Healthy Granola Bars – kid friendly, nut free!

Healthy Granola Bar’s the whole family can enjoy, nut free option so perfect for school lunch boxes!

It’s back to school time so parents are on the hunt for healthy snacks to keep our little ones happy and energized.

These oat based granola bars are made with natural wholesome ingredients and are a great source of slow release energy and fibre. They’re also a good source of protein for muscle growth and repair and  help to keep blood sugar levels balanced. They’re naturally sweetened with honey and you can use more/less according to how sweet you wish them to be. They’re a hit with my kids and myself and my husband love them too, in fact, I sometimes have to hide them from my husband to stop him from eating them all!! Ah the joys of family life huh!!

Naturally Healthy Granola Bars (makes approx. 12 bars)

Ingredients
2.5 cups of rolled oats
1/2 cup coconut flakes (better than desiccated coconut)
½ cup sunflower seeds (nut free option) or almonds (roughly chopped)
½ cup dried fruit/chocolate chips (chopped apricot, dates or cranberries work well)
1/3 cup (3 tbsp) coconut oil
1/3 cup brown rice syrup (better than honey to ‘glue’ ingredients & minimize crumbling)
1tsp. vanilla extract

  • Method
    •Preheat oven to 160 °C. Line a 9 X 9 inch baking pan with parchment paper. Leave extra overhang on all sides to make taking them out easier.
    •In a large bowl, combine the oats, coconut flakes, sunflower seeds along with your choice of dried fruit/choc chips/ chopped nuts.
  • Place the brown rice syrup, vanilla extract & coconut oil into a pot and bring to a gentle boil, stir well, then remove from heat immediately.
    •Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir until well combined.
    •Spread the mixture into the lined baking pan. Make sure to press the mixture down VERY FIRMLY with the back of a spatula/spoon or the back of your hand.
    •Bake in oven for approx. 25-30 minutes until lightly golden.
    •Allow to COOL COMPLETELY in the baking pan for at least 1 HOUR (otherwise they’ll crumble when you cut them up)
    •Using the parchment paper as handles, remove from the baking pan onto a cutting board.
    •Remove the paper and cut into approx. 12 rectangular bars. Store in an air tight container.
2019-02-09T14:10:57+00:00