A while ago I bought a box of bran cereal to make bran muffins. Since then I’ve made multiple batches of muffins, but I’m still trying to use up the cereal and have been cruising All Bran’s recipe database for ideas. Did you know you can make chicken enchiladas with bran cereal? Or how about bran baked fish? I’m sure they are better than they sound, but I decided to put my cereal to use in a recipe for Bran Chocolate Chip Bars.
I wasn’t sure what to expect from this recipe. Because it was from a test kitchen, I knew it would it would be okay, but do chocolate chip bars really need bran? Would the cereal do anything for the cookie? I liked the fact the bars had a little fiber, and the whole wheat flour was a good thing too. But if a snack bar doesn’t taste great, what’s the point?
As it happened, the bars were a surprise hit! The bran added a lot of flavor, but it also helped give the bars a very firm, chewy, texture. They were shiny-topped, dense, not overly sweet, and all-around unique — perfect for play groups, brownie meetings, or an afternoon treat with coffee.
Here’s a link to the original printable recipe. I used white whole wheat flour instead of the flour combo and made some changes to the technique, so I re-typed my version as well.
- 1 1/3 cup All Bran Original cereal
- 1 cup white whole wheat flour (4.5 oz) -- fluff and spoon
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- 1 large egg
- 1 1/2 cups firmly packed brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 3 tablespoons water
- 1/3 cup extra dark chocolate morsels
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 13x9 inch metal pan with foil and spray bottom with cooking spray.
- Stir together cereal, flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
- Beat oil, egg and sugar together in a large mixing bowl (I did this with a whisk). Stir in vanilla and water. Add cereal mixture, stirring until well combined. Stir in chocolate morsels. Spread evenly in pan and bake for about 30 minutes. Cool completely.
- Lift foil from pan, set on a rack and cut into 24 bars.
- Yield: 24 squares
Sometimes I use All-Bran crumbs to make faux graham cracker crust. Speaking of healthier alternatives, I saw this today: http://foodstorageandbeyond.com/2010/05/whats-for-dessert-chocolate-chip-cookies/
No time waiting for the butter to soften! I will have to try it out.
Great! With everything I bake, I need something semi-healthy.
Wow how cool that they were a hit, they look great!
These look like decadent brownies to me! I am going to make them. Thank you, Anna!
Those look and sound terriffic! You mentioned looking for uses for bran cereal. I have seen a lot of recipes using bran cereal on http://www.hungry-girl.com. (I think you have to register to view the recipes). The bran cereal is often ground up and used in the place of bread crumbs in dishes such as oven baked onion rings or chicken nuggets. Lots of great ways to sneak in a bit more fiber.
They look like a perfect chewy consistency. Right now we seem to have every other cereal we need to get rid of!
Yum! I’m always looking for ways to use bran flakes bc I do the same thing (buy a big box and get sick of making muffins). I actually have made bran breaded fish (http://www.thesweetslife.com/2010/02/bran-breaded-tilapia.html)…it wasn’t bad, but cookie bars sound way better 🙂
Thanks for sharing this recipe! I’m all for “healthifying” baked goods — as long they still taste good! 🙂