Fruit and Cereal Bites

You can make this nutritious alternative to so-called energy bars with any dried fruit and practically any cereal, and it takes no time at all. To gild the lily, roll the finished bites in shredded unsweetened coconut, finely ground nuts, or cocoa.

1½ cups dried fruit

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 tablespoons honey (optional)

Fruit juice or water, as needed

1 cup ready-to-eat breakfast cereal, like granola

Crumbled shredded wheat, or any whole grain flakes or “nuts”

1 Put the dried fruit, oil, and honey if you are using it in a food processor and puree until smooth, adding fruit juice a little at a time to keep the machine running. You’ll need to stop once or twice to scrape down the sides of the bowl. (Add small amounts of water or fruit juice if the fruit is dried out and is not processing.) Fold in the cereal until evenly distributed.

2 Take a heaping tablespoon of the mixture and roll it into a ball. Then if you like, roll the ball around in any extra ingredients; see the headnote. Put the balls between layers of waxed paper in a tightly covered container and refrigerate until set, about 45 minutes. Eat immediately, or store in the fridge for up to several days. You can also wrap the balls individually in wax paper, like candies.

Fruit and Cereal Bars: Line an 8-inch by 8-inch pan with foil. Follow the recipe through Step 2. Spread the mixture in the pan, pushing it into the corners and evening the top. Refrigerate to set as above. If you like, dust the top with any of the other ingredients as described in the headnote. Then cut into squares.