I have been trying to kick the processed food habits in our house. While it hasn’t happened totally, it’s a lot better here in our house. These granola bars are great as a snack, breakfast, and can even be a dessert (as was the case tonight). They are super duper easy to make. Your kids can make them! This recipe was adapted by reducing the sugar from a recipe from www.rouxbe.com. It uses whole foods, and can even be made without any added sugar (I used 1 tbsp of honey, can sub with maple syrup or omit).
The ingredients work best if using a food processor. Toss everything in, give it a whirl, and press or roll. That’s about the extend of the difficulty. These can be eaten raw as well. That’s the great thing about plant-based recipes. No worries about contamination from salmonella or E. coli! If eating these raw, simply use an ice cream scooper to portion, and roll using slightly moistened hands. You could roll the bites into toasted coconut for an added perk. Hmm…I now have to do that!
Date Paste & Dates-provide a great source of natural sugars along with potassium, and fiber
This recipe is rich is super foods! The dates are a natural, low glycemic sweetener. Dates provide that sugar we all crave, but because they’re rich in fiber, they break down much slower than a processed form of sugar. Since it takes longer for the body to break them down, blood sugars don’t spike in the same manner. Oats are also a great source of fiber and help to maintain blood sugar levels as well. The more whole the oat, the better it is for the body, taking more time for the food to break down. If you need certified gluten free oats, use Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Oats, or you can probably order organic gluten free oats in bulk from a local food coop (that’s what I do). The fat provided in this recipe is a whole form of fat, in the way of almonds and almond butter. I prefer to get my fat calories from foods that provide addition nutrients, and not just fat calories. Almonds and almond butter also provide a great source of protein, as well as potassium, calcium, and iron. You can’t get that from oils!
I used a blend of cacao nibs and dark chocolate chips in this recipe. I did this because I didn’t want to over power the recipe with the bitterness that raw cacao nibs provide, but I also wanted to cut back on the fat and sugar the chocolate chips contain. Cacao nibs are the raw unprocessed form of chocolate. The are bitter, but full of rich antioxidants. Most stores sell them, but you can also get these Certified Organic Raw Cacao Nibs and others on Amazon (less expensive than in the stores).
Note: Be sure to use cranberries or cherries that haven’t been sweetened with added sugars or oils. Find fruit sweetened cranberries and unsweetened dried cherries. Better yet-dehydrate some local cherries this summer!
Ingredients:
- 1 cup pitted dates, soaked in hot water for 10 minutes, then drained
- 1/4 cup almond butter
- 1 cup raw almonds
- 1 1/2 cup rolled oats (gluten free if needed)
- 1/2 tsp kosher or sea salt
- 3/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 cup fruit sweetened dried cranberries or dried cherries (my fav), don’t pick sugar sweetened, soaked in hot water and drained for 10 min.
- 4 tbsp cacao nibs (raw chocolate without added sugar)
Instructions:
- Pulse almonds until chunks, but not fine, pour into a bowl
- Place dates into food processor and blend until almost paste-like.
- Add in almond butter, oats, salt, cinnamon and pulse until chunky, and can be squeezed together
- Dump mixture into a large bowl with almonds and mix in nibs and cranberries.
- If eating raw: form into balls and roll into additional toppings if desired. Good ones to try: hemp seeds, toasted or raw coconut. These can be placed in the fridge or freezer
- If baking: Preheat oven to 350. Line an 8×8 pan with parchment (not wax) paper and smoosh in mixture if baking. Bake for 13 minutes.
Nutritional Benefits:
- High in plant-based protein, 5.7 g; great for healing and repairing muscles/tissues
- High in fiber, 4.7 g; great for digestive health, regulating blood sugar, reducing blood pressure, increases satiety
- No refined sugar; whole food sweeteners like dates and dried cranberries which are high in fiber and don’t lead to blood sugar spikes
- Gluten free and plant-based, great for reducing inflammation in the body
- Cholesterol free, good for heart health
- 1 cup pitted dates, soaked in hot water for 10 minutes, then drained
- ¼ cup almond butter
- 1 cup raw almonds
- 1½ cup rolled oats (gluten free if needed)
- ½ tsp kosher or sea salt
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- ¼ cup fruit sweetened dried cranberries or dried cherries (my fav) not sweetened with sugar, soaked in hot water for 10 min and drained
- 4 tbsp cacao nibs (raw chocolate not sweetened)
- Pulse almonds in food processor until chunked, not fine, dump into large bowl
- Place dates into food processor and blend until almost paste-like.
- Add in almond butter, salt, cinnamon and pulse until chunky
- Dump mixture into a large bowl and mix into bowl with almonds, add nibs and cranberries.
- If eating raw: form into balls and roll into additional toppings if desired. Good ones to try: hemp seeds, toasted or raw coconut. These can be placed in the fridge or freezer
- If baking: Preheat oven to 350. Line an 8x8 pan with parchment (not wax) paper and smoosh in mixture if baking. Bake for 13 minutes.
I don’t have a food processor. I do have a good blender. Can I use that? Want to try the craisinut granola bars.
You can, I would be careful about blending however. You don’t want it to become all mush, and lose texture. Maybe put dates, almond butter, and half almonds, half of oats into blender, and then rough chop some of the almonds, fold all remaining ingredients in together.