Homemade Granola Bars

For our lunches and snacks, we brought a big stash of various protein bars, and also made some of our own. They’ve got protein in the nuts, nut butter and chia seeds, fiber in the oats, and sweetness in chocolate and fruit.

This makes an 8×8 sheet pan of bars. It’s a great amount for snacking for the whole week, or on trips like us! I found out you can’t bring straight peanut butter on a plane, because it’s considered “liquid,” but if it’s mixed into these delicious treats it’s safe to bring along.

Today’s honey was brought to your by Roark Farms. It was recently also used in this springy spritzer! You can find the special granola with Jared’s Probiotics. It is a raw, kefir-soaked granola made with love and awesomeness. I found Jared for the first time nearly two years ago, because I had an insatiable obsession with popsicles and he sold them at the farmers market! It sells out fast though, so get your orders in today! Finally, the peanut butter is homemade! You can find that recipe here too.

I hope that you have a chance to make these bars! And also go on vacation! You deserve it.

Ingredients

1½ C. quick oats

1 C. roasted unsalted cashew pieces, crushed* (See Note 1)

½ C. matcha green tea blueberry probiotic granola

¼ C. dried cranberries

⅛ C. mini chocolate chips

¾ C. crisp rice cereal

⅛ C. oat flour* (See Note 2)

4 T. butter, melted

2 T. chia seeds

½ C. natural peanut butter (homemade)

½ C. brown rice syrup

2 T. local honey

1 T. water

½ t. sea salt

 

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Combine oats, granola, nuts, cranberries, crisp rice and oat flour in a bowl together.
3. Mix the remaining ingredients in a separate bowl together.
4. When well combined, pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and combine gently with a spatula, until all the dry ingredients are fully coated.
5. Line an 8x8 sheet pan with parchment paper and spray with cooking spray.
6. Scoop mixture into the pan, gently pressing to pack down tightly.
7. Bake the bars for 35-40 minutes, until the edges have turned brown and the center begins to brown as well.
8. Remove from the oven and let cool completely before slicing.
9. Carefully lift the parchment out of the pan and place square of granola on a cutting board. Cut into squares or bars with a sharp knife.
10. Store in airtight containers.
11. #enJOY!

Notes

Note 1: It worked best if the cashew pieces were smaller than they came. I crushed them with a meat tenderizing hammer, but you can also process them down a tiny bit in the food processor also, if that works better for you. You may also need to crush the big pieces in the probiotic granola also.

Note 2: I made my oat flour by just giving my quick oats into my food processor and giving them a whir until they made a flour-like texture.

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