I don’t know about you, but I am having so much fun with the customization aspect of our Empower Bar Baking Mix! You just don’t get that benefit with other pre-packaged nutrition bars. You know what you also don’t get that is an added bonus of our baking mix? Empower Bars fresh out of the oven. Yum!
It had been years since I have enjoyed a warm Empower Bar, mostly because when we were packaging them, we had to wait until they completely cooled in order to do so. Not anymore!
Given that it is pumpkin season, I had an idea to incorporate pure pumpkin puree into the baking mix in some way. When writing my cookbook, I learned that often in gluten- and grain-free baking (and healthier baking in general), fruit and veggie purees are great to incorporate for added moisture and volume. I have also seen these ingredients replace the oil, so I decided to give it a go. It worked wonderfully!
That led me to experiment with unsweetened applesauce and mashed banana as well. I’m so excited about the results! I think the variation with mashed banana is my new favorite. This option will definitely be on repeat in my house!
Here is how I made all three substitutions:
- Pure Pumpkin Puree: substitute the 1/2 cup oil on the back of the package with 1/2 cup pure pumpkin puree. Bake according to directions.
- Unsweetened applesauce: substitute the 1/2 cup oil on the back of the package with 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce. Bake according to directions.
- Mashed banana: substitute the 1/2 cup oil on the back of the package with 2 mashed pretty ripe bananas. I had to bake this one a little longer – about 27 minutes versus my normal 20 minutes. The center may still look darker and undercooked, but it will firm as it slightly cools. A toothpick inserted will come out clean.
Let me know which one you try!
If you haven’t tried our Empower Bar Baking Mix, but would like to, please enjoy a discount by using the code TRYEBOMIX at checkout!
