Smooshy Fruit and Nut Bars

My favorite part of being a stay-at-home-mom is morning time with my son. No matter how sleepless the night, I am a morning person by nature. Once Calvin is up for the day, I feed him, change him, and lay him in his bassinet while I make the bed, open the curtains, and get myself breakfast. Then I set up his "baby gym" in the middle of the bed and play and sing with him while I sip my coffee and eat my breakfast.

It helps to have a breakfast food that I can get quickly and eat with one hand. So I set out to find something I could make a whole batch of that would meet those criteria, plus be yummy and satisfying. I had come across a few blogger recipes for no-bake fruit bars and decided to give it a try. I used this recipe from White on Rice Couple and adapted it for what I already had in my pantry.

Here's my version:

• 1 1/2 c chopped dried fruit (I used raisins, craisins, and apricots)
• 1 1/2 c nuts (I used walnuts, hazelnuts, and almonds)
• 1/2 c chopped dark chocolate (chocolate chips would've been easier, but I didn't have any)

You could use a food processor, but I just chopped it all by hand. 

• 2T unsalted butter
• 2T brown sugar
• 1/2 c honey
• 1/4 c Nutella
• dash of salt

Melt all the mushy ingredients on the stove. Here's my makeshift double boiler.

Pour the sweet liquidy goodness over the chopped chunks and mix.

Line a pan with foil, butter the foil, and press in the smoosh. Sprinkle with a bit of salt.
Refrigerate for several hours.

When it's hardened, pop it out and cut it into bars... and nom!

Now the review: Delish, but Squish! 

First, these barely qualify as breakfast because they are so sugary sweet. But since they are so rich, one is quite satisfying and they are filled with fiber-ful fruit and nuts to keep me full for the morning. Plus the sugar gives me a boost for my morning jog.

Second, you gotta eat them straight out of the fridge and don't dilly-dally because if they melt even a little they fall apart in your hands. And you also have to just be ok with licking Nutella and honey off your fingertips. Which I am. Or else eat it with a fork. But that seems weird.

All in all, I still give them a thumbs up. Next time I think I will skip the Nutella and see if the honey holds them together a little better. Anyone have any tips on making these or something similar?