Tasty Tuesdays

Homemade Granola Bars

Granola bars are by far one of my absolute favorite snack foods.  They're easy to grab when you are on the go and don't have time to sit and eat. I usually pop one in my purse when I'm pressed for time and running out the door (which is fairly often).    

The one downside to having a granola loving habit is that it can really add up... Some bars are $2/bar and if you eat them as frequently as I do it's just not economical. 

So, I started making my own and I like them even better than the store bought version!  Since I'm making them from scratch I can choose how sweet to make them and what ingredients to put in!  

While I will mix up the ingredients I use to make different flavors, the following is my standby recipe that I tend to turn to most often when making granola bars.  It is super easy to make and absolutely delicious! 

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Oats

1 1/2 cups Almond Butter

Dried Apricots, Cherries, and Cranberries

Pepitas (pumpkin seeds)

Agave Nectar

Honey

Cinnamon

Method:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

Coat oats with a generous sprinkle of cinnamon in a baking pan for 5 min and place in oven, so oats absorb flavor and become toasted. 

In a food processor chop 1/2 cup of apricots, 1/2 cup of cherries, and 1/2 a cup of cranberries until well chopped.  Put aside.

After 5 minutes remove oats from the oven and transfer into a large mixing bowl.  

Add 1 1/2 cups of almond butter, chopped apricots, cherries, cranberries plus 1/2 cup of pumpkin seeds.

Add 1/2 cup of agave nectar plus 1/4 cup of honey and mix all ingredients together well.  

Once granola is fully mixed transfer to a non stick 13x9 or 9x9 baking pan.  Spread the mixture well, you can wet the back of a spatula to make smoothing out and pressing down the mixture into the pan easier.

Bake for 25 minutes at 350 degrees until top and edges are a light golden brown.  Remove from heat let cool and cut into 2 inch bars! 

xoxo

Meg