Grain-free Granola Bars

2016-04-26 07:31:14

Ingredients

1 ¼ cup almond flour
¼ teaspoon celtic sea salt
1/2 cup coconut oil (melted)
1- 2 tablespoons raw honey
1 teaspoon gluten free vanilla extract
½ cup unsweetened shredded coconut (optional)
2 tbsp chia seeds (optional)
2 tbsp ground flaxseeds (optional)
½ cup pumpkin seeds
½ cup sunflower seeds
1/2 cup cashew halves
½ cup gluten-free mini chocolate chips (we use Enjoy Life brand – dairy free, soy free, gluten free)

Instructions

In a large bowl combine almond flour and salt. Put your cashew nuts into a Ziploc bag and crush into pieces, then add all the seeds and nuts to the bowl of dry ingredients. (You will be adding the chocolate chips at the very end )
Melt the coconut oil on the stove. Turn off the flame and add in the honey and vanilla. Stir this into your dry ingredients.
Add your chocolate
Press dough into an 8 x 8 inch or 9x9 baking dish. Use a slightly larger pan if you like the bars thinner and crunchy.
Bake at 350° for 10 minutes
Cool bars in pan for up to 2 hours, or chill in the refrigerator- then cut or break into squares and You can remove them sooner but they tend to crumble if the coconut oil has not cooled which is what binds them together. Cooling in the refrigerator or freezer will help speed up the process.
Variation on sweetener: Use homemade date paste in place of honey. To make this, soak a cup of dates in hot water to soften them. Drain water and puree in blender to form a paste. Add hot water by teaspoon if paste is too thick. If you don’t have honey or dates, you could try pure maple syrup.

By Kathleen DiChiara

Kathleen https://kathleendichiara.com/