84 Comments
Leave a ReplyLoving your website!! It’s making the transition to vegan all that much easier 🙂 can’t wait to try some of these recipes and blog about you!!!
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Thanks, Brooke!
“It’s making the transition to vegan all that much easier” – awesome! That’s my goal and I’m so happy it’s helpful for you!
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Hi – we’ve just tried out your pinhole recipe. Well done! We have tried out various recipes and yours is by far the best. Thank your all your work on this. Greatly appreciated!!
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Awesome! Thanks for letting me know. This recipe did take many versions before I got it right and I’m glad you like it! 🙂
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very nice! I added one tablespoon of suma powder for an extra energy kick – I bought it once, but had no idea how to use it up since it’s so freaking bitter. now I know how to get “rid” of it. 🙂
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Cool! I’ve never used suma powder, but I feel the same way about maca root powder – it has great health benefits but it’s super bitter.
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that’s good to know, I’ll try to use suma as a substitute next time I stumble upon a recipe with maca. mine turned out great (other family members loved them too)! I don’t know if pinole bars had anything to do with it, but I achieved my best running result the day I ate them – and I wasn’t even trying! 😀
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Great recipe! I’ve been looking for something that will fuel me on my next marathon and possible 50K next year. I’ll be experimenting with these over the next few weeks.
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Thanks, Jay! Good luck with the experimenting, I hope this Pinole works out for you. I’m training for my first marathon this year, but a 50K sounds like a blast!
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Training for a half-marathon and looking forward to trying these. I’ve tried recipes in the past that were too unpleasant to finish. Thanks!
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Good luck, Shirley and I hope you like this Pinole recipe!
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I was looking for a pinole recipe and yours seemed the tastiest. I tried it out today and ended up making 3 batches (the last of which double) for my runner husband who loves these “cookies” and is planning to take some with him on a marathon on Sunday. Thanks a lot!
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Oh, that’s so cool! I’m thrilled you guys like them so much. Tell your husband good luck with the marathon this weekend!
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Thanks so much!
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Hi,
I’ve been looking for a good Pinole recipe. Last long run before Dublin marathon on Saturday and I really want to have something like this in my pocket on the day. Will make them tomorrow to test my reaction. All things going well there will be a fresh batch on the 28th. Many thanks.Reply
That’s so great! I hope pinole can help your runs — best of luck with the marathon later this month! 🙂
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Still rocking this recipe from 8 years ago. Thank you.
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Nice! 🙂 I’m glad to hear it, Aroha
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these look so good!
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I had trouble finding non-gmo masa or cornmeal so I went with the organic quinoa I had on hand. The whole thing worked great and I prefer the nutritional make up of quinoa over corn anyway.
Thanks for providing a great recipe for me to tweak for myself!
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Hi Jackson, did you cook the quinoa first?
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my mother in law is from Mexico and she sent me some pinole on my husbands last visit back home. What should i add to that to make these cakes?
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That depends on what exactly she gave you… is it cornmeal with lime and spices? I would imagine the pinole you have is some combination of the ingredients listed above and once you know that, it’ll be pretty easy to figure out what else you need to make this recipe. Good luck! 🙂
it is ground toasted sweet corn. nothing else. so would i still have to use the rice syrup? that is my main concern. dont want it too sweet or loaded with calories!
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Feel free to adjust the syrup to make sure it isn’t too sweet. Or if you don’t want any sweetener at all, that should be fine. The only concern is the consistency as the stickiness does help them hold together.
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Ha ha that’s the funny part of this Pinole recipe… no Pinole in it!
No Pinole is not same as masa harina , but all this creativity is fun !!!Reply
Is it possible to make this with ordinary corn meal? Corn meal that is not treated with lemon?
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Hi Håvard, the short answer is yes. But masa isn’t treated with lime (the citrus fruit) it’s treated with lime (the mineral) and has a slightly different taste that’s typical of Mexican dishes like tortillas. So the taste will be slightly different, but I’ve used cornmeal myself and it works fine!
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Ok! Thanks mate!
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Don’t you need to soak the chia seeds first to access all of its nutritional benefits?
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Hi Heather! Not that I know of… They definitely form a gel when soaked, but I’ve never seen any research that suggests soaking is necessary to get their nutritional benefits.
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I made a double batch, The dates were sweet enough, didn’t need any other sweetener, And I added 2 Tab of almond flour, a bit more water. These are awesome!!! The combination of cinnamon with the toasted corn and chia is perfect. I keep these cookie crackers on the counter next to the fridge for a quick snack before and after running, and just whenever I need that little pick-me-up, for these do indeed provide yummy energy.
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Very cool, Heather! I’m actually inspired to try them without the rice syrup as well… with a little extra water and 1-2 more dates, I bet I could get a similar consistency (as you mentioned). Glad you like them! 😀
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You might want to read up on some recent information regarding brown rice syrup and arsenic levels. A few tablespoons might not hurt, but many endurance athletes are consuming a lot more than they realize. Just something to be aware of. Just Google ‘brown rice syrup arsenic’.
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Hi Andrew,
I have intolerance for corn and gluten. Is there a substitute for the corn in this recipe?
Thank you for all of your work and efforts in this project!! Thanks also for making free to the public. What a wonderful gift!
Kind regards,
Paige Martin
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Hi Paige, you may be able to use a gluten free flour, but this is primarily a corn-based recipe and unfortunately I can’t think of anything that would give the same effect 🙁
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It looks like someone tried quinoa and had good results. I will try and let you know. Thanks! Paige
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Just wanted to point why the pinole is more beneficial than regular corn meal (and easier to make your cookies with I would think): From wikipedia: “Maize subjected to the nixtamalization process has several benefits over unprocessed grain for food preparation: it is more easily ground; its nutritional value is increased; flavor and aroma are improved; and mycotoxins are reduced. Lime and ash are highly alkaline: the alkalinity helps the dissolution of hemicellulose, the major glue-like component of the maize cell walls, and loosens the hulls from the kernels and softens the corn. Some of the corn oil is broken down into emulsifying agents (monoglycerides and diglycerides), while bonding of the corn proteins to each other is also facilitated. The divalent calcium in lime acts as a cross-linking agent for protein and polysaccharide acidic side chains.[1] As a result, while cornmeal made from untreated ground corn is unable by itself to form a dough on addition of water, the chemical changes in masa allow dough formation.”
Any chance you tried the recipe with stevia in your experiments? Obviously you would loose the sticky factor from the syrup (have this same problem with my homemade nut and seed bars) but wondering how it might taste.
Thanks for the recipe, can’t wait to try it!
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Thanks for this! That’s absolutely right, alkaline substances break down the corn to make its nutrients more absorbable. In fact, Alton Brown had an entire segment of Good Eats dedicated to this subject, complete with a human-sized corn kernel to illustrate 😀
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Hi! First off, thanks for this recipe, these are so YUM! I have to make myself not eat them all in one day, lol! Also thanks for the peanut butter suggestion, that was a great snack after a hard training session, filling and felt like a treat rather than the usual “ugh, I have to eat something”.
My question – have you ever tried making these in bar form and cutting them to make them a little more portable (not that they’re hard to wrap up as is but little squares or bar shapes would be even easier I think)? Maybe in an 8×8 type pan? Just curious as to whether you (or anyone else) has tried that and if the texture changed or they baked all the way through without burning?
Thanks again! 🙂
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Hi Tonya! Thanks so much for the comments, I’m glad you like these as much as I do 🙂
To answer your question, I have not tired it in a pan and I’m suddenly wondering why not! That makes so much sense and I can only assume it’ll work just as well in a pan as the round cakes… but I cannot say for sure (yet). I’ll definitely try it soon though.
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OK, I am making a few of your recipes every week since I discovered your website two months ago. Everything is so good! I’ve made these yummy bars a few times.
Tonya asked about making them in a pan and this is what I do, along with a bunch of substituting. I use oatmeal instead of cornmeal, add some mushed bananas (along with the dates), maple syrup instead of brown rice syrup & and a bit of vanilla extract. Pour it into a silicone pan and bake as you directed. Tastes like banana bread.
I’ve also made it exactly as stated in your recipe and I like both versions. Thanks for the inspiration Andrew!
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Hi Sabine! Thanks so much for the comments, I’m really happy to hear that you’ve enjoyed my recipes. I love the banana bread idea you mentioned, I’ll have to try that soon!
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Hello Andrew,
These bars are great! I’ve been using fresh dates while running, but was looking for something more substantial. I’m going to try them without the ricesyrup as well and just add some extra water and a few more dates. Alle the feedback you’re getting on this is really helpfull.
One question: Do you know the approximate number of calories for one bar?
Keep up the good work, you are healing humanity bite by bite!
Greetings from The Netherlands,
JW (training for Berlin Marathon and beyond)
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Thanks so much, Jan! I think adding just more dates and water would be fine. I don’t know the calories, but I did write a blog post about this subject that you may want to see: https://oneingredientchef.com/how-to-get-nutrition-facts/
Good luck with the Berlin Marathon! That one looks like an awesome race, I’d love to do it someday. 🙂
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I’ve just tried these for the first time, preparing for an ultra in a couple of weeks. Fantastic. Thanks so much.
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An ultra? That’s so cool, Jemmy! I can’t wait to do one of those. Good luck with it!
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Hi! Thanks for the recipe!
So I made the bars but they seemed to come out darker than the ones in the pictures. Are they supposed to be pretty light? Maybe I used to mich brown rice syrup.
Anyway thanks again!
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Hmm, I’m not sure why that would be, Daniel. Toasting too long? Too much brown rice syrup? But as long as they taste fine, the color shouldn’t be a problem.
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Hi i have a question, im confusing do i have to toast masa harina? Maseca and add lemon? Or i have to toast corn meal and add lemon? Thanks
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No, it’s just regular masa harina. There’s no lemon mentioned anywhere. I do recommend toasting the masa but it’s not necessary.
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I am of Tarahumara descent. My father would prepare a pinole drink prior to a run. Wasn’t bad but wasn’t great either…lol
My question, do you have a recipe for the drink?
Also, Dad always told me pinole is not cornmeal. Only bought it in Northern Mexico.
Lastly, he would prepare his biscuits in squares. Easier to pack into your pocket.Reply
Thank you! For answer me !
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I love your website! Such inspiration and the photos make me want to cook 🙂 I just started running, read Born To Run and found your recipe for this when I searched how to make the Pinole cakes mentioned in the book. Your version was the best of the five I tried, but I can never leave a good thing alone:) I made it sweeter with mashed banana, upped the protein with nut butter and pumpkin seeds and made it into a one pan recipe. You inspired my version (so thanks!!) and, if interested, you can see here: http://www.thisihavefound.com/?p=100
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Oh, thank you Sylvia! 🙂 I’m glad you liked these ones the best… and your additions sound delicious!
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Coarse ground corn meal was so much better than fine, crunch instead of mush – not sure which one you recommend
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Hi Patrick! I recommend using fine cornmeal actually. It shouldn’t be mushy unless there was too much liquid… and if that was the case, just sprinkling a bit more cornmeal in the mix should get the right consistency.
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Coarse ground is really so much better! Give it a try –
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Hi Andrew,
I’m a long distance runner and swimmer and I’ve searched the internet far and wide to find a great tasting pinole recipe. Yours looks amazing however, where I live these things are hard to find. Is there a substitute recipe without dates and rice syrup?
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Hi Yendi… I was just about to ask the same question.
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Hi guys, I’m sorry but I don’t really make substitute recipes for all the ingredients in all my recipes. If I did, I probably wouldn’t even have finished the first one by now 🙂
But no I don’t think either of those could be easily substituted. Both are important to hold everything together. You might be able to use maple syrup, but IDK how you’d replace the dates.
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Hi Andrew,
I am so happy to have found your blog while searching for a Pinole recipe. I have just acquired the exact ingredients as per your recipe and will be baking some this afternoon. I will keep you posted on the progress. Again, thank you 🙂
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Made them and I must say, how extremely delicious! Thank you for your contribution
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Awesome! I’m glad you liked them 🙂
Looking at this recipe, fully intrigued, but also looking at budget and food availability. Would raisins be an ok substitute for dates? I know that the nutritional make-up won’t be the same, but is it passable?
Also, where would one look for rice syrup? I’ve never heard of the product. Depending on availablity, I might have to use something like honey or agave, but it would be nice to at least investigate the original!Thanks a ton, I look forward to trying this out!
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I just made a batch and they are amazing. My wife and I have been trying to find a recipe that is great for those multi-day backpacking trips and trail running and these are perfect.
I was wondering if you have the information on the macros per cookie?
Thanks
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Nice! I’m glad you like them. I didn’t calculate that myself, but here’s a post on how to get nutrition info: https://oneingredientchef.com/how-to-get-nutrition-facts/
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The only comment is in reference to the statement just use cornmeal it wont make a huge difference. Actually that is the huge difference. Treated corn is a super food because the process makes the nutrients in flint corn available for human consumption. With regular cornmeal the energy will be coming from the dates and sugars. Cornmeal is basically just filler with zero nutrients for humans. The reason pinole is a super food is because of the masa harina. Thank you for making the recipe but I think that if you are making this for the reason of pinole’s main use which is to supply energy you should make this a valid point in your recipe.
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where can one purchase premade pinole bars
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Check out Native State Foods. They have a pinole product under the brand name Purely Pinole. Saw them in Whole Foods! They currently sell Pinole in a hot cereal and in bulk, but they said they were launching a bar solely for runners this summer. They also have a much of recipes in their and on IG.
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I had previously read Born to Run and then found this recipe. Thanks for sharing it!
Love these cakes—tasty and easy on my sensitive runner’s gut. I add ground flaxseed and sometimes some hemp hearts and turmeric.
I make them into smaller cakes so they’re conveniently bite-sized.Reply
If I make them just the way your recipe calls do you know what the nutritional value of each round cake will be. What is protein content? carb content? calories? They are yummy just don’t want to be consuming too much depending on how long I’m running?
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Hi Elizabeth, ah I had almost forgotten about this recipe! I did a 14 mile trail run this morning. I’ve been loving peanut butter stuffed dates during runs, but I think I’ll experiment with pinole again now that you reminded me 🙂
That’s a good question. I haven’t calculated nutrition info for these but I did write an article on how you can find it for any of my recipes https://oneingredientchef.com/how-to-get-nutrition-facts/
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Nailed it. I double the recipe, and add a few extra dates. I don’t waste money on Quest bars anymore, I just stick with these. Taste like a perfect blend of corn bread and granola bar. Thanks!
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Nice! I’m glad to hear it. It’s funny, I’ve been looking for good long run food and I totally forgot about these… thanks for reminding me 🙂
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Didn’t know you needed to refrigerate these, ended up not having a good time a few days later when they looked like snow angels the day after I ate a few.
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Hey Ryan. After these have baked, you can put them in a food dehydrator and drive out nearly all of the moisture. What you end up with is essentially hardtack cookie/bars, and if they are dry enough, the shelf life can be many months at room temperature (wrapped, or in containers), and even longer refrigerated. They can also be done start to finish in a dehydrator. A typical dehydrator cookie calls for 160 degrees (F), for 12 hours, or until fully dry. You can go longer. You don’t have to worry about over drying them. You can also use an oven, if it has a low enough setting.
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Hi there. Just reread Born to Run as I have the Blue Mountains NSW UTA50 this weekend. It got me thinking about nutrition other than my usual Bloks and Vegemite sandwiches. Went on a hunt for a pinole recipe as couldn’t face the idea of eating gruel on the trail, and was pleased when I found yours. Surprised by how delicious the cornmeal smelled after toasting. The end result was even better! Added a good pinch of sea salt because I like it. Going to experiment with almond meal next time. Thanks Andrew!
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Do you have these Pinole bars for sale?
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Thanks for sharing such an amazing blog. Keep it up.
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Have you tried using date syrup instead of brown rice syrup? Just wondering if it would work as well.
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I love these and found they give me just the pick up I need for heading out on a run or working through my day. Is it possible to add the PB to the recipe up front so I don’t have to worry about making a mess if I choose to take one on a long run with me? If so, how much would you recommend? Thanks.
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