Look closely and you might be able to pick out the pistachios, pecans, cashews and pieces of the all-important dates in my double batch of ‘Chewy Fruit and Nut Bars,’ waiting here to be cut into pieces.
Mary Therese Biebel | Times Leader Photo
Near a historic structure called the Bear Mountain Inn, more than 1,200 steps have been carved into the granite to help Appalachian Trail hikers reach a summit and a tower with a panoramic view. Here, our TL test cook and her brother-in-law Jay climb and climb and work up an appetite.
Mark Guydish | For Times Leader
From scenic outlooks on the Appalachian Trail in New York you can see the Hudson River in the distance.
Mark Guydish | For Times Leader
Brothers Jay, Mark and Joe Guydish take a rest near a vista on the Appalachian Trail.
Mary Therese Biebel | Times Leader Photo
Our test cook takes a break along the Appalachian Trail on a sunny day.
Mark Guydish | For Times Leader
Last week I took some time off to hike with Mark and two of his brothers on the Appalachian Trail near the Hudson River in New York. There were lots of ascents and descents, lots of sweating and lots of exertion.
Whenever anyone seemed especially fatigued, I’d pull out some of the Chewy Fruit and Nut “Bars” I’d made in the Times Leader Test Kitchen and watch my fellow hikers gratefully consume these high-calorie treats.
“Want some health-giving, life-sustaining trail mix?” I’d ask, laying on the drama.
I don’t think anyone in our little group ever refused — and the fruit/nut mix really seemed to perk everyone up.
The reason I put quotation marks around the word “bars” is because the Chewy Fruit and Nut concoction was supposed to hold a shape like a granola bar, thanks to the flour, sugar, baking soda and egg you add to the fruit and nuts before baking. But the “bars” crumbled so much, it made me wonder if I should have just tossed the nuts and fruit together and let it be a trail mix.
Mark thought if I chopped the nuts and dried fruit into smaller pieces it would have been more cohesive. Maybe I’ll try that another time. It certainly was a delicious combination that would serve us well on another trip.
The recipe came from a food blog called Oui, Chef, where author Steve Dunn suggested you use whichever nuts and dried fruit you wanted except for the recommended 1.5 cups of dried dates which he said were “important for the texture and cohesion of the finished bars.”
With that in mind, I went to three stores before I finally found medzool dates at Wegmans. The other dried fruits I used were raisins, blueberries and cranberries. And the nuts were pistachios, cashews and pecans.
I first served the “bars” at a Memorial Day picnic where Mark, his brothers Jay, Ray and Joe, and our neighbors Charlie from next door and Roger from down the street all voiced approval. By the next day Jay, Joe, Mark and I were on the trail, where I think we all approved even more. Here’s the recipe from Steve Dunn at Oui, Chef:
Chewy Fruit and Nut Bars
6 tablespoons flour
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons packed, light or dark brown sugar
1/2 cup each of walnuts, almonds, pecans, and raw pistachios, toasted and coarsely chopped (use whatever combo of nuts you want here)
1 1/2 cups dates, pitted and quartered
1 cup assorted dried fruits (Dunn used 110g dried apricots cut in half, 40g candied ginger finely diced, and 20g flaked coconut)
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
1. Line an 8” x 8” square pan across the bottom and up the sides with two sheets of aluminum foil, making a big criss-cross with the sides overhanging (or use a 9” x 13” pan, similarly lined for a double batch of bars).
2. Preheat the oven to 325℉ and position the rack in the center of the oven.
3. In a large bowl, toss together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the brown sugar, nuts and fruits, using your fingers to separate any pieces sticking together.
4. Beat the egg and vanilla in a small bowl, then mix it with the fruit and nut mixture until everything is coated and shiny. Spread the mixture in the baking pan and press gently to push into the corners of the pan, and to even out the top.
5. Bake for 35-40 minutes until the top of the bars are golden brown and the mass has pulled away slightly from the sides of the pan. Cool the bars in the pan, then lift out using the foil as a carrier.
6. When completely cooled, cut using a sharp, heavy knife to ensure neat, clean slices.
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