Tower Bar

I have finally perfected my recipe for my home brew energy bars. The last (and very important step) was to give them a name and recent posts to the FCTR list solved this. There were many good options for names that I considered: Rage Against the Machine Bars or Rush Bars (both these names area already taken by music groups), Clark Bars (after our local running hero of course, but there is already a candy bar with this name), Pb Bars (great name for the obvious double meaning with the main ingredient of the bars and the chemical symbol for the name of that race later this summer). But in honor of our local hill that we run biweekly and on July 30 will be running continuously for 24 hours, I will call my creation the Tower Bar. I have long been interested in making my own energy bars, not really because I am picky or have nutritional issues with what is on the market or have issues paying $2+ for a glorified granola/candy bar, but because I am still that kid that likes to play around in the kitchen coming up with my own "creations". Here is the recipe for my latest:

TOWERS BARS

1 cup natural (just peanuts) crunchy peanut butter

3/4 cup agave

3/4 cup brown rice syrup

1 cup rice flour

2 cups rolled oats

1 cup rice crispies

1/2 tsp. ground ginger

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1/2 cup peanut butter chips

1/2 cup chocolate chips

Mix peanut butter, agave and brown rice syrup over low heat (don't cook it, just heat it all up a bit so that it mixes together better. Mix in rice flour, oats and rice crisps. Mix in ginger, salt, cranberries, Pb chips and chocolate chips. Press mixture in to a 8" x 12" glass casserole dish and allow to cool. Cut into rectangles, wrap in plastic wrap or put in baggies and take some with you on your next running adventure.

Note: I took and ate a couple of these on a 20 mile run on the the Silver Rush course in Leadville yesterday that took me up over 12,000 feet 4 times and they preformed well, so they are tested and trail proven. Enjoy.