Boxes of granola bars are so easy to purchase. They’re right there in that snack aisle, packaged so nicely. And there’s usually a brand or two on sale for a great price. I admit to buying them all. But every time my son reaches for one of those processed bars in our pantry, I feel a little twinge of guilt creeping across my shoulders. I’m Recipe Girl, darn-it… I should be making that kind of stuff homemade! I’m going to make a pact with myself right here and now that I will do my best to provide more healthy, unprocessed snacks for my family. These granola bars are easy to make gluten free, they are dairy free too, and they also happen to be vegan.
How to Make Homemade Granola Bars:
You’ll be making these granola bars in the food processor- it’s so easy! The recipe begins with something I never thought I’d eat in 5,842 years: Prunes. The prunes are softened in hot water and then pureed in the processor. They act as the binding for the rest of the ingredients. I bravely tasted a prune all.by.itself, and I LIKED IT. Who knew? Crazy that at my ripe old age, I just figured out that prunes aren’t all that bad.
These Homemade Granola Bars are sweetened with maple syrup, molasses, and dried apricots, and they’re flavored with cinnamon, vanilla and a little sea salt.
There are nuts in this granola bar, but you get to choose which kind- walnut, pecan, or almond. And there are sunflower seeds too. All of these ingredients are mixed together with oats and baked for a short time. My favorite version of this recipe is a Maple- Pecan Granola Bar. They’re a chewy sort of granola bar, rather than hard and crunchy. And the best part is… my kiddo likes them! No guilt on my part when he reaches for one of these to snack on. Completely healthy and homemade granola bars- yay!
This recipe comes from a cookbook called The Pure Kitchen by Hallie Klecker. The Pure Kitchen offers a unique but easy approach to fortifying your diet with whole, natural, pure foods. Included are 100 recipes free of gluten, dairy and refined sugar. Included in the book are tips on how to transition to a whole foods diet, a guide to stocking the pure kitchen, lessons in label-reading and tips for menu planning and picky eaters. Recipes I’m looking forward to trying in this cookbook: Herb & Heirloom Tomato Frittata, Flourless Banana- Nut Breakfast Cookies, Greek Chicken Meatballs with Creamy Tahini Sauce, Cumin- Scented Potato- Leek Soup, Shredded Balsamic- Beet & Kale Salad, Honey- Mustard Salmon w/ Lemon Herb Quinoa, Baked Chicken Thighs with Balsamic- Cherry Pan Sauce, and Lemon Bars with Oatmeal- Coconut Crust. There are lots of delicious-sounding dishes in this book, and I’m not even gluten free or dairy free! If you are always on the lookout for good after school snacks, you might enjoy my Frito Snack Mix or my S’Mores Granola Bars. Pumpkin Pie Power Bars are super filling and delicious too.
