CHEWY NO BAKE GRANOLA BARS

I used their Hearty Grains & Seeds Multi Serve cereal to create my chewy no bake granola bars. It’s a Gluten Free blend of Whole Grain Oats, Oat Bran, Red Quinoa, Flax & Chia Seeds. It was the perfect base to add dried fruits, nuts and flaky coconut among other yummy ingredients.

The bars are bound together with a delicious mixture of Simple Truth Organic No Stir Creamy Peanut Butter, Simple Truth Organic Honey and Simple Truth Organic Coconut Oil. They are of the soft, chewy variety and are best kept in the fridge. They are really quick and easy to make (though do need time to chill before being sliced) and keep well in the fridge. I’ve been incredibly busy the last few days and it has been so handy to have these in the fridge to grab for a quick snack when needed.

My kids came home to these bars being ready for them to test out and I think every mom likes to hear that their kids LOVED what they made for them. I got just the right reaction from them once they first bit into them. The closed eyes and the MMMMMMM sounds with a little booty shaking were just what I wanted to hear and I got that from them. SO mother and kid approved and they do good for others? Yes please, sign me up.

I love that I can throw this together in one bowl, mix and spread out on a cookie sheet and have it ready in about 40 minutes after it cooled in the fridge for a bit. They taste even better the next day. I make enough for the week and add it to kids lunches and they enjoy them as an afterschool snack.

You can play with flavors to create your own version of these bars. I love the mixture of dried blueberries, mango, almonds and coconut. I think adding some chocolate chips would be really good too. Another combination that sounds good to me is dried apricots, pecans and cranberries for some tartness.

After you cut up all the chewy no bake granola bars, place them in an air-tight container. I think these are best if they sit for a day or so to give the oats and all the other ingredients time to really blend together.

You can also convert these into bite sized balls. If you decide to go that route, just leave all the ingredients after mixing in a bowl and let it sit covered with plastic wrap in the fridge for at least 2 hours. The purpose for this is so the oats soak up the liquid and the mixture becomes firm enough to hold a ball shape. I actually did this to half the recipe so the kids can have smaller sizes for lunch and they loved the idea.

I hope you give these a try and feel good about the fact you helped feed someone in need.

Let’s get to making these.

CHEWY NO BAKE GRANOLA BARS

Makes 16-20 bars

METHOD

1. Line a 9×13 inch baking dish with parchment paper.
2. In a medium bowl, combine the oatmeal, almonds, dried fruit (I cut up the mangoes into 1/4 inch pieces) and toasted coconut flakes (you can toast your own by adding flakes to the pan and moving them around to make sure they don’t burn until designed color is achieved)..
3. In a small saucepan, add the almond butter, coconut oil and honey. Set the pan over medium heat, stirring often until melted and smooth. Once the mixture starts to bubble, remove from the heat and stir in the salt. Pour the almond butter mixture over the oats and stir until combined. Press into the prepared the pan. I like to use the back of a 1/2 cup measuring cup, spray the flat bottom with a little cooking spray and then really press the mixture into the bottom of the pan using the bottom of the measuring cup. Cover the bars and place in the fridge for at least one to two hours, the longer the better for flavor to combine.
4. Cut into the bars and store in a airtight container in the fridge. The bars will last at least 2 weeks, if they aren’t gone before then.

* NOTE : If you decide to roll these into balls, here are the instruction for that. You want to try to get 20-25 balls out of this “batter” so use a small cookie scoop. Most likely, you’ll need some water available as you roll the balls. The batter might be a little crumbly but that’s nothing a little water on the hands won’t fix. Store them in an airtight container and enjoy.

xoxo,
LENA

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