Crunchy Nutty Millet Squares

This recipe came about because I didn’t exactly know what I wanted to eat with my coffee! I didn’t want a granola bar, didn’t want Biscotti, didn’t want a cookie, didn’t…..well you get the idea. This is like a cross between all three things. I got 20 squares, and according to an on line nutritional calculator, each square has 170 calories, 6.3  grams sugar, and 18 grams carbohydrate.This is not that far removed from a standard "healthy" granola bar! You can use nuts of your choosing. I used walnuts and almonds. For seeds, I used pumpkin and sesame seeds.

Ingredients

1 cup Durum flour

1/3 cup flax meal
1 1/2 cups mixed nuts and seeds (chop nuts only, not the seeds, to meal like consistency)

½ cup puffed millet
1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
2 large eggs
1/3 cup brown sugar ( I use coconut sugar, but ordinary brown sugar may also be used.)

1/3 cup white sugar
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1.      Set oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit

2.      Line a 11x9x1 inch baking pan (or slightly smaller) with parchment paper, leaving a generous overhang on all sides (see photo)

3.      Chop the nuts (NOT the seeds) to the consistency of coarse meal, and mix in a bowl with the flour, flax meal and salt.

4.      Whisk the eggs, sugar, vanilla and oil until pale in color

5.      Mix together the dry and wet ingredients to make a thick dough

6.      Pour the dough into the baking pan and spread it using a moistened or oiled spatula

7.      Bake for 25 minutes in oven then remove. Carefully lift the partially baked sheet out of the baking pan, using the parchment paper overhangs as handles. Place on a flat surface and cut into squares/rectangles. Separate the squares. Let cool for 20 minutes.

8.      Transfer the squares on the parchment paper to a cookie sheet. Put back in the oven but decrease the temperature to 275 degrees Fahrenheit. Bake for another 90 minutes until nicely browned. Remove from oven and allow to completely cool on a rack. Pack in an air tight container.