These healthier vegan chewy granola bars, filled with seeds, oats, dried cranberries, and chocolate chips, are a perfect on-the-go snack for work or school.
Course Snack
Cuisine Vegan
Prep Time 10 minutesminutes
Cook Time 22 minutesminutes
Total Time 32 minutesminutes
Servings 20bars
Ingredients
2cupsrolled oats
1cupwhole wheat pastry flour
¼cupground flax seed
¼cupchia seeds
2teaspoonsground cinnamon
½cupdried cranberrieschopped
¼cupcacao nibs or mini chocolate chips
¼cupsunflower seeds
¼cuppepitaspumpkin seeds
½teaspoonsalt
½cupdates with pits removedpacked, or about eight
½cupcoconut nectar or honey
¼cupapplesauce
¼cupcoconut oilmelted
2teaspoonsvanilla
Instructions
Heat the oven to 350F and line a 9x13 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
1. You don't have to melt the coconut oil before blending, but it makes it a lot easier to mix in.
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.