Park Lane Pantry started with a love for granola and a passion for clean and all-natural ingredients. The two women founders were brought together last year by a mutual friend while Tiffany Lustig was pursuing an executive MBA at Southern Methodist University and Elaine Pearlman was beating cancer.
Taking matters into her own hands after being diagnosed, Pearlman eliminated gluten, sugar, soy and dairy from her diet. She had a love for granola but could not find a brand without all of these ingredients that tasted great. She started creating something she loved in her own kitchen, and Park Lane Pantry was born.
A year later, Park Lane Pantry has expanded into large-scale grocers like Central Market and small boutique shops like The Gem and Royal Blue Grocery. A key ingredient that makes this granola unique is the use of monk fruit as sweetener rather than sugar or honey. Monk fruit has become a popular sweetener because it has zero calories, zero grams of sugar and is the lowest glycemic sweetener on the market.
They’ve also expanded the line to include more flavors. Orange Cranberry Nut Free granola is great for kids and adults with nut allergies. Almond Cranberry Crunch is slow-toasted, double-baked and made from scratch with almonds, pecans, coconut, cranberries, apricots and gluten-free rolled oats. Dark Chocolate Crunch is the newest flavor, released in April, and is quickly becoming a favorite.
Park Lane Pantry also has a passion for supporting local charities and has teamed up with Dwight Powell Children and Family Support Fund at UT Southwestern Medical Center to help families and children without financial or emotional resources negotiate all that goes on when a family member receives a cancer diagnosis. A percentage of all profits from Park Lane Pantry will be donated to Dwight’s fund.
The granola is delicious to snack on or sprinkled over your favorite dairy-free yogurt to make a parfait. It can also be made into protein-packed energy bites, which are a great breakfast on the run. Using Park Lane Pantry’s newest chocolate granola, plus peanut butter, coconut flour and cocoa powder, these energy bites are a refrigerator staple.
Kristen Massad of Dallas, a pastry chef and graduate of the French Culinary Institute in New York, blogs at joyoliver.com.
Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Energy Bites
1 cup chia cinnamon unsalted creamy peanut butter (from Bliss Nut Butters)
1 teaspoon coconut oil
1/3 cup coconut flour or brown rice flour
3/4 cup Park Lane Pantry Dark Chocolate Crunch granola
1/4 cup raw cacao powder or unsweetened cocoa powder
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or wax paper and set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk peanut butter, coconut oil and coconut flour until fully incorporated and thickened.
Pulse granola in a food processor to make it easier to stir but not too fine (you will want the texture and the crunch).
Mix the granola and peanut butter mixture together.
Using a spoon or small ice cream scoop, scoop the granola mixture and place on the prepared baking sheet.
Transfer the baking sheet to the freezer to chill for 20 to 30 minutes until somewhat firm.
Remove granola bites from the freezer and roll into balls. Dust each ball with cacao powder and place the energy bites back in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
Best served cold. Enjoy!
Makes 12 energy balls.
SOURCE: Kristen Massad