Easy, Healthy Granola Bars
Store bought granola bars are marketed as a healthy snack, especially the Kind Bars I was seduced into buying while in a rush and looking for a “hold me over snack” to keep in the car.
In general, these types of bars are essentially glorified candy bars. Sure they have some healthy ingredients but they also contain cane sugar, tapioca syrup (2nd & 3rd ingredients, after oats), canola oil and brown rice syrup, among other things.
They also have an expiration date well over a year into the future, and these were the healthiest bars I could find. So I decided it was finally time to make my own.
This recipe was adapted slightly from one shared by a friend (thanks Julie!). The bars were delicious and healthy but they were a little bit crumbly the first day. They were fine by day 2 but I think I’d make balls with a cookie scoop next time (just didn’t have one yet).
I also forgot to add the raw pumpkin seed which I think would add a nice flavor and texture and I ordered some chocolate protein powder which I will experiment with adding next time to make the bars (or balls) a meal replacement in a pinch.
You can really put anything you want into these, which is both fun, satisfying and WAY healthier than anything you can buy at the grocery store. Enjoy!
Ingredients:
1 cup organic quick oats
3/4 cup nut butter, I used almond
1/4 cup of each (organic if possible): dark chocolate chips, raisins, hemp hearts, raw honey (or maple syrup)
1 TBSP chia seeds
Directions:
Combine all ingredients together in a bowl and mix thoroughly.
Press firmly into a 9 x 9 baking pan, using your hands or a spatula. You can also use a cookie scoop and make granola bites instead of bars.
Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. The bars stay together much better the longer they are in the refrigerator.
Cut into 6 bars (or more) and enjoy your WAY healthier granola bars.
Final Notes:
These bars were great cold but I think I’d also experiment with cooking them next time. Several of the ingredients reminded me of making oatmeal raisin chocolate chip cookies (except without all the butter and sugar)
I’ll keep you updated on how they come out in the future - maybe with the “cookie” post!
