As I dug my way out of an enormous backlog of emails, I discovered a summertime newsletter from Matisse & Jack's.  Sure that it was outdated, I nearly deleted it, but at the last minute decided to give it a peak.  Low and behold, it housed recipes for using their snack mixes that looked more like back to school recipes than summer treats to me (with a quick tweak of their titles).  So posted below are three recipes, Chocolate Chip Power Cookies, Mini-Banana Bread Muffins, and Peanutty Hiking Bars (change that name to Nutty Energy Bars and substitute some almond, cashew, or sunflower butter for the peanut butter to make them peanut-free policy friendly!) - each using a dairy-free mix from Matisse & Jack's.  These mixes are now available at Super Target, and M&J sells them to groups for school fundraisers too ...

Peanutty Hiking Bars [Nutty Energy Bars]

A tasty and power packed snack. Perfect for a day of hiking or a marathon day at the office. Made from our Granola Bites mix. Makes 18 bars.

• 2 Tablespoons dairy-free margarine
• 2 Tablespoons honey
• 1/3 cup all natural crunchy peanut butter [swap for almond, cashew, or sunflower butter]
• 1/3 cup silken soft tofu
• 2 Tablespoons water
• 1 pkg Granola Bites mix
• 1/4 cup dried apricots, chopped roughly
• 1/4 cup walnuts, chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine the butter and honey and microwave until melted. Let cool. Whisk together the butter and honey, peanut butter, tofu and water. Add the baking mix, apricots, walnuts and stir with a wooden spoon. Grease a 8x8 baking pan. Press the dough into the pan and bake for 20 minutes of until cooked through. Allow to cool slightly then cut into 12 bars.

Chocolate Chip Power Cookies

A wholesome take on the original. Easily made from our Chocolate Chip Power snacks mix. Makes 2 dozen cookies

• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 pkg Chocolate Chip Power Snacks mix
• 1 stick dairy-free margarine, melted and cooled slightly (1/2 cup)
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1 egg

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk together the Chocolate Chip Power Snacks and the baking soda until combined. Add the butter, maple syrup and egg and mix with a wooden spoon. Let dough sit for 10 - 20 min in fridge. Portion dough onto a greased cookie sheet by the tablespoon. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes on the cookie sheet before transferring to a rack to cool completely.

Mini-Banana Bread Muffins

A healthy new way to use our Cranberry Power Snacks. Combination of the wholesome sweetness of banana bread with the nutrition of our Cranberry Power Snacks. A perfect on-the-go breakfast. Makes 18 mini muffins.

• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 pkg Cranberry Power Snacks mix
• 1 over ripe banana (should be completely brown on the outside)
• 1 egg white
• 1/3 cup vanilla low fat dairy-free yogurt [I recommend the coconut-based or soy-based yogurts from Turtle Mountain]

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk together the baking powder, soda and snack mix until combined. Add the banana, egg white and yogurt and mix with a wooden spoon. Grease a mini muffin pan. Place about one tablespoon of batter in each muffin cup and bake for 12 minutes or until a skewer or toothpick inserted in the muffins comes out clean.