Thinking of people / Nabisco Snack Well's Banana Snack Bars

It's funny what will make me think of people I haven't talked to in years. Crazy stuff like reading about ghosts and hauntings - not that I really believe in those, but I might as well finish the book I bought some time ago! I'm sure those thoughts will pass, and that they'll be replaced by far more pleasant thoughts. It would also be nice if I could download Lenny Loosejocks Solitaire... except for the sound playing all the time! At least I can save my Bookworm games... maybe I need something more! Haha, we shall see if THAT happens!


Nabisco Snack Well's Banana Snack Bars

In 1996, Nabisco built up its growing line of SnackWell's baked products with the introduction of low-fat snack bars in several varieties. These included fudge brownie, golden cake, apple raisin, and the chewy banana variety cloned here. The secret ingredients that help us keep the fat grams under 2 grams per serving are banana puree to help keep the cake moist while adding real banana flavor, egg whites rather than whole eggs, some molasses, and just a little bit of shortening. Whip it all up, pour it into a pan and bake. Soon, you'll have 21 tasty little low-fat snack bars to get you through the week.

Servings: 21 Snack Bars
Nutrition Facts Serving size – 1 bar Servings – 21 Total fat (per serving) – 1.8g Calories (per serving) – 118

INGREDIENTS:

2 egg whites
1 cup plus 5 tablespoons sugar
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
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1. Preheat oven to 350°F.

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.