Recipe Details
Homemade Yogurt Fruit Bars
Photography by SharonChen
| Details | |
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| Total Time | 55 minutes |
| Yields | 8 servings |
Ingredients
1 ½ cups whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground ginger
1 (6-ounce) package mixed dried fruit, coarsely chopped
⅓ cup chopped walnuts (optional)
1 cup plain non-fat or low-fat plain yogurt
1 large egg
¼ cup apple juice concentrate
2 tablespoons neutral cooking oil
Nonstick cooking spray
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C).
In a large mixing bowl, combine all dry ingredients, then fold in the chopped dried fruit and walnuts (if using).
In a separate medium bowl, mix together the yogurt, egg, apple juice concentrate, and oil until fully combined.
Create a well in the center of the dry ingredient mixture, pour in the wet ingredients, and stir just until everything is evenly blended.
Spray a 9x13-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray, then spread the batter evenly across the pan.
Bake for 45–50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool for 10 minutes in the pan before slicing.
Slice into 8 individual servings. Freeze leftover bars in separate portions for later use if desired.
Common Question & Answer
Question: I was ready to bake these when I realized I don’t have whole wheat flour on hand. What can I use as a substitute?
(No answer posted)
User Reviews
I baked these to fit my new sugar-free diet, and followed the recipe exactly, using dried apple and cranberry pieces. Mine were way too brown after less than 30 minutes in the oven, and ended up overbaked, dry, and bland with a powdery flour aftertaste. I might give this recipe another try with a shorter bake time, adding extra applesauce, oatmeal, and protein powder to tweak it. We did end up eating them for breakfast, but none of us were huge fans. I’ll re-rate it higher if I try it again with adjustments.
My main issue with this recipe is the suggested 45–50 minute bake time. I checked mine after just 27 minutes and it was already deeply browned. The result was very dry, even though other reviewers said theirs turned out moist. I followed the rest of the recipe exactly, using a tropical mixed dried fruit that worked perfectly (it was already pre-chopped into small bits), and I left out the nuts since my kids don’t like them in baked goods. They were fine right out of the oven, but I ended up tossing the leftovers because they were just too dry to enjoy.
I’d call this a great starter recipe or "idea recipe" to customize. There are so many ways to tweak it to your taste. I found mine turned out a little too fluffy, so next time I’ll cut the baking soda and baking powder in half. The base flavor was really nice, and I’m excited to test different fruit combinations. I’m also planning to experiment with the flour, maybe swapping half for oat flour – that sounds delicious! I kept half of the batch fresh and froze the other half, and I can already see myself making multiple batches at once to stock the freezer.
This recipe makes a fantastic batch of snack cakes that are perfect for breakfast or a tea-time treat. I stuck to all the dry ingredient suggestions, and used apricots and currants for my dried fruit mix since that’s what I had on hand. Nuts are a must-add for me, but the bars work perfectly well without them too. I don’t normally keep apple juice concentrate in the house, so I juiced an orange and added a bit of honey to thicken and sweeten it to use as a substitute. I only added 1 tablespoon of olive oil and that felt like plenty. Since my oven heats inconsistently, I always start checking quick bread-type baked goods around the 25 minute mark, and mine only needed 35 minutes total (tested with the basic toothpick method). The final result was moist, light, and nicely golden. I loved the blend of yogurt, orange juice, and apricot flavors with the warm spices. This is definitely a keeper recipe! I’m already planning my next batch with different combinations of fruit, yogurt, and juices. It’s quick, easy, and a delightful guilt-free treat. Thank you for sharing!
These are delicious, and I love that there’s no butter or added sugar. Since I don’t normally buy a large tub of plain yogurt or apple juice concentrate, I make 3 batches in one day and freeze 2 of them. I also only bake them for 25–30 minutes.
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Popular Community Tweaks
I made these last night and really liked them, but only after making the following changes – the most important adjustment is that the original recipe’s bake time is too long:
I used vanilla yogurt instead of plain
I only used raisins since my children don’t like other dried fruit
I used 2 tablespoons of honey and 2 tablespoons of water instead of apple juice concentrate. I was worried this wouldn’t keep it moist enough, so I added a few extra spoonfuls of yogurt too
I checked the oven after 20 minutes, saw the top was browned, and pulled it out – it was perfectly baked through
I will make these again and experiment with other changes.
I used dried cranberries and cherries. I also swapped apple juice concentrate for a little more than ¼ cup of white grape juice, and added a splash of vanilla extract. I spread the batter into a 7x11-inch dish and baked for 45 minutes, and it came out perfect. The title is a bit deceptive – you might expect the pre-packaged "fruit & yogurt" bars you get at the grocery store, but this is more like a cross between cake and a cookie bar (more solid than cake, but not as dense as a traditional granola bar) and much healthier. I thought it needed more flavor when I first tried it, but it tasted much better the next day!
I made these to freeze and pack in my kids’ school lunches, and they are so good. I used a tropical dried fruit mix with pineapple, mango, and papaya, and swapped plain yogurt for banana yogurt. I was also out of apple juice, so I used tangerine juice instead. It’s so easy to swap in the ingredients you have on hand for a yummy treat. Thanks for posting, I’ve added this to my once-a-month cooking collection.
Recipe submitted by MommyMakes, Austin