Ingredients:
3/4 lb. softened butter
2 cups sugar
1/3 cup light Karo syrup
1/3 cup honey
1 tsp maple flavoring
3/4 cup ground nuts (walnuts)
9 cups Quaker 1-minute oats
Notes:
This is the recipe from Northern Tier but you can modify the ingredients to include raisins, brown sugar, molasses, vanilla, or what sounds good.
Instructions:
You may want to grind up the oats in a blender or food processor.
Cream together all the ingredients except the nuts and oats, in a large mixing bowl.
Once it is all blended, stir in the oats and nuts. Make sure it is well mixed.
Spread the mixture onto a cookie sheet with at least a 1/2 inch high lip. Press the mixture down and pack it in until it fills the pan and is a smidge less than 1/2 inch thick. You'll probably need a second sheet.
Bake at 325 degrees for 15 minutes. Remove and press down with a spatula to prevent crumbling when it cools. (If you bake it too long, it gets hard and crunchy like a granola bar.)
While it is still warm, cut into 3 inch squares.
This is often eaten for lunch while canoeing. Globs of peanut butter and/or jelly are loaded on top and then eaten. It is a high-energy food that is great when you are burning lots of calories outside.
Click one to vote:
Next Recipe: Huevos Rancheros
All Recipes
Comments:
Jul 19, 2016 - joe
How many calories are in each 3 inch square block?
Jul 19, 2016 - Scouter Paul
@joe - Well, there's about 7750 calories in the entire batch using the amounts listed. So, divide that by the number of blocks to find out how many calories in each block. The number of blocks depends on how thick you make them.
Jul 22, 2019 - Paul Frost
Thanks for providing. I remember these from when I canoed at Region 7 canoe base in northern Wisconsin in the 1970's. They were good but also very filling - you eat too much and you feel like you would sink to the bottom of the lake if you fall overboard. We nick named them "Hudson bay bricks" but in spite of the nick name I recall them being really good.
Jul 27, 2019 - Scouter Paul
@Paul - I agree that they are very good. I make a bunch for winter camping and for snacks on multi-day backpacking trips since they are so calorie dense. I like to try different variations and have enjoyed both vanilla extract and chocolate extract. Grinding up fennel seeds makes an interesting licorice taste, too. (I think so, anyway.)
Jul 29, 2019 - Laura DePace
How long do they keep? And can you freeze them?
Jul 29, 2019 - Scouter Paul
@Laura - They are used on week and longer trips, and they can be frozen for long storage.
Dec 08, 2019 - Mike
I remember Hudson Bay Bread while canoeing out of Ely Minnesota in Boundary Waters... nice 7 day canoe trip with a few portages back in the early 70’s myself.. I fell in love with it, but had forgotten about it until I ran across it just the other day... My wife asked what she could make for a holiday treat this year, and I just had to have her make them in rememberance of a time cherished in yesteryear... I’m so appreciative to have come across the recipe, thank you so much!!
Mar 10, 2021 - Bennett Jeffers
Will the recipe be the same if I substitute peanuts for walnuts?
Mar 10, 2021 - Scouter Paul
@Bennett - It would taste different, but would be made the same. I would crush the peanuts into pieces rather than mixing them in whole.
Jan 22, 2022 - Shawmn
I was a Scoutmaster for 10 years and took our Scout Troop to Charles Sommers in the Boundary waters of the Us and Canada. We always mad several batches of the Hudson bay Btread for the 10mday trecks. What good memories this brings back...
Feb 25, 2022 - ERIC LARSEN
I must have confused myself over time. I remember a sturdy brick bread we relished during Boy Scouts on a trip in the Boundary Waters. I remembered it as bannock/bannick bread, but in lookingup that recipe...no sugar! I recall it seemed a tad sweet, so it must have been Hudson Bay bread I remember. Great stuff, especially for a food break on a long portage or long canoe across a long lake, especially if it was raining! Another memory from 1969-70!
Jul 23, 2022 - Margie Mom
My daughter’s doing a 21 day backpacking trek, 10 miles a day. Would these last that long? What if they were vacuum packed?
Aug 01, 2022 - Scouter Paul
@Margie - It would depend on humidity, warmth, and packaging. I would think vacuum packed would be fine. I've used them for almost 2 weeks with no problem.
Just for Fun: Socializing merit badge
This site is not officially associated with the Boy Scouts of America
Find more Scouting Resources at www.BoyScoutTrail.com
