Homemade Fruit Bars Recipe | Whole Grain Fruit-Filled Bars (2024)

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Homemade Whole Grain Fruit-Filled Bars are the perfect back to school treat! Kids and adults will gobble up these bars!

Homemade Fruit Bars Recipe | Whole Grain Fruit-Filled Bars (1)

Labor Day is over which means it’s time to get back to school and back to the grind. I tried to ignore it for as long as I could, but I can’t pretend anymore! School is in full swing and that means it’s time to wake up early, pack school lunches, do homework, and go to bed early. Caleb isn’t old enough to go to school yet, but I still feel the need to get back to our regular schedule. We kind of let things go during the summer months. We are more flexible with our work schedule, naps, bedtime, and even diet. I ate a few too many desserts in Jackson Hole🙂

Back to school doesn’t mean we can’t have fun though! To kick off our “school” year and new routine we made Whole Grain Fruit-Filled Bars. These bars are fun to make and fun to eat!

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Homemade Fruit Bars Recipe | Whole Grain Fruit-Filled Bars (3)

The recipe for Whole Grain Fruit-Filled Bars comes from Catherine McCord’s new cookbook, Weelicious Lunches. Catherine’s first book is a favorite at our house so when she told me she was writing a second book all about healthy lunches, I started counting down the days until release date. Well, it’s here and the book is fabulous!

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Weelicious Lunches is filled with healthy and fun recipes, lists of lunchbox favorites, facts on food allergies, and tips for picky eaters. Catherine’s recipes are sure to make even your pickiest eaters happy! Plus, there is a chapter dedicated to Peanut Butter & Jelly. I am going to be tackling that chapter very soon:)

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But let’s talk about these Whole Grain Fruit-Filled Bars. I never buy packaged granola or fruit bars at the store. Most bars have ingredients that I can’t pronounce and are expensive so I stay away. I always make homemade granola bars, but haven’t tried making a fruit bar. So when I saw Catherine’s recipe for Whole Grain Fruit-Filled Bars I knew I had to try them!

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There are only seven ingredients in these bars and I can pronounce all of them:) I love that they are made with whole wheat flour and oats. You can use your favorite jam or fruit preserves for the filling. I went with homemade triple berry jam that our friends gave to us.

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The bars have a buttery whole grain crust with a sweet fruity filing! They are the perfect treat for school lunches or an after school snack. They are easy to pack and will keep in the refrigerator for up to a week. So you can make a pan and ration out the bars during the week.

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I tried to ration out our bars, but they went quickly. Caleb wanted a taste as soon as they came out of the oven!

Whole Grain Fruit-Filled Bars are the perfect back to school or anytime treat. I know we will be making these homemade fruit bars all of the time!

And make sure you check out Catherine’s blog, Weelicious, for more healthy kid-friendly recipes! And if you want a daily dose of lunch inspiration follow Weelicious on Instagram. Every day Catherine posts a photo of a healthy lunch box. She has the best ideas! I want to be Catherine when I grow up!

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Homemade Fruit Bars Recipe | Whole Grain Fruit-Filled Bars (10)

Kid Friendly

Whole Grain Fruit-Filled Bars

Homemade Whole Grain Fruit-Filled Bars are the perfect treat for school lunches, an after school snack, or grabbing on the go!

4.88 from 8 votes

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 45 minutes mins

Total Time 55 minutes mins

Servings 16 bars

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
  • 1 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats
  • 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 cup cold unsalted butter, chopped into 1/2-inch cubes
  • 2 tablespoons cold water
  • 3/4 cup fruit preserves or jam

Instructions

  • 1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

  • 2. In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour, oats, brown sugar, and salt. Pulse for 30 seconds.

  • 3. Add the butter and cold water and pulse until the dough holds together when pressed.

  • 4. Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish, line it with parchment paper, and grease the parchment paper.

  • 5. Divide the dough mixture in half and press half into the prepared baking dish, using the back of a spatula to press down evenly.

  • 6. Spread the preserves evenly on top of the dough. Sprinkle the remaining dough evenly on top of the preserves and gently press down using the back of a spatula.

  • 7. Bake for 45 minutes, or until golden brown.

  • 8. Cool, cut into 1 ½ x 4-inch bars, and serve.

  • Note-bars can be stored at room temperature up to 3 days or refrigerated for up to a week.

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Homemade Fruit Bars Recipe | Whole Grain Fruit-Filled Bars (2024)

FAQs

Are fruit and grain bars healthy? ›

Added sugars: While Nutri-Grain bars do contain some natural sugars from the fruit filling, they also have added sugars listed as one of the top ingredients. The example we looked at has 11 grams of sugar added per serving, which is almost half of what's recommended daily for women.

What are the ingredients in whole fruit fruit bars? ›

From the Package

WATER, SUGAR, STRAWBERRIES (STRAWBERRIES, SUGAR), NATURAL FLAVOR, BEET JUICE CONCENTRATE (COLOR), CITRIC ACID, GUAR GUM, TURMERIC (COLOR).

What are the ingredients in Nutri Grain Bar? ›

Nutrition Label. calorie diet. FILLING: HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP, CORN SYRUP, APPLE PUREE CONCENTRATE, GLYCERIN, SUGAR, WATER, SODIUM ALGINATE, MODIFIED CORN STARCH, MALIC ACID, METHYLCELLULOSE, CALCIUM PHOSPHATE, CINNAMON, CITRIC ACID, CARAMEL COLOR.)

What is the fruit bar method? ›

Fruit bar is the product prepared by blending fruit purees or pulp extracted from ripe pulpy fruit, sugar or other nutritive sweeteners and other ingredients and additives desired for product and dehydrated to form sheet which can be cut to desired shape and size.

What is the healthiest snack bar? ›

6 Healthy Snacks that Raise the Bar
  • KIND Nut Bars. Take this Caramel Almond & Sea Salt bar as an example. ...
  • Bob's Red Mill Granola Bars. ...
  • NuGo Slim Bars. ...
  • Simply Protein Snack Bars. ...
  • 88 Acres Seed + Oat Bars. ...
  • Luna Bars by CLIFF.
Dec 10, 2023

Why are NutriGrain bars so good? ›

For example, our soft baked bars are made with whole grains. With 8 grams of whole grains in every serving, Nutri-Grain® Soft Baked Breakfast Bars are also a good source of 8 vitamins and minerals including Vitamin D.

How is fruit bar made? ›

MANUFACTURING PROCESS:

First of all, you will need to thoroughly wash the fresh and ripe fruits. And then extract the pulp from the fruits. Then mix the pulp with the required quantity of sugar. This blend is then dehydrated in tray dryer and drying time is around 18-20.

Are raw fruit bars healthy? ›

Fruit and nut bars or balls

The fruit is pureed so it can be formed into a bar, which means the fruit sugars they contain will count as free sugars, even if there is no added sugar. Free sugars are the kind we should all be cutting down on.

What are the different NutriGrain bars? ›

With three invigorating flavors, it's a snap to start your morning with either Strawberry, Apple Cinnamon, or Mixed Berry.

Why does Nutri-Grain taste different? ›

It took us 10 years to complete two renovations on Nutri-Grain. In total, we have removed 1/4 of the sugar and 1/4 of the sodium from the original Nutri-Grain recipe. We also have a 25% less sugar Nutri-Grain cereal.

Can kids have nutri-grain bars? ›

They're perfectly convenient to pack in gym bags or keep at work for an easy protein boost, and kids will love them at lunch, before practice, or as an after school snack.

Are fruit bars healthy? ›

There's no protein, there's no healthy fat, there's no fibre in those bars to keep you feeling fuller longer.” The only time a fruit bar might be a good option, she said, is if you're doing a high-intensity activity for over an hour that requires a quick source of energy.

Why are fruit bars important? ›

Besides this, fruit bars are also important sources of carbohydrates and minerals. Given the wide range of bioactive factors in fresh fruits that are preserved in fruit bars, it is plausible that their uptake consumption have a positive effect in reducing the risk of many diseases.

What are fruit bars? ›

100% Fruit Bars

The technique uses blemished or damaged fruit that would have otherwise been discarded. The bars come in a variety of flavors, including apple and pear, and variations of each combined with either blueberries, cherries, strawberries, cranberries or raspberries.

What is the healthiest thing to order at a bar? ›

9 Lowest Calorie Alcoholic Drinks
  • White wine. ...
  • Hard seltzer. ...
  • Tequila with lime. ...
  • Light beer. ...
  • Gin and diet tonic. ...
  • Dry martini. ...
  • Paloma. ...
  • Rum and Diet co*ke. Also known as a Cuba Libre, rum and co*ke is a drink made by pairing white rum with Coca-Cola.
Sep 9, 2021

Is Nutri-Grain actually healthy? ›

Nutri-Grain is a popular brand of breakfast cereal that is marketed as a healthy choice. However, like many processed cereals, it can be high in added sugars and low in fiber, protein, and other important nutrients.

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