We had a fantastic trip to Assiniboine. We went just after Christmas and spent a total of 6 days out there. The conditions for cross country skiing were superb – a deep base with 10 cm of powder on top. Pulling 30 lbs of firewood (all found!) over Assiniboine Pass is something that we’ll have to laugh about for years to come. Otherwise it’s just a swirl of good memories of cooking food in the Wonder Creek Shelter, touring in the sunny meadows, and laughing with some new acquaintances at the lodge.

Skiing through the Cautley Meadows at Assiniboine

Halloween Ski to Egypt Lake via Healy Pass

Early morning drive through the town of Banff

With fresh snow on the ground from the season's first big storm, Meghan and I could think of nothing but skiing. This was by far the earliest I've ever skiied. I called Banff Parks and found out that the Egypt Lake Shelter was empty for the Halloween Weekend. Despite uncertain snow conditions and route finding we decided to go for it. Turned out to be an amazing trip!

Fresh snow at Healy Pass

Crossing creeks on our way to the Egypt Lake Shelter.

Reading by the fire in our own private cabin.

Not a soul for miles around.