Since summer is right around the corner, and life tends to be a lot busier, I love making grab-n-go snacks. Granola bars are a favorite in our house, but the ones you can buy pre-made at the store are more than a little scary. These Oatmeal Almond Granola Bars are tasty, easy to eat, and made with delicious, wholesome ingredients including sprouted grains (read: How to Eat Grains for more on why you’d opt for sprouted grains and seeds).
These bars are definitely rustic, they do not look like they were made by a machine. You can really taste the difference though, which myself and my husband prefer!
NOTE: To avoid crumbling, be sure to really press these babies into the pan. If they do crumble a little bit, the crumble makes a great snack as well or a wonderful addition to the top of yogurt, ice cream, or anything your heart desires!
Oatmeal Almond Granola Bars
Oatmeal Almond Granola Bars: The Players
2 1/2 cups organic, sprouted rolled oats (where to buy sprouted rolled oats)
1/2 cup whole raw, sprouted almonds (where to buy sprouted almonds)
3 tablespoons raw, sprouted sunflower seeds (where to buy sprouted sunflower seeds)
1/3 cup butter (where to find grass-fed butter)
1/3 cup raw honey (is your honey fake?)
1/4 cup organic coconut sugar (where to buy)
1 teaspoon vanilla
dash of sea salt (what’s the difference between table salt and sea salt?)
Oatmeal Almond Granola Bars: The How-To
1. In a large sauce pan, over medium heat, add the oats, almonds, and sunflower seeds. Toast these ingredients while stirring throughout until the everything is lightly toasted and fragrant (about 10 minutes). Add the oats, seeds, and nuts into a large bowl; set aside.
2. In the same sauce pan add the butter, honey, and coconut sugar. Cook these ingredients together until the sugar dissolves and the mixture appears “foamy” (around 5 minutes). Then add a dash of sea salt and the vanilla. Pour this mixture over the oats in the bowl.
3. Mix everything together until the oats and nuts are coated in the butter/sugar mixture. In a 8×8 glass dish that has been lined with parchment paper, pour the whole mixture into the dish.
4. Using the bottom of a drinking glass, push the ingredients down until they are quite compact and even. Skipping this step will result in more of a granola than a granola bar. Once the mixture has been tightly compact. Refrigerator for 2 hours before cutting.
5. Cut into bars or squares, store in the fridge for up to two weeks.
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Wow, This looks like a great little healthy snack for the family. Also it’s a simple recipe which is certainly an added benefit. I liked the yogurt idea for the left over crumbles as well. Thank you so much for sharing!
These look scrumptious! I am curious if maple syrup would work in place of the honey. I would love to give a variation of these to my son, but the new recommendation is “no honey until 2 years of age,” and my little guy is only 1. Do you think maple would perform the same, or would it not be sticky enough?