Chewy Granola Bars Recipe

My hubby and I kind of have a thing for granola bars. It started when we discovered cereal bars for the first time many years ago. But somewhere along the way we got concerned about the ingredients and strayed away from them altogether.

However, sometimes you really need a snack or something sweet (I really do, every single day), so I wanted to have on hand something to substitute store both sweets. Simple and easy to make dessert that`s actually good for us.

This baked granola bars are healthy and also a great choice for those who keep an eye on their weight, because they are sugar free, sweetened naturally with dates! There are so many bar recipes online, so you can choose best granola bar for you, but I love this chewy granola bars because there are soft, delicious and healthy breakfast bars.

Ingredients:

-3/4 cup rolled oats, ground into a flour

-1 cup water 

-3/4 cup packed pitted Medjool, or other kind of dates 

-1/2 cup sesame seeds 

-1/4 cup walnuts, finely chopped (or any kind of nuts - if you don`t eat nuts you can substitute them with raw sunflower seeds) 

-1/4 cup raw pumpkin seeds 

-1/4 cup dried cranberries, finely chopped 

-1 teaspoon cinnamon 

-1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

-1/4 teaspoon fine grain sea or himalayan salt 

-1 tablespoon cocoa powder 
- optional: you can add a 70-80% dark chocolate chips if you are a     chocolate lover (fun fact: there are several proven health benefits     of dark chocolate)

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 325 F (180 C) and line a pan with parchment paper. 

Add rolled oats into a high-speed blender. Blend on highest speed until a fine flour forms. Add oat flour into a large bowl. 

Add water and pitted dates into blender. Blend the dates and water until super smooth. (Soak the dates for 10 minutes before blending if they are a bit to firm).

Add all of the ingredients into the bowl with the oat flour and stir well until combined.

Scoop the mixture into the pan and spread it out with a spatula as evenly as possible. 

Bake at 325 F (180 C) for about 25 minutes, or until firm to the touch. Let cool in the pan for a few minutes and then lift it out and transfer it to a cooling rack for about 10 minutes. Slice and enjoy!

 

I truly suggest to skip the store-bought variety and opt for making your own chewy granola bar. They're better, more delicious and couldn't be easier to make. 
You can enjoy them whenever you need a little energy boost (for breakfast or after morning workout) or as a afternoon snack, when you feel a need for something sweet. Best part - they are healthy and guilt free!!

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