These Homemade Granola Bars are perfect for lunch boxes and after school snacks.
Boxes of granola bars are so easy to purchase. They’re right there in that snack aisle, packaged so nicely. And there’s usually a brand or two on sale for a great price. I admit to buying them all. But every time my son reaches for one of those processed bars in our pantry, I feel a little twinge of guilt creeping across my shoulders. I’m Recipe Girl, darn-it… I should be making that kind of stuff homemade! I’m going to make a pact with myself right here and now that I will do my best to provide more healthy, unprocessed snacks for my family.
These granola bars are easy to make gluten free, they are dairy free too, and they also happen to be vegan.
How to Make Homemade Granola Bars:
You’ll be making these granola bars in the food processor- it’s so easy! The recipe begins with something I never thought I’d eat in 5,842 years: Prunes. The prunes are softened in hot water and then pureed in the processor. They act as the binding for the rest of the ingredients. I bravely tasted a prune all.by.itself, and I LIKED IT. Who knew? Crazy that at my ripe old age, I just figured out that prunes aren’t all that bad.
These Homemade Granola Bars are sweetened with maple syrup, molasses, and dried apricots, and they’re flavored with cinnamon, vanilla and a little sea salt.
There are nuts in this granola bar, but you get to choose which kind- walnut, pecan, or almond. And there are sunflower seeds too. All of these ingredients are mixed together with oats and baked for a short time.
My favorite version of this recipe is a Maple- Pecan Granola Bar. They’re a chewy sort of granola bar, rather than hard and crunchy. And the best part is… my kiddo likes them! No guilt on my part when he reaches for one of these to snack on. Completely healthy and homemade granola bars- yay!
This recipe comes from a cookbook called The Pure Kitchen by Hallie Klecker.
The Pure Kitchen offers a unique but easy approach to fortifying your diet with whole, natural, pure foods. Included are 100 recipes free of gluten, dairy and refined sugar. Included in the book are tips on how to transition to a whole foods diet, a guide to stocking the pure kitchen, lessons in label-reading and tips for menu planning and picky eaters. Recipes I’m looking forward to trying in this cookbook: Herb & Heirloom Tomato Frittata, Flourless Banana- Nut Breakfast Cookies, Greek Chicken Meatballs with Creamy Tahini Sauce, Cumin- Scented Potato- Leek Soup, Shredded Balsamic- Beet & Kale Salad, Honey- Mustard Salmon w/ Lemon Herb Quinoa, Baked Chicken Thighs with Balsamic- Cherry Pan Sauce, and Lemon Bars with Oatmeal- Coconut Crust. There are lots of delicious-sounding dishes in this book, and I’m not even gluten free or dairy free!
If you are always on the lookout for good after school snacks, you might enjoy my Frito Snack Mix or my S’Mores Granola Bars. Pumpkin Pie Power Bars are super filling and delicious too.
Homemade Granola Bars
Ingredients
- 1 cup pitted prunes
- 1/3 cup maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon molasses
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- pinch of sea salt
- 2 1/2 cups old fashioned oats, divided
- 1/2 cup finely chopped dried apricots
- 2/3 cup chopped walnuts, pecans or almonds (or a combination)
- 1/3 cup raw sunflower seeds
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line an 8x8-inch or 9x9-inch baking dish with parchment paper, leaving a 2-inch overhang on 2 sides. Spray with nonstick spray.
- In a heat-safe bowl, cover the prunes with hot water. Soak for 10 minutes. Drain and place in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Add the syrup, molasses, cinnamon, vanilla and salt. Process to form a thick paste, about 20 seconds (stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl once or twice with a rubber spatula). Add 2 cups of the oats and pulse 8 to 10 times, until the oats are coarsely chopped. Transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl. Stir in the remaining 1/2 cup oats, apricots, nuts and sunflower seeds.
- Using slightly dampened hands, press the mixture firmly and evenly into the prepared pan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes.
- Cool the dish for 15 minutes at room temperature, then transfer to the freezer and chill until completely cooled (about 30 minutes). Cut into 10 or 12 bars. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.
Notes
- *If you are preparing this recipe as gluten-free, just be sure to use brands of syrup, molasses, vanilla and oats that are known to be GF.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
So many granola recipes use lots of sugar rich binding ingredients, which makes using the fruit (prunes), a brilliant way to keep these bars what they should be – healthy!
i just made these yesterday and added fresh cranberries–amazing!! they added a perfect zing. thanks for this recipe, i have been trying to find a healthy, chewy granola bar for ages.
I just put mine in the oven! Peanut Butter and Jelly with raisins lol
I just made these today! my boyfriend loves them and says they are better than his sisters lol………i added some crasins to them……..going to make a big batch…..thanks! your recipe rocks!
I’ve been looking for a recipe like this. I’ve used prunes in a few things now…and I’m ashamed to admit that I kind of like them. lol! BTW, I love how you styled the photos. =)
They pack so much sugar and preservatives in granola bars these days, you’re smart to make your own!
I love to make my own sushi and it is soooo much cheaper! For $10-$20 you can make about $100 worth of sushi and mix it up however you like (Bar-B-Q chicken, grilled steak and roasted pepper, or traditional tuna or salmon) it is a great activity for couples, make some sushi together, grab a bottle of wine and a good movie and you have an unforgettable date night. In the recipe above, would figs or raisins be a good substitute for prunes?
I would think you could sub raisins- not sure about figs… do they absorb water like raisins and prunes?