I used to be addicted to crunchy industrial-style granola bars before I went sugar free, became concerned with my gut and obsessed with wellness. Since, I’ve tried my hand at making “clean” ones at home, but they’ve always tasted too healthy for the kids to like them – if that makes sense. Finally, my quest has stopped with these that I’ve adapted from Ohsheglows.com. They really hit the spot with a big mug of tea or coffee when you are in the mood for something sweet.
I’ve used rice malt syrup and coconut nectar as sweeteners, both of which can be found at the Organic Foods and Café. They are also sometimes available at Spinneys.
Makes 12 bars
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cup of oatmeal (I use gluten free)
- 1/4 cup of whole spelt flour (you could use gluten free as well mixed with a tsp of milled flax seed)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp chia seeds
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 cup of mixed raw almonds, cashews and pecans
- 1/3 cup of dried apricots or cranberries (you could use some dark chocolate here….)
- 2 tbsp unsweetened dried shredded coconut
- 1/2 cup of brown rice syrup
- 1/4 cup of coconut nectar
- 1/4 smooth unsweetened peanut butter
- 2 tbsp coconut oil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300F
- Line a 9-inch square pan with parchment paper (please don’t attempt without parchment paper -it will all get stuck to the bottom)
- Mix all the dry ingredients in a big bowl
- In a smaller bowl, put the rice syrup, coconut nectar and peanut butter. Heat them in the microwave for 45 seconds and mix thoroughly.
- Add liquid mixture to the dry ingredients and mix
- Pour the granola bar mixture into the pan and with a wet spoon (wetting the spoon prevents it from sticking to the syrupy granola), flatten it so that it has even thickness throughout
- Place in the oven for 25-30 minutes, until they turn into a golden caramel color
- Take out of oven and let cool for 20 minutes. This way, they are hard enough for you to cut them easily without crumbling.