Fruit & Nut Bars (Chewy Bars)

How many of you skip your breakfast?? Well..I don't do that,and I think if anyone does it so shouldn't be doing it as per the nutritionists and dieticians.A light breakfast with a cup of milk and toasted bread or a bowl of corn flakes or a bowl of oats is filling n healthy,but sometimes we need a change to break the monotony of everyday routine.And you start thinking ways to make your breakfast or snacker a bit more healthy & interesting,that's where this recipe works out perfect even for pranky kids.They are definitely gonna love this.Though I used egg as a binder in this but you can easily replace it with bananas as I tried it in Banana-Oats Bar(4 ingredient sugarless recipe).Try this out a day and enjoy it for a couple of days with a cup of milk :-)

Ingredients
whole wheat flour 1/3 cup
jaggery 1/3 cup or light brown sugar 1/3 cup
baking powder 1/8 tsp
baking soda 1/8 tsp
walnuts/pecan/hazelnuts 1 cup(I used walnuts)
almonds /cashews 1/2 cup(I used sliced almonds)
pistachio 1/2cup coarsely chopped
raisins/dates/prunes/figs 1 cup(I used raisins)
cherries/cranberries 1/2 cup
apricot dried 1/2cup(I used tutti fruity instead)
egg 1/ ripe banana 1
vanilla extract 1/2 tsp
salt 1/4tsp

Method-
-Lightly crush the almonds and pistachios.(I used sliced almonds so just crushed the pistachios.)
-Sift flour in a bowl,add in the salt,baking powder,baking soda without lumps.
-Dissolve the jaggery in 1/5 cup hot water and strain to remove impurities.Keep aside.
-Add in the dry fruits & nuts chopped as listed so that the fruits and nuts are well coated.Mix with a spoon or hands.
-Preheat oven to 325 degrees F,Line a square baking pan  8 * 8(I used glassware) with aluminium foil at the bottom and sides.
-Whisk the egg till fluffy in another bowl and add in the vanilla extract.Add in the dissolved jaggery.
-Mix the egg mixture in the dry fruits & nuts mix and coat well to get a sticky batter.
-Spread the mix evenly in the prepared pan,pressing it down till the corners and with the help of a spatula or back of a spoon.
-Place it in the center of the oven and bake  for 30-40 minutes untill batter is golden brown and pulled away from the sides of the pan.(I could get it ready at 32 minutes)

-Remove from pan and cool on wire rack .When cooled lift the edges of the aluminium foil and get it out of the pan.Cut into pieces and serve.

Servings~ 16 squares /12 rectangular ones

NOTES
* The bars can stay good for 10 days at room temperature or longer after refrigeration.
* You can add in any desired dry fruits of your choice,keeping in mind the quantity remains the same.
* I used egg in this recipe as I was short of bananas,but I have easily tried out the Banana oats bar in which  had used banana as the binder.
* You can use light brown sugar instead of jaggery.

Sending this to Show Me Your HITS series #4 Iron Rich foods guest hosted at my space,Spotlight Breakfast Ideas ,Lets Party Breakfast, Guest Quest ,Healthy Food for healthy Kids Toddlers Breakfast/Dinner