Snack: Chewy Fruit Bars

This wholesome holiday cookie bar is chock-full of dried fruit and nuts.

This recipe includes fertility superfoods such as:

Cinnamon, Nuts, Walnuts

Health and fertility benefits of Chewy Fruit Bars

Cinnamon is one of the best ingredients that someone with insulin sensitivity can eat. Half a teaspoon of cinnamon per day has been shown to be very effective at normalizing blood sugar levels. Cinnamon contains hydroxychalcone, which is thought to enhance the effects of insulin. It has also been suggested that Cinnamon prevents post-meal blood sugar spikes by slowing the gastric emptying rate - meaning that food digests slowly. (Reference: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11506060). Nuts are a natural source of Inositol, a derivative of Vitamin B (which is often prescribed in the form of supplements for women with PCOS). Inositol can effectively control the symptoms of PCOS by reducing insulin resistance and improving insulin sensitivity. Walnuts are low on the glycemic index. What’s more, they also lower the glycemic index of other foods that you eat in conjunction with these nuts. Any kind of nuts provide a healthy source of fat and a great way to encourage PCOS weight loss.

Ingredients

Basic Cookie Dough
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 1/2 c. dark brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 c. walnuts
1 c. pitted dried dates
1 c. dried tart cherries
1/2 c. dried apricot halves
1/2 c. golden raisins
Confectioners' sugar for dusting (optional)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degree F. Line 15 1/2" by 10 1/2" jelly-roll pan with foil, extending foil 2 inches above pan at ends; grease foil.
Prepare Basic Cookie Dough, but in step 1, decrease flour to 2 1/2 cups, increase baking soda to 3/4 teaspoon total, and add cinnamon to flour mixture. In step 2, substitute 1 1/2 cups packed dark brown sugar for granulated sugar and use a total of 2 eggs. Add walnuts, dates, cherries, apricots, and raisins to dough, stirring until blended (dough will be thick).
With floured fingers, press dough evenly into prepared pan. Bake 25 to 28 minutes or until browned and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Remove from pan, using foil, and place on cutting board. With long, sharp knife, cut lengthwise into 4 strips, then cut each strip crosswise into 12 bars.
Store cookies in tightly sealed container, putting sheets of waxed paper between layers, at room temperature up to 1 week or in freezer up to 3 months. Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar before serving, if you like. Nutritional information is based on one cookie.

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