Lower fat and Sugar Banana Snack Bars

[Dee]

2 egg whites

1 cup plus 5 tablespoons sugar- (I use splenda)

2 tablespoons brown sugar

2 tablespoons molasses

1 1/2 cups banana puree*

3 tablespoons shortening

1/4 cup whole milk

1/2 teaspoon vanilla butter nut extract

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

 

1. Preheat oven to 350°.

2. In a large bowl, whip the egg whites with an electric mixer until they become thick. Do not use a plastic bowl for this.

3. Add the sugar to the egg whites and continue to beat until the mixture forms soft peaks.

4. Add the brown sugar, molasses, banana puree, shortening, milk and vanilla butter nut flavoring to the mixture, beating after each addition.

5. In a separate bowl, combine the remaining ingredients.

6. While beating the wet mixture, slowly add the bowl of dry ingredients.

7. Lightly grease a 9x14-inch pan with a light coating of non-stick cooking spray. Be sure to coat the sides as well as the bottom of the pan. Dump about 3 tablespoons of sugar into the pan, then tilt and shake the pan so that a light layer of sugar coats the entire bottom of the pan, and about halfway up the sides. Pour out the excess sugar.

8. Pour the batter into the pan, and spread it evenly around the inside of the pan. Sprinkle a light coating of sugar -- about two tablespoons -- over the entire top surface of the batter. Gently shake the pan from side-to-side to evenly distribute the sugar over the batter. Bake for 25-28 minutes or until the cake begins to pull away from the sides of the pan.

9. Remove the cake from the oven and turn it out onto a cooling rack. When cake has cooled, place it onto a sheet of wax paper on a cutting board and slice across the cake 6 times, creating 7 even slices. Next cut the cake lengthwise twice, into thirds, creating a total of 21 snack bars. When the bars have completely cooled, store them in a resealable plastic bag or an airtight container.

 

*Puree whole bananas (approximately 3) in a food processor or blender until smooth and creamy.

 

Nutrition Facts

Serving size – 1 bar

Servings – 21

Total fat (per serving) – 1.8g

Calories (per serving) – 118