Reader Keith Char relies on Clif bars to give him energy on his runs. He says he particularly enjoys the Cranberry Apple Cherry Clif bar as it has the least amount of total fat and saturated fat; however, it has 21 grams of sugar. He asked for a lightened recipe that he could make at home with similar nutritional value but a lot less sugar.

This was a challenge! I decided to try brown-rice syrup — a slowly digested form of sugar that you can get in a health-food store — as the sweetener. But the first experiment was a disaster because I cooked the brown-rice syrup too long. The bars turned into cement blocks. I tested my second batch with my meditation group, however, and they gave me a "Go."

It really helps to have a health-food store nearby, such as Kale's, next door to Safeway in Hawai'i Kai.

In this recipe, brown-rice syrup is both a sweetener and a binder. It is made by fermenting brown rice with special enzymes. These enzymes break down the starch in the rice, producing a light brown, translucent syrup that is an excellent alternative to brown or white sugar.

Conventional white and brown sugar are simple sugars — monosaccharides and disaccharides. Brown-rice syrup is a complex sugar or a polysaccharide. In the body, polysaccharides are broken down more slowly than monosaccharides, avoiding rapid spikes in blood glucose. The slow absorption also uses the complex sugars for energy instead of being stored as fat for later use. The buttery flavor and delicate sweetness of brown rice syrup make it an ideal sweetener in baking and desserts.

I did use some Splenda in these for texture and sweetness without calories and sugar. But if you object to artificial sweeteners, you can substitute an equal amount of white sugar.

These bars take less than an hour to make. The trickiest thing is cleaning up the sticky saucepan and spatula. No huhu — just put water in da pot and boil the residue until the syrup melts.

You won't mind a little work because each bar costs about 67-70 cents apiece, much less than store-bought bars. I called them Loco 'Ono Energy Bars — low cost and delicious to eat.

LOCO 'ONO ENERGY BARS

1 1/2 cups rolled oats

1 cup crispy brown-rice cereal

1/4 cup sesame seeds

1/2 cup wheat germ

1 1/2 cup dried apples

1 cup raisins or currants or chopped dried cherries

1/2 cup nonfat protein powder

1 cup brown-rice syrup

1/2 cup Splenda

1/2 cup reduced-fat peanut butter (chunky)

1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon apple pie spice

Nonfat cooking spray

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 13-by-9-inch jellyroll pan with nonfat cooking spray. Spread oats, cereal, sesame seeds and wheat germ on the pan and toast for about 15 minutes. Turn with a spatula every 5 minutes until lightly browned.

Meanwhile, chop apples and place in a large bowl. Add raisins and protein powder and toss by hand to coat the fruit. Add the toasted oat-cereal mixture to this same bowl and mix thoroughly.

Lightly spray another jelly-roll pan with cooking spray.

In a large saucepan over low heat, combine rice syrup and Splenda. When the Splenda has dissolved, mix in peanut but-ter, vanilla and apple pie spice. Add the coated-fruit and oat-cereal mixture to this saucepan and stir with a rubber spatula until all the dry ingredients stick together. Do not overcook.

With dampened hands and spatula, spread the warm mixture into the sprayed jellyroll pan, pressing into an even layer. Chill to desired firmness. (These are unbaked bars.)

Cut into 2-by-3-inch bars.

They may be wrapped individually in plastic wrap or waxed paper.

Store in a airtight container, with waxed paper between layers. The bars can be refrigerated up to a month or frozen for longer storage.

Makes approximately 24 bars.

Per serving (with Splenda): 180 calories, 4 g total fat, 1 g saturated fat, mg 0 cholesterol, 120 mg sodium, 32 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, 17 g sugar, 4 g protein

Per serving (with sugar): 190 calories, 4 g total fat, 1 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 120 mg sodium, 35 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, 21 g sugar, 4 g protein

Want a local recipe lightened up? Write Light & Local, Taste Section, The Advertiser, P.O. Box 3110, Honolulu, HI 96802; or taste@honoluluadvertiser.com. Carol Devenot is a Kaimuki-raised kama'aina, teacher and recipe consultant, and author of "Island Light Cuisine" (Blue Sea Publishing, paper, 2003). Learn more at www.islandlightcuisine.com.