I had been wanting to make granola bars for a little bit, and what perfect way than when you have a house full of kids?! I invented this healthy granola bar the other day when our kids were having a sleepover (always fun to experiment with other people’s kids!). Direct quote from my son’s friend, “These are so good Jessica! You have to give my mom this recipe too!”. He had loved a stew I had made for dinner too the night before. I told him to tell his mom they’ll be on my blog-he said, “Tell my mom she has to read your blog!”. Love him!
This granola bar is a little softer than your store bought one, but that’s because it’s made without added preservatives, refined products, hasn’t been compressed by a machine, and made with only whole foods. Putting them in the fridge to will help them stay a little more firm. Except, I wasn’t able to get that far, as they were gobbled up. This is a good thing to make with your kids. There’s no “cooking” required, only baking, so they can help mix all of the ingredients.
Since it’s fall, we are still in apple obsession mode (and we still have a bunch of locally picked apples). You could make this granola bar with whatever fruit is in season the time you make it. Good ideas for summer would be berries, peaches, or nectarines. Another choice for the fall/winter would be to swap the apple for pear!
This recipe was inspired by one in the Forks Over Knives Cookbook, and adapted by me 🙂
Makes 8 larger granola bars or 16 bites.
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup of almond butter (or nut butter of choice, keeping in mind the flavor will change)
- 1/4 cup of honey or maple syrup, we used buckwheat honey (our fav)
- 1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 2 cups of whole rolled oats (not quick)
- 1 cup of peeled and chopped apple
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8×8 pan with parchment paper (this makes it soooo much easier to get the bars out).
- Mix all ingredients in a large bowl and press into the pan. This can be sticky, so if you have an offset spatula, use it! If not, wet your hands and press the mixture to fit the pan
- Bake for about 18-20 minutes until slightly brown and firmer to touch
- Let cool for 10 minutes in pan, and then remove by lifting the parchment. Let cool before cutting (alternatively can place in fridge and cut once cold)
- Use a large knife and cut in half (down the middle) and then cut into 4 pieces (totaling 8).
- Eat right away or store in the fridge.
Nutritional Benefits:
- Whole food-nothing refined
- Gluten free and vegan-anti-inflammatory
- Cholesterol free, very low in saturated fat
- Good source of fiber: 4 g/bar, good for digestive health, regulating blood sugar, increasing satiety
- Good source of plant-based protein, 5.5 g/bar, good for healing and repairing tissues
- ½ cup of almond butter (or nut butter of choice, keeping in mind the flavor will change)
- ¼ cup of honey or maple syrup, we used buckwheat honey (our fav)
- ½ cup unsweetened apple sauce
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 2 cups of whole rolled oats (not quick)
- 1 cup of peeled and chopped apple
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8x8 pan with parchment paper (this makes it soooo much easier to get the bars out).
- Mix all ingredients in a large bowl and press into the pan. This can be sticky, so if you have an offset spatula, use it! If not, wet your hands and press the mixture to fit the pan
- Bake for about 18-20 minutes until slightly brown and firmer to touch
- Let cool for 10 minutes in pan, and then remove by lifting the parchment. Let cool before cutting (alternatively can place in fridge and cut once cold)
- Use a large knife and cut in half (down the middle) and then cut into 4 pieces (totaling 8).
- Eat right away or store in the fridge.
