Granola Bars You’ll Love
Makes: 16 bars
I have a wonderful group of neighborhood friends that get together and visit, most mornings. We tell stories and laugh so heartily! It’s such a great way to start the day. I wanted to create a healthy breakfast granola bar to bring to my special friends. My team and I tested several recipes and this one was the winner! Made with oats, banana, nuts, seeds, no sugar added, dried fruit and superfoods, this breakfast or afternoon snack will fill you up without any guilt!
Equipment needed: 9 x 13 pyrex or baking dish, parchment paper, cooling rack, pizza cutter
I have a wonderful group of neighborhood friends that get together and visit, most mornings. We tell stories and laugh so heartily! It’s such a great way to start the day. I wanted to create a healthy breakfast granola bar to bring to my special friends. My team and I tested several recipes and this one was the winner! Made with oats, banana, nuts, seeds, no sugar added, dried fruit and superfoods, this breakfast or afternoon snack will fill you up without any guilt!
Equipment needed: 9 x 13 pyrex or baking dish, parchment paper, cooling rack, pizza cutter
Ingredients
- 1-1/2 cups mashed ripe banana (about 3 large)
- 1 teaspoon alcohol free vanilla extract
- 2 cups gluten-free rolled oats
- 3/4 cup dried fruit: we used dried cherries, golden berries and white mulberries(dried blueberries, cranberries, etc. are all good).
- 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
- 1/2 cup sunflower seeds
- 1/2 cup pepita seeds
- 1/2 cup sliced almonds
- 1/4 cup hemp hearts
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Line a 9 x 13 pyrex dish with a piece of parchment paper (with overhang) so the bars are easy to remove.
- In a large bowl, mash the banana until smooth, and measure out 1-½ cups. Eat the leftovers! Stir in the vanilla.
- Place the oats into a food processor and pulse until the oats are coarsely chopped (but still have lots of texture). Pour processed oats into the bowl with the banana mixture and stir until fully incorporated.
- Add the dried fruit, walnuts, sunflower and pepita seeds, almonds, hemp hearts, and cinnamon into the banana-oat mixture and stir together until thoroughly combined.
- Spoon the mixture into the prepared baking dish. With lightly wet hands, smooth out the dough until it is even and uniform. Press down on the dough until compacted.
- Bake for about 25 minutes, until firm and lightly golden along the edges.
Take the dish out of the oven and place it on a heat proof surface. Using the parchment paper overhang as handles, lift the cooked slab out of the dish and onto a cooling rack. Use a spatula to loosen dough from parchment paper and place slab directly on the cooling rack until completely cool.
Remove the dish from the oven. Using the parchment overhang as handles pick up dough and place it on a cooling rack. Place a fresh piece of parchment paper on top of the dough and then a sheet pan on top of that. Carefully flip the dough over onto the parchment paper lined tray. Peel parchment paper from top of the dough and place granola slab back in the oven and cook for an additional 3-4 minutes or until the top of the dough is golden brown. Remove from the oven and place the slab directly on the cooling rack until completely cool.
Once completely cool, slice the slab into 14 -16 bars. A pizza slicer works perfectly, as it easily cuts through the dried fruit and nuts. Serve, or store in the refrigerator for a week, or in the freezer for 4 to 6 weeks.
