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In case you aren’t familiar, King’s Island is an amusement park with rides that is packed with people during the warm months. We live close enough that we can plan our trips during the slowest times, but there’s still always a lot of people and lines to get on rides. As we were standing in one such line waiting for our turn on some kiddie ride, I watched my son Luke, an impatient 3-year-old, jumping up and down, hands on the bar the kept us all in a straight line, his head bobbing up and down like his legs were on springs. Then he did something that made me question ever letting a toddler be more than arm’s reach away in such a busy place.
He licked the bar.
Yes, he licked it.
I’m really not a germophobe, but I thought I was going to die. It’s like a could taste the dirt and germs in my own mouth and I pictured him getting sick immediately. I tried to explain to him, not for the first time, why putting our mouth on something other than our own utensils was a terrible idea, but his eyes glossed over and he looked ahead to the ride we were awaiting. 
Maybe he built his immunity a little that day by exposing his body to more germs, but I’m much more comfortable building immunity through food. I developed this recipe with my family’s immune systems in mind. I wanted to create a breakfast bar that was full of nutrients that are known to build up our immune systems. I’ll touch on them a little here, but check out this post I wrote about foods and nutrients that boost your immune system back in 2011. Lots of good information there and it will definitely help as you plan what foods to feed your family!
Here’s a quick look at nutrients that boost your immune system and what’s in these bars:
VITAMIN C: Increases the production of those infection-fighting white cells AND increases levels of an antibody (interferon) that coats cell’s surfaces and prevents the entry of viruses. Ingredients in this recipe with Vitamin C: chickpeas, pumpkin
CAROTENOIDS: Increase the number of infection-fighting cells, natural killer cells, and helper T cells, all which strengthen the immune system’s fighting power. They also convert to immune-boosting Vitamin A in our body. Ingredients in this recipe with carotenoids: pumpkin
SELENIUM: This is a mineral that increases natural killer cells, which kill virus-infected cells. Ingredients in this recipe with selenium: oats, maple syrup, chickpeas, almonds
VITAMIN E: Enhances the production of B-cells. These are the immune cells that produce antibodies that destroy bacteria.Ingredients in this recipe with Vitamin E: pumpkin, almonds, chickpeas
ZINC: Increases the production of white blood cells. White blood cells fight infection and help us fight more aggressively. Ingredients in this recipe with zinc: pumpkin seeds, chickpeas, maple syrup, almonds
VITAMIN B6: A deficiency in Vitamin B6 causes a suppressed immune response. Ingredients in this recipe with Vitamin B6: almonds, chickpeas
BETA-GLUCAN: A type of fiber with antimicrobal and antioxidant capabilities, which boosts immunity. Ingredients in this recipe with beta-glucan: oats
This is definitely a healthy breakfast bar you can feel good about feeding your kids! Especially if they go around licking hand rails, like mine do. 😉
Meghan and Luke both liked these, but while Meghan ate them without batting an eye at the toppings, Luke wanted me to take off all of the seeds and oats before he’d eat them. He’s a typical toddler. If you have a similar eater, I’d recommend leaving the toppings off, too. Also, I list some optional mix-ins in the recipe. The kids definitely like these better with the dark chocolate chips, and dark chocolate does have immune-boosting properties. As a mom, I prefer these with less sugar. But feel free to add in the dark chocolate chips as it’s a delicious option!
Immunity-Boosting Breakfast Bars
Makes 16 bars
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
1 can (15 ounces) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup dates
1/2 cup whole almonds
1 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1/4 cup maple syrup
2 tablespoons coconut oil
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
optional add-ins: dark chocolate chips, raisins, chopped walnuts
toppings
1/4 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8X8 inch pan with parchment paper, leaving a little overhang.
Put all ingredients in a food processor and process until very well combined. Scrape the sides of the machine down a few times and let the machine run until the mixture is quite smooth. Add any add-ins you prefer.
Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan and add the toppings. Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. I much prefer these served warm, but Luke enjoyed them cold, too. They are best if eaten within 2-3 days. Store in the refrigerator. Enjoy!
hi – i wonder if i need to cook mine more they fall apart and a little squishy – help!
Did they fall apart even after they were totally cool? That can happen if you try to eat them too early, but they should firm up if you allow them to cool completely. It could be that they need to be cooked more, however, as oven temperatures can vary.
Absolutely delicious! Mine turned out just like the picture – thank you for sharing such a wonderful, healthy recipe!
You’re welcome!!
Wow these are perfect for one of my clients! Can’t wait to share them with her.
Thanks so much for sharing!
I made these this morning. Delicious! I didn’t get mine very smooth, because I have a tiny food processor, so a little chunky in places, but still very good.
I’m glad you liked these, Dawn! Thanks for letting me know. 🙂
I’ve made these three times. So yummy! They remind me of a dense, moist quick bread. The kids generally will only eat them with chocolate chips of course. It really does require some persistent scraping down of the processor bowl, but it gets there eventually 🙂 Thanks for a great recipe!
You’re welcome, Chris! Thanks for letting me know. 🙂
will these freeze well? thx.
I’m not sure because I haven’t tried it. If you try it, please let me know how it works!
These look amazing! I’ve got all the ingredients, but heading out of town. I’ll pin them for when I’m back 🙂
I hope you love them after your trip, Diane!
Great blog post! Im sorry that he licked the rail ( I think I would die 1,000 times) but it made for a great story. Looking forward to trying these bars!
I hope you love them, Heather!
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can I substitute brownie mix for the baking powder?? or just add brownie mix?
I don’t recommend using brownie mix for these.
Hi, I found this recipe on pinterest and it looks great. I’ll have to try it out. However, I find that the ads on your site are messing with the formatting and make it difficult to actually read your content. There’s also a huge ad that is currently taking up the bottom half of your page as I’m currently viewing it. If you make revenue from ads on your site, there comes a point when too many ads will deter traffic if readers can’t actually navigate through to your content.
Thanks for letting me know, Janna, I really appreciate the feedback. May I ask if you are viewing on mobile or desktop? The formatting is different for each and I’d like to look into which one is causing the problem. Whatever revenue I make from ads is definitely not worth it if it’s taking away from the reader experience.
thanks so much for sharing these bars, they loook AMAZING. and i love how you told us what each ingredient is good for! i’ll definitely be making them to take back to school! <3
We don’t have pumpkin puree here in Australia – can I sub apple sauce? Or something else?
How about pureed sweet potato?
What a delicious nutrient dense recipe. Homemade bars and granola are so much better than store bought. Bonus that it’s gluten free!
Thanks, Jill! I agree that homemade bars are so much better. 🙂
These look wonderful! I have the same concerns (aka obsessions) as a mom of two! I can’t wait to make these this weekend.
As a microbiologist I have to comment… your son probably didn’t catch any bacteria (or virus for that matter) from licking the bar. Bacteria normally don’t rhrive in these places. When I did my PhD I had a course for medical students in microbiology- One of their first experiments was to grow bacteria from different places in the immediate surroundings. The most popular places was the dorrhandle in the restrooms (the door between the toilet and the basin to make it worse). Do you know what? Hardly anything grew there!! Microwave ovens and coffee machines on the other hand was filled with (still not pathogenic) bacteria. Lots of food, water and warmth for the bacteria…
Having said that, I’ll definitely try your bars. they look delicious 🙂
How interesting! I guess I don’t have to cringe as much as I thought. 😉
Always on the look out for new breakfast bars, especially with little to no sugar added. Double yay! 🙂
(*I* about died when I read about Luke’s licking incident. UGH! But, yes, I, too, would be looking at it as the ultimate immune building opportunity. 🙂 But what goes through the mind of a three year old that makes a disgustingly dirty object enticing enough to be explored with their tongue? LOL)
Thank you, Liz! I hope you love these. 🙂
Ok, thinking about these, but for me! Wondering though, they look soft, are they? I prefer soft to those hard brick things that you get in the store. thanks !!!
These are very soft. I would say the texture is similar to a fudgey blondie. It reminds me of a cross between a cookie bar and cake. I hope that helps!
Those look amazingly delicious! Another one of your recipes I MUST try!!! Thank you!!!
You’re welcome, Kathy! I hope you love these. 🙂
Yummy! These sound amazing! OMG, I could see why Luke licking a bar would drive you nuts — haha. That totally grosses me out thinking about it.
Seriously! SO gross.