granola bars

I have been thinking about creating a granola bar recipe for a long time. It is the perfect grab and go snack, but so many on the market are filled with sugar and processed ingredients, that it never seems worth the convenience.

Kind Bars were always a favorite, but when diving deeper, I knew I could do better. Nuts are a heavily sprayed crop and that means more unwanted chemicals for your body to take in. These bars for their simple ingredients are a better choice than most, but I could create a version that tastes better and is a cleaner choice and I did!

When I jumped in and made my first batch, I never thought that I would hit it on my first try, but that is exactly what I did. Five organic ingredients, 6 if you love chocolate and voilá…homemade Granola Bars that are the perfect snack, breakfast, lunch treat or whatever you are in the mood for!

You can use whatever combination of nuts you like. I bought whole raw organic varities and chopped them up in a food processor for quick results.

Ingredients

• 1 cup raw cashews

• 1 cup raw almonds

• 1 cup raw walnuts

• 1/2 cup almond butter (choose one with no sugar or added ingredients)

• 1/2 cup pure maple syrup

• 1/4 tsp. salt

Directions

• In a food processor, combine all nuts and blend until nuts have a coarse, chunky consistency.

• Put nut mixture in a bowl.

• Add salt

• Add almond butter and maple syrup. I've tried heating this mixture in a saucepan and it makes it easier to pour over nuts but it is not a necessary step.

• Combine all ingredients until nut mixture is fully coated

• In an 8x8 parchment lined baking pan, press mixture into pan, and spread to 1 inch thickness

• Place in a 300 degree oven for 28-30 minutes, edges will be golden brown

• Remove from oven and cool for 10 mintes

• Cut in half, then cut lenthwise, each half into 7 equal pieces (14 pieces total)

• Store in an airtight container, I like putting them in the fridge so they are chewy and cold

For chocolate drizzle, I use 1/2 cup EJNOY LIFE chocolate chips. Place in a microwave safe bowl and melt. Stir every 30 seconds until melted. Drizzle chocolate onto granola bars and let completely cool befor storing.