baking · cooking · Dessert · Plant Based Diet

A Make-Over of a Past Recipe: Sarah’s Super Delicious Granola Bars

I asked on my business Facebook Page if there was anything my readers were interested in for recipes, one reader BJ, piped up and said “granola bars”. And hey, why not! I love a good bar recipe 🙂 I went back through TrailCooking (my other website) and looked at past recipes I have posted. What caught my eye were the “You can make them your way” bars. These have been a popular recipe over the years, with many variations posted of them by readers.

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What if I lowered the sugar (they were really, really sweet – especially to me now), made them gluten-free (with no weird ingredients to the average cook), vegan-friendly and they tasted so awesome no one would even guess all these changes had happened? Well, duh, I like a challenge! So yesterday morning, with a break in the weather, I loaded up Walker and Alistaire in the BOB, and walked to town and back. A good 5.5 miles gave me time to think of a new variation. Walking does that for me, it frees my mind and I get fresh air! Although why is it I get so many “You WALKED today?” from the store workers I know. Yes, heaven forbid I take the boys out when it is 47° out and they are in warm winter wear, under lap blankets, sitting on faux sheepskin seat liners. You know how fresh air is bad for kids, eh? Then, I suppose their tricked out jogger stroller stands out 😉 All it is missing is a horn and LED strip lighting…..

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And yeah, it worked. Oinks.

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Sarah’s Most Amazing Soft & Chewy Granola Bars

Ingredients:

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°, line a 9×13″ glass baking pan with parchment paper, down the middle and up the sides (for easier removal).

Grind the pecans finely.

Stir the oats through sea salt in a large bowl.

Whisk the wet ingredients together, pour over dry and mix well (food grade gloves and your hands make it a snap). Spread in prepared pan, pack down tightly.

Bake for 30 minutes, until golden on the edges. Let cool for 10 to 20 minutes, then cut into desired size of bars, let cool fully before removing and wrapping.

Store in refrigerator (or freezer for long-term storage), for best results, tightly wrapped or in an airtight container.

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Notes:

Oats while technically gluten-free, can be contaminated during growing and processing. If you are avoiding gluten contamination it is very important to buy ones that are gluten-free. I trust Bob’s Red Mill and their product line, they take GF seriously. They carry a vast assortment of GF ingredients (the company store is a fantastic place I might add, to visit, if you are ever near Portland, Oregon). You can source on Amazon Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Quick Cooking Oats.

If on a strict GF diet, you can use regular dates, finely chopped instead.

In the recipe, I call for either old-fashioned or quick-cooking, use which you have on hand. If yours are old-fashioned, whirl them in a food processor or mini-food chopper for a few pulses to break down a bit.

To make oat flour, don’t go looking for it to buy – it is beyond easy to make! Add oats to a dry blender, food processor or mini-food chopper, whirl until powdery. Pretty simple, eh?

~Sarah

6 thoughts on “A Make-Over of a Past Recipe: Sarah’s Super Delicious Granola Bars

  1. These look AMAZING Sarah!! I was planning on the lemon bars, but may need to do these instead! I have some yummy soft chewy peanut butter chocolate chip bars that I make often too. I love your list of ingredients…minus the raisins..I don’t like raisins. I got to make these!!

    1. They get tastier by the day, in the fridge! I say double the dates 😉 They melt in to the bar, it is delicious when you get a bite of them.

  2. Everyone in my family liked these (from 20 months to 50 years :). I adapted a bit to suit our tastes (and whathe pantry held), so eliminated the pecans, used dates in place of the raisins, no date crumbles (though effectually the same as the dates!), no maple syrup powder, and used a chia egg instead of the flaxseed. Score! Thanks much for a healthy and tasty snack!

  3. We have made this recipe a few times now, and everyone says this is our favorite granola bar recipe. We can adapt it to what we have on hand, and it has a wonderful taste and texture. Plus, the recipe makes a big pan full that lasts several days. Thanks for a great recipe, Sarah!

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