what would you suggest as a substitute ingredient?

[kt~mommy]

i really want to make these both for myself (i go through granola bars like nuts at work) and my 15mo-old. i want to be able to pack them for daycare, but the peanut butter is a 'no-no' with all the allergies. so what can i substitute do you think? i can't wait to try all different ingredient combos, but gotta get the pb out of there (at least for daycare) and i'm stumped

recipe:
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Chewy-C...rs/Detail.aspx

[dogmom327]

How about almond butter?

[kt~mommy]

ooo - that sounds delicious - never heard of it! where can you buy it? i'm going to go look it up!

[dogmom327]

I think most stores carry it now days and certainly any sort of health food store would. There are other options too...cashew butter is very yummy.

[NatureMama4]

sun butter

[BNC]

Do you have to add a "butter"? I think hillbillyhousewife.com has recipes that dont involve any "butters".

[cherylchoo]

The only thing about most nut butters is they are often processed in a facility that processes peanuts, so if you are trying to avoid peanut allergy you have to read the label. I have found that the soynut butters tend to be made in peanut-free facilities. But the almond butter, cashew butter, and macadamia nut butters taste a whole lot better.

[craezie]

Is it your son who has the allergies or someone else at his daycare? Because processed in a facility is probably ok someone with the allergy is just going to be in the same room, but wouldn't be ok if the kid with the allergy was actually eating it.

If you have to ditch the nut butter altogether, you are going to need to add about 1/2 c of a dense fat. I would recommend coconut oil but butter would work -- they just will go bad faster. Then you would want to increase the applesauce by about 1/4c. That should work for your bars to hang together, but they won't be nearly as yummy without your PB!

[alternamama82]

I know at daycares/schools here, ALL nut butters are banned.

[artemis33]

Oh, almond butter would be my choice - we loooove that around here! (Trader Joe's and Whole Foods 365 brand are pretty good for prices).

If all nuts are banned, sunflower seed butter would work. I like the coconut oil suggestion too - maybe mix those.

You could also sub honey or brown rice syrup for the corn syrup if you wanted.