Machu Picchu Energy Bars

A couple of weeks ago I was contemplating where to book my annual trip and ideas like Thailand, Colombia, and an American road trip were all top contenders for the job.  After reading an article on Machu Picchu I promptly booked a ticket to Peru and started planning my adventure.  There are a lot of ways to get to Machu Picchu and I decided on a 5 day/ 4 night hike that is most assuredly going to kick my ass.  Several reviewers and sites said you should be sure to bring snacks to help maintain your energy and keep you alert along the way.  I came up with these energy bars to be a part of my snack inventory for the long and challenging road ahead.  They are delicious and healthy and I can see myself consuming them while lying on the floor of my tent in the fetal position contemplating why the hell I ever decided to do this to myself.  All jokes aside, I'm really looking forward to the trip and I'm sure the trip will be well worth the challenge of getting through it.


Makes about 12 bars
Ingredients:
2 cups dried pitted dates
1/2 cup dried apricots
1/2 cup oats
2 cups roasted peanuts
1/2 cup cocoa nibs (optional)
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1 Tablespoon honey or agave
3/4 cup peanut butter
pinch of salt

1) Line mini loaf pans or muffin tins with plastic wrap (you can also use a 9X9 baking pan and just cute the final product into squares)
2) Put all of the ingredients in a food processor and blend until the ingredients are in crumb-sized pieces (about a minute).
3) Scrape the sides of the bowl and blend another 1-2 minutes or until a ball is formed.
4) Press the resulting paste into the prepared pans to about 3/4 inch thickness.  I like to press them into the pan then flip them around and press them down on the other side.  This just gives them a cleaner look.
5) Cover in plastic and refrigerate over night.
6) The following day you can individually wrap the bars and take them out of the refrigerator as needed.  They will keep for several weeks or, if frozen, several months.  Enjoy!!