Granola Bars
Introduction
Oowy, gooey, good, these should come with a warning label: “Caution, you won’t be able to just take one bite.” More like a cookie than your standard granola bar they are an ideal snack for outdoor adventures. There’s sugar to give you a quick hit and complex carbs and protein for a longer, slower burn. It’s the perfect fuel to pick you up and keep you going.
The main flavours come from the almond butter, honey, coconut and cinnamon. It’s sweet, but not too punchy. And with the honey really helps them hold together, so you won’t end up at snack time with a bag of muesli.
Ingredients
2 cups oats
½ cup almond butter
½ cup sliced almonds
½ cup desiccated coconut
1/2 cup butter
1/3 cup xylitol or brown sugar
1 Tb Xanthan gum
3 Tb honey
2 Tb chia
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1 Tb vanilla
1 Tb cinnamon
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350F.
In a large measuring cup or microwave safe bowl, warm butter, maple syrup and sugar in the microwave for 30 seconds.
In a big bowl or stand up mixer combine and stir all the dry ingredients.
Add the butter/syrup/sugar mix into the dry ingredients and combine well. The mixture should be wet and clumpy.
Line a 9-inch square cake pan in parchment paper. Add the granola bar mixture.
Pack down the mix until it’s flat and firm. Place in oven for 30 min
Remove the pan from the oven and pack it down again using a rolling pin or your hands.
Before cutting place in cake pan in the freezer for 10 minutes to set the bars so they hold together better.
Tip: Oats are naturally gluten-free, but are often transported, stored and processed in the same facility as wheat. Make sure the bag says “gluten-free” or they may be contaminated with gluten.