Before I started developing my own recipes, I was never able to find a good granola bar that didn’t use sugar. When making this one, I was looking for the following qualities: relatively cheap ingredients, no refined sugar, chewy, and won’t fall apart.
These chewy granola bars fit the bill. They’re dense and packed with ultra healthy ingredients. They stick together. They’re chewy. They’re mildly fruity and sweet, but not sickly. They look nice. They’re the ultimate granola bars.
These bars aren’t vegan or gluten free, but you can easily sub out the honey for a sticky vegan option like brown rice syrup. I don’t recommend using maple syrup or agave in this recipe.
I haven’t tested gluten-free flours, but you can try these carrot granola bars, which are already GF. Need some more ideas? Check out these vegetarian snacks.
To freeze, simply place the bars in an airtight container and freeze for up to three months. Thaw when needed.
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Chewy Granola Bars
Ingredients
- 2 cups rolled oats
- 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
- ¼ cup ground flax seed
- ¼ cup chia seeds
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ cup dried cranberries chopped
- ¼ cup cacao nibs or mini chocolate chips
- ¼ cup sunflower seeds
- ¼ cup pepitas pumpkin seeds
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup dates with pits removed packed, or about eight
- ½ cup coconut nectar or honey
- ¼ cup applesauce
- ¼ cup coconut oil melted
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 350F and line a 9×13 baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Mix the oats, flour, flax, chia, cinnamon, cranberries, cacao nibs, sunflower seeds, pepitas, and salt in a large bowl.
- In a high speed blender or food processor, blend the dates, honey, applesauce, coconut oil, and vanilla until it becomes a paste.
- Add the paste to the dry ingredients and mix with a wooden spoon or your hands. It takes a while with a spoon, so I usually just get in there and squish everything together with my hands.
- Press the mixture into the lined baking sheet and bake for 22-25 minutes, or until the edges are slightly browned. If you over bake it, it’ll be dry.
- Let the sheet cool on a rack for ten minutes before lifting the granola bars out. You can cut them now, but if you let them cool completely first you’ll get a nice clean cut and nicer looking bars. Store them in the fridge or freezer if you don’t plan on eating them within a few days.
Notes
2. You can change up the add-ins (sunflower seeds, cranberries) as you see fit.
3. Use whatever you have on hand. Want to use 1 cup of chocolate chips and leave out the rest? Go for it.
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