Survival Bar Recipe & Instructions:
Chocolate Chia Survival Bars
How to make homemade survival bars that actually taste good- I have now tried many of packaged survival bars, and have made a fruit flavored recipe for homemade emergency food bars with a long shelf life. I thought to myself, surely there is a better way to make a homemade survival food bar. The fruit Jello bars are good, but are awfully sweet. They also do not have the nutritional value I knew you could pack into a bar. The solution? Chocolate and Chia seeds.
If you do not know about chia seeds, keep reading. I included some nutritional info on chia, which is a pretty perfect survival food. Chia seeds pretty stay good for years, and they retain their nutritonal value as well as their flavor. They add a nice little crunch to this bar, and the chocolate combines nicely with them. I also added a scoop of protein powder to this recipe. Protein powder is one of my favorite things to add to baking mixes. It really adds value, and the flavor and texture are undetectable, at least to me. You can leave this ingredient out, if you choose.
I decided to make these bars individually. Rolling and cutting them was a tedious chore, and the bars were likely to crumble if not cut through properly. These store more easily, and it is far easier to control the exact portion size and determine nutritional value when made in the manner I describe. These round bars are much easier to get into a dehydrator. Piece of cake.
I also cut the amount of sugar from the fruit recipe. This one still has sugar, but less. I so appreciate all the wonderful feedback, comments and suggestions on the first post. I promise to keep coming up with recipes. Already have two more in mind, and at least one will be sugar free.
How to Make Survival Bars:
Ingredients for Survival Bars
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2 1/2 cups powdered dry milk
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2 cups oats (quick or regular will work, but I like regular)
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1/2 cup chia seeds (need chia seeds? check out my picks below to order some)
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1/4 cup cocoa powder
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3/4 cup sugar
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1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)
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2 Tablespoons Protein Powder (optional)
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1 package plain, unflavored gelatin
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3 Tablespoons honey
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1/2 cup water
So what is Chia?
Chia Seed Facts:
Why chia seeds are an ideal, storable survival food
1) Nutrition: Chia seeds are a very high source of Omega 3s, linked to a wide variety of health benefits. Chia seeds also have amino acids, magnesium, and an assortment of minerals.
2) Versatile Superfood: Chia seeds can be soaked in water, juice or tea. They can be sprinkled on salads or on cereal, and can be added to bread and pancake mixes. You can make sauces, dressings and dips from them. Chia is one of the most versatile superfoods around.
3) Affordability: Chia seeds are much cheaper than most other superfoods. In terms of the nutrition chia seeds provide, they are one of the most affordable long-term storable superfoods that we know of.
4) Shelf life and storage: Chia seeds store easily for 2 – 4 years without the need for refrigeration, and 4 or more years if refrigerated. Chia seeds do not go rancid quickly like many other seeds.
5) Allergen Free: Chia contains no gluten, wheat, corn or soy. Virtually everyone can eat chia seeds, even pets and farm animals.
6) Non-GMO: Chia seeds are completely non-GMO.
7) Taste: Chia tastes great, and does not have a strong flavor like some nutritious seeds, The taste is actually more “neutral” than anything else, meaning it goes extremely well with almost any recipe you can imagine: Smoothies, cereals, bake mixes, etc.
Step 1:
Step 2: Stir dry ingredients
Step 3: Combine gelatin, honey and water
Add 1/2 cup of water (not pictured)
Step 4: Stir over medium heat until it boils
Stirring as you heat it, let the mixture come to a rolling boil. This is when the mixture keeps boiling even when stirred. Do not overheat.
Step 5: Add liquid to dry ingredients and mix
Pour the liquid mixture into your mixing bowl with the dry mixture. I highly recommend using an electric mixer, preferably a good one. This dough is thicker than most. A good mixer will have no problem. Mixing by hand will require patience. You will need to check the consistency of the dough. It should mash into a ball in your hand, not crumble. Add water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until your dough forms a ball as shown. You do not, however, want to add too much water. You only want to add enough to stick, and you may not need to add any at all.
Step 6: Check consistency
Step 6: Add water if needed
Add water 1 tablespoon at a time until the dough will form in your hand. If it still crumbles, you need water. Do not add too much. Add one tablespoon, mix, check. Add more as needed. You may not need to add any, but in dry climates, this is often necessary.
Step 7: Measure portions, pack and form
I used a 1/4 cup scoop to measure my bars. ( I am measuring the 1/4 cup before packing the dough in the cup) Then, I packed the mix in, turned it over on a wooden cutting board, and flattened the bars, rounding the edges with my hand. You will need a nonstick surface for this. A wooden cutting board is recommended.
Step 7: Repeat Step 6 until finished
This recipe makes approximately 16 bars when you use a 1/4 cup measure.
Step 8: Bake or dehydrate your bars
Baking Instructions:
Heat your oven to 200 degrees. Place the bars on a cookie sheet and bake for 2 hours. Cool before storing
Dehydrating Instructions:
Place your bars on a dehydrator rack, spacing them so that they do not touch. Dehydrate for 3 hours. Cool before storing.
Step 9: Store bars, or serve.
I served mine…We had to try them. I still have a few left, but more were eaten than not. A good sign. Would love to know what you think when you try them!
Want to be ready with food for a crisis?
Check out this complete guide to Food Storage in A Crisis. Super stuff:
When the Food Runs Out
What is When the Food Runs Out? The complete “When the Food Runs Out” guide to food storage in a crisis – 46 compact pages of proven survival savvy detailing what you SPECIFICALLY must have (and in what amounts) to protect your loved ones’ food supply in a crisis situation.Essential non-food supplies that can make or break your survival plans that everyone seems to forget about until it’s too late. Detailed (and affordable) supplies list and where to get the essentials without breaking the bank in these tough times.Four incredible bonus reports: Vertical Gardening, Canning Secrets, How to Cook and Store Food Outside, and 170 Gallons a Day….FREE! (normally $37 each).
Need Chia Seeds? Check out my picks:
HealthWorks Chia Seeds 16oz/1lb
Bob's Red Mill Chia Seeds, 16-Ounce Bags (Pack of 4)
Want to buy the best premade Survival Food Bars?
These are our favorites, and we are not just saying that. Our friend “Above Average Joe”, the executive editor of Survival Life, has tried every bar out there, and these are his picks. Personally, I think the Mayday bars rock. Taste like apple cinnamon pie crust.
Mayday Bars
A single one
Mayday Food Bar – 400 Calories
The 24 Pack
Mayday Food Bar – 400 Calories – Pack of Twenty Four
The Big Pack
Mayday 2400 Calorie Food Bars (24 per case) MRE, Camping, Hiking, Survival
Millennium Bars
Millennium Bars Assorted 24-Pack
ER Emergency Ration
These sound really good. I am gluten-free and this works! Just a quick note–try an ice cream scoop that measures 1/4 cup (#12) It will allow you to pack it into the scoop and it releases easily in a round form. All you have to do is flatten it out and dehydrate.
Keep up the good work and wonderful ideas!!
Thank you!
For the jello fruit bar recipe, I substituted 1/2 cup of ground flax seed meal for 1/2 cup of sugar. Still had some sweet taste plus added fiber.
Sounds like a good idea, Chet.
The oils in flaxseeds go rancid quickly if not refrigerated. Be sure to rotate and use them. Try oat fiber if you want more fiber, but remember that you need to increase your water intake substantially.
HTH
I’m wondering if adding peanuts or raisins would shorten the shelf life, and, if so, by how much. I suspect that it would, but would maybe be acceptable for some short time snacks or for camping or hiking. What do you think?
I like the idea of the chia bars, but could we use more honey or molasses instead of the sugar, and use carob powder instead of cocoa. What about using sesame seeds? or quinoa? Chia is pretty expensive…in fact anything that is good seems to be expensive. Thanks for your ideas!
I like this ideas. Thank you. Already had a homemade sesame survival bar recipe in mind. Now that I see you would like one, I will make it. Thanks!
How do you store these bars for the long term?
These sound good. I use silicone cupcake molds to freeze my prepared steel cut oatmeal so I don’t have to cook it every day. I Would use these to size and shape them. Could also bake them in the mold too.
Super tips. Thanks
I think this recipe is a great base for many variants for short and long term storage. I buy organic seeds and Quinoa and grow my own from those. I also like the idea of honey or molasses in place of the sugar.
Thanks Stephanie,
When I followed the directions I ended up with a sticky mess that stuck to every thing. I ended up using s soup spoon to scoop and scrape off on to a parchment covered cookie sheet. Showing that it did not seem to be sticking to your hands I must have used to little dry or too much wet.
Have you run into this?
That sounds like too much water. I did not encounter this problem. I ended up adding more than I thought I would need to. Thank you for the feedback. Apologize you encountered issues. Anyone else have this problem, please let me know. I will modify the instructions. Thanks!
hello great recipe..i will add to mine crushed CHEWABLE VITAMIN TABLETS maybe 3 to a batch…just for a little boost..cant hurt! pray for peace..Cindra
Thank you so much for the recipes. I am going to try them next week. As a note, most honey has anti-bacterial properties so instead of adding it to the pot and boiling away all it’s natural benefits except sweetness, maybe you could add it after the mixture cools a bit so all the nutrients don’t get boiled away. Another nice addition would be dried elderberries as they have anti-viral properties along with plenty of nutrients. Always nice to add nutrition to energy bars.
Thanks again for all your hard work. It is appreciated !
JM
I was at first concerned about the use of gelatin; when I was a kid I used it as nutrient for bacteria experiments. But I guess dehydration takes care of that.
For what it’s worth, I am an actual GMO because of what a rabbi did to me when I was 8 days old. We Jews have a ritual fruit paste used in Passover celebration called haroseth. It is symbolic of the mud used by them to make bricks for construction projects in Egypt. I make it out of dates, dried apricots, raisins, and figs. I have been just using a knife to finely chop the stuff but a wonder if running it through a meat grinder would work. After seeing this article, I am convinced that it can be made into fruit bars for survival– just mold it into cakes and dehydrate it.
Dehydration: I replace the oven light bulb with a 100 watt (now outlawed) bulb and put foods on the oven rack. Some food, like salmon jerky, attracts ants, so I invert four coffee cups in bowls of water and put a small rack on the cups (forming an ant moat). Seems to work for salmon; I can’t wait to try it on the fruit leather strips.
Finally, another good survival food is Matzoh; this was actually intended as survival food for the exodus from Egypt 3000 years ago. As long as it is dry, it keeps forever. If you freeze it, the weevils cant get to it and it lasts even longer than forever. It turns out that Yin and Yang have appeared here: the haroseth is somewhat laxative, and the matzoh is constipating; eaten together, there is no problem. Ingredient wise, matzoh is the same as hardtack, but because of the way it is rolled and baked, it is much easier to eat. Also, you can wet it, crumble it up, and add it to an egg and a tablespoon glob of goose fat, and fry it up to make a great tasting breakfast omelet that will give you a heart attack in the far future.
Got any good recipies for quinoa or teff?
Getting ready to try these bars today, very excited! Have you thought about a chocolate and peanut butter variety?
I use only Great Lakes grass fed beef gelatin, and would like to know: how much is in a “packet” of gelatin? I’m thinking about 1 Tablespoon, but am not sure.
Thanks for the reply.
This looks like an awesome recipe. Can’t wait to try it.
Dont omit the salt. in fact I would increase it, salt is essential to keep you from dehydrating while hiking or camping, water alone does not replace it as you sweat it out.
Thanks for the tip! 🙂
I’m teaching young mothers how to “prepare”. I’ll be doing a class on making these yummy chocolate and Chia seed bars. I can’t wait to give then a try. I’ve been asked how to store them (in what?) and how long will they store (last)? Thank you!
these sound good, but unfortunately I am lactose intolerant. Do you have any suggestions in stead of powdered milk
There are a lot of different replacements for powdered milk, for example almond milk powder.
I made these with fruit pectin instead of regular gelatin, because my girlfriend is a vegetarian. Changing those ingredients around doesn’t seem to have changed the taste much, but I can’t be certain as I haven’t tried them made with regular gelatin. So far though, they seem to be a hit. The consistency is a little different than what is shown, but they were still super easy. The only question I have is how long they can be kept.
If you vacuum seal these in portions of two to four, what is the shelf/storage life of these?
how do I store them?
Still too much sugar. Cut it in half again. Raw sugar would be better than white also. Sugar suppresses your immune system, something that won’t be affordable in the event of catastrophe.
These look amazing! Any ideas for substations for the gelatin? We are vegetarians!
Agar is a seaweed extract isn’t it?
You’re right Karen.
Should be an easy way to print these. Am I missing it?
simply leaving out the gelatin wont affect the ‘bar’ in anyway. it really serves no purpose here.
Gelatin is only truly ‘active’ after it’s been added to water allowed to set up and then ‘melted’ again over a warm bath.
Could hemp seeds be used also – from what I read they are very good for us? Also, I would definitely use the honey – is brown sugar better for yu than white – the fact that it is more moist might help with holding them together…..
2 thoughts: Keep ingredients warm – it will aid in mixing in the gelatin which firms up rapidly when chilled. For lower carb replace sugar with xylitol.(yes it is a “carb” but doesn’t require insulin to metabolize.) Perhaps the honey also?
Another question – does being “alive” enhance chia seed storage time? If so one would want to use the dehydrator instead of the oven and use it at a lower temp. Low enough not to inactivate plant enzymes?
I love that these bars of full of nutrition, and I have everything I need already on hand! However, I’m concerned about the shelf life of this particular recipe. Have you noticed the flavor going off after a while, due to the protein powder?
I was thinking about making these with powder coconut milk.
I would like to make some of these bars, however my husband is a diabetic and sugar sends him for a loop. What can I use in it’s place? How about Splenda????