Can granola bars be healthy? I think so!
My kids like sweet treats: I like to give them healthy treats. We reach a compromise with these granola bars – I use a natural sweetener and add healthy extras, such as hemp seeds and ground chia, to give these bars a nutritional boost!
- 2 cups Quick Oats (gluten-free if needed)
- 1/2 cup Crispy Brown Rice Cereal
- 1/4 cup finely chopped Cashews or Almonds
- 1/8 cup roasted Pumpkin Seeds
- 1/8 cup Hemp Seeds
- 1/8 cup raw Sunflower Seeds
- 2 tbsp Dark Chocolate Chips (vegan, if needed)
- 1 tbsp Ground Chia Seeds
- 1/4 cup Butter (grass-fed, if possible, or vegan butter, if vegan)
- 1/4 cup Almond Butter
- 1/3 cup Honey (sub with brown rice syrup if vegan)
- 1/2 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
- Line a square 8×8 baking dish with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Mix dry ingredients (including chocolate chips) in a large bowl.
- In a small pan on the stove, melt butter over medium-low heat.
- Whisk in almond butter and honey. Heat until lightly bubbling, whisking constantly, then remove from heat and stir in vanilla.
- Pour liquid mixture over dry, stirring vigorously until well combined. The chocolate chips will melt. Be ok with this!
- Press mixture into parchment-lined pan, and press down hard with the back of a spoon or fingertips. Really press to make it adhere together.
- Refrigerate to set, about an hour.
- Cut into bars and store in the fridge in an air-tight container.
