Friday, July 13, 2012

Chewy Granola Bars (grain free, dairy free, cane-sugar free, SCD friendly)

We are a granola bar loving family.  My husband takes one to work everyday with his lunch and the kids love them for an afternoon snack.  However, it's hard to find granola bars with (1) no cane-sugar, (2) no grains, and (3) SCD friendly.  So I made some.  And they are super delicious.  They are everything I like in a granola bar: chewy, not too sweet, and easy to digest.  These granola bars are great for SCDers, not only because they are legal, but because all the main nuts and seeds have been soaked and dehydrated for optimal digestion.  I hope you enjoy them as much as we do!

Ingredients:

Wet
-2.5 ounces seeded Medjool dates (6 dates) soaked for at least 3 hours (I soak mine for 5)
-1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon honey 
-1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon cashew butter (I love this brand)
-2 tablespoons coconut oil
-1/4 teaspoon salt

 Dry
How to soak and dehydrate nuts/seeds for better digestion 
-1 cup almonds
-1 cup walnuts
-1/2 cup sunflower seeds
-1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
-1/2 cup dried Turkish apricots, must be finely chopped 
-1/2 cup dried cranberries (sugar free, unsulfered)

 How To:
Preheat oven to 350
1.  Add almonds and pumpkin seeds to food processor.  Pulse until they are broken down, especially the almonds.  Mix around with a spoon so the larger pieces are exposed to the blades.  
2.  Next add the walnuts and sunflower seeds and pulse until incorporated and they are slightly chopped (this only takes a few pulses).  These granola bars will only hold together if the nuts and seeds have been chopped enough.  Transfer nuts and seeds to a large bowl and add the chopped dried apricots and dried cranberries.    
3.  Clean out food processor.  Add all the wet ingredients and blend until smooth and creamy.
4.  Add the wet ingredients to the nut/seed/fruit mixture and mix WELL. 
5.  Spoon onto a silicone baking mat and bake on a baking sheet.  I have only made this on a silicone baking mat, so I'm not sure how it will cook on any other surface.  Watch for burning if on a baking sheet or parchment paper.  
6.  Form a large rectangle.  I literally smack this together with a silicone spatula - this also pushes the ingredients together.  You'll need just over 1/2 inch in height.   
7.  Bake for 18 minutes.  Watch for browning.  Every oven is different.  Check at 15 minutes.  You just want a slight browning of the edges.
8.  Remove the mat from baking sheet and transfer the mat to a cooling rack.  Cool completely before cutting.  
Makes 18 - 20 bars. 
It helps if you wet or oil the spatula while pounding into place 

Crumbled up, these bars make a great cereal!

Serve with homemade milks
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Shared on: Melt in your Mouth Mondays, Keep It Simple Mondays, Monday Mania, Mealtime Monday, Fresh Bites Friday, Fight Back Friday, Friday Food, Show Off Friday, Freaky Friday, My Meatless Monday, Just Another Meatless Monday,  Fat Tuesday, Traditional Tuesdays, Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays, Scratch Cookin' Tuesdays, Recipe Lunchbox Tuesdays, Allergy-Free Wednesdays,  Gluten Free Wednesdays, Real Food Wednesdays, Keep It Real Thursdays, Full Plate Thursday, Tastetastic Thursday, Fresh Bites Friday, Fight Back Friday, Friday Food, Show Off Friday, Freaky Friday, 
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Posted by Amber at 8:51 PM
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39 comments:

  1. Gabby @ the veggie nookJuly 14, 2012 at 2:36 AM

    I am in love with this ingredients list! I have to try these!

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  2. Amber Shea @Almost VeganJuly 14, 2012 at 9:56 AM

    These look excellent in every way! I might add a handful of coconut shreds too, then I think it'd be my dream bar. :)

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  3. Snarf! That's what I forgot Amber!! The first couple of times I made these I told myself to add coconut..don't forget the coconut! Forgot the coconut. And well, you're right, I think these would be perfection with coconut. They are so sweet and delicious as is, I can only imagine what the coconut would add. Maybe I will make some tropical granola bars next with dried pineapple. Done! I have enough soaked nuts and seeds in the fridge to feed a flippen' army. So thanks for the reminder sweet Amber. :-)

    Have a great rest of your weekend.

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  4. I wonder if anyone could suggest what I could use in place of Coconut Oil? I am very allergic to it & peanut oil. Thanks :)

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    • Hello Anonymous,

      Any oil would work fine! It's only 2 tablespoons. So, you're good. If you do use a different oil, you might want to try the following though since other oils are very different that coconut oil:

      1. If you can have grains, leave out one of the tablespoons of honey and add 1 tablespoon of brown rice syrup.

      2. If you can't have grains, then add in 1 tablespoon of yacon syrup (still omitting the 1 tablespoon of honey).

      3. If you're not on SCD, then omit the 1 tablespoon of honey and add 1 tablespoon coconut nectar.

      OR, you could just leave the oil out all together and just add in 1 extra tablespoon of liquid, any of the above suggestions would work great.

      Hope this helps.

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  5. Lovely bars Amber! Wish I had a dehydrator! We don't tend to soak nuts and seeds over here..must try to do that sometime..when I get my dehydrator.

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  6. Thanks so much!! That is just what I needed! Can't wait to try it XoXo

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    • My pleasure. Come on back and let us know what worked for you! It's always helpful for other readers. :-)

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  7. Lauren @ Empowered SustenanceJuly 14, 2012 at 5:43 PM

    These look delicious! And perfect timing, too, because I just dehydrated a batch of sunflower seeds and pecans. I always love to find a new travel-friendly SCD recipe!

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    • Hi Lauren,

      Oh, pecans would taste lovely in a granola bar (and with some maple syrup). Super yum. We've been taking these everywhere. My husband and daughter went on a hike today and took some of these bars. They hold up really well at room temp. Although I do store them in the fridge here at home.

      Delete
  8. Shirley @ gluten free easilyJuly 14, 2012 at 7:12 PM

    These look totally amazing, Amber! Love the option to make them into cereal, too. :-)

    xo,
    Shirley

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  9. Another brilliant recipe! Granola bars that are grain free and perfectly chewy...oh my amazing! The ingredients you used are stellar as usual.

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  10. Those look so good! Now I'm hungry.

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  11. France@beyondthepeelJuly 18, 2012 at 10:26 AM

    These look really good. We love having this kind of food on hand. I bookmarked it to try!

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  12. momphotographerJuly 18, 2012 at 7:10 PM

    it is such a great and healthy snack to have!!! your recipe sounds divine! I wish I could have one bar right now :)

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  13. Just made these, they are AWESOME!!!! I subed out the seeds and added pecans and hazelnuts, and used dried blueberries I made instead of cranberries....they are very soft and sticky but everyone is loving them!

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    • Great to hear Kellcia! They do have a great flavor. Be sure to store in fridge so they stay firm. Perhaps bake just a touch longer next time, this might help with the stickiness. :-) The recipe will be different if the nuts aren't soaked too.

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  14. Nicole@Show Off FridayJuly 21, 2012 at 10:03 PM

    This looks so delicious! And so healthy!

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  15. Do you have a suggestion for a sub for the cashew butter? I am allergic to cashews. These look soooo delicious, though!

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    • Hi Jeanne,

      Great question.

      Any nut butter would great! Sunflower butter, creamy almond butter, etc. Let me know how it works with other nut butters. Always good for others to read variations on recipes. :-)

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  16. I'm buying everything I need to make these at the store today... I can't wait!!! Thanks for the great recipe :)

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    • Hi Cassidy,

      Let me know how they turn out, and how they turn out if you use any variations from the recipe. Thanks lady.

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  17. I am so impressed with how perfectly shaped you managed to get them : )

    Thanks so much for linking up at Mealtime Monday! Can't wait to see what you link up tonight!

    Kaylee
    www.couponingncooking.com

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    • Thanks. It's all about the smack down! :-) Nice way to get your aggression out. Smack the granola into a rectangle. He he. Have a great weekend.

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  18. Hope you are having a great weekend and thank you so much for sharing your awesome recipe with Full Plate Thursday.
    Come Back Soon!
    Miz Helen

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  19. I've been trying to find a healthy alternative to cereal for my husband, so I'm extremely thankful I found this recipe! I made them tonight and they are delicious, like you said, crumbled in milk as a cereal. Thank you so much!!

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    • Thanks so much for your feedback, Heather. I'm so glad you enjoyed them. I love this recipe as a cereal too. Very tasty. Have a lovely weekend.

      Be Well,
      --Amber

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  20. Oh my goodness these are sooooo delicious!! I used peanut butter instead of almond butter (not the healthy choice I know), Agave Nectar instead of Honey and threw a few raisins through instead of cranberries. I also added a little coconut because I love it in everything!! My husband is a chef, so I feel a great amount of pressure when doing anything in the kitchen, but he was blown away at how good these taste. Vegan and Grain free?? Almost too good to be true!!

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    • Thank you for your great feedback! I can imagine how yummy these were for you! I love your subs. I am sure the peanut butter was yummy in there, and yes, coconut is always a great addition. Thanks for stopping by to let me know how they turned out for you. It's nice for other readers to have sub options too.

      Be Well,
      --Amber

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  21. Hi Amber, I've searched for hours to find a non cereal granola bar recipe, and these look lovely. I'd like to reduce the sugar content by using a sugar free honey or syrup. I've only been able to find a sugar free syrup in the UK - would this work instead of the honey? Or, could I use extra nut butter instead? Is the honey for binding the ingredients or for sweetness?
    Many thanks for your help and this fab recipe!

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