There are literally dozens of ingredients you can use to make protein bars. Oatmeal, cereal, dried fruit (cherries, goji berries, bananas, mango, raisins, etc.), shredded coconut, ground flax, nuts, honey, almond butter, chia, pumpkin or sunflower seeds, sweeteners (agave or honey), cocoa chips… and the list goes on!
There are dangerous toxins and additives in a lot of our favorite granola bar ingredients, so it's best to make our own. Now, lets jump in to our easy-to-follow recipe for customizing your own granola bars!
What you’ll need:
1 Cup dried fruit (recommend dates, mangos, or prunes)
1/4 Cup sticky sweetener (honey, organic agave, or molasses)
1 Cup finely chopped nuts (organic almonds, walnuts, pecans, cashews, etc.) any combo
1/2 Cup ground flax
1/4 Cup organic nut butter (peanut, cashew, almond butter OR sunflower seed)
1 Cup pumpkin or sunflower seeds and...
1/2 cup of, carob or vegan chocolate chips
Food processor
Medium bowl
Spatula
Measuring cups
8×8 pyrex dish (can use other sizes, but the 8×8 will produce 10 perfect-sized bars)
Let’s get cookin’:
Step 1: Process 1 cup of dried fruit (dates, prunes, apricots or mangos) in a food processor until small bits remain (about 1 minute). It should form a dough-like consistency.
Step 2: Use food processor to roughly chop nuts.
Step 3: Place nuts, seeds and chips and processed dried fruit in a bowl – set aside.
Step 4: To warm honey and nut butter, put into a microwave safe dish and heat for 20 seconds at a time, stirring between each 20 second interval, until warm. Usually takes a minute – or three, 20 second intervals.
Step 5: Pour warm honey and nut butter mixture over nut mixture and then mix really, really well.
Step 6: Once thoroughly mixed, transfer to an 8×8 dish or other small pan lined with plastic wrap or parchment paper so they lift out easily.
Step 7: Press down until uniformly flattened. Cover with parchment or plastic wrap, and let set in fridge or freezer for 15-20 minutes to harden.
Step 8: Remove bars from pan and chop into 10 even bars. Store in an airtight container for up to a few days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Step 9: Enjoy and share with friends! But please make sure they are not allergic to any of the ingredients first!
Wishing you love & yum!
Lindsay O'Neill
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