As part of my journey to eat healthier, I started to find that having a snack in the morning was what I needed to keep my body and mind in the right state for a high-paced work environment. I went in search of recipes that had healthy ingredients for a granola bar, yet many I found were either too dry and it crumbled, or too much like a cookie. Now, after trying many recipes and ingredient combinations, I think I’ve pretty much nailed it! So, without further ado, here’s my own healthy granola bar recipe I wanted to share as a gift for the August 2020 long weekend.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 1/4 cup rolled oats (I used gluten free Only Oats)
• 3/4 cup steel cut oats (I used gluten free Only Oats)
• 1/2 cup quinoa
• 1 1/5 cup water
• 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
• 3/4 chopped walnuts (optional; use a food processor to chop finely)
• 1 tbsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp all spice
• 1/2 tsp ground cloves
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp cardamom
• pinch of pink Himalayan salt
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 2 tbsp Chia seeds
• 1/4 cup dried cranberries
• 1 1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce
• 1/2 cup chunky peanut butter
• 1/4 cup coconut oil
• 2 tbsp Flax seed meal
• 6 tbsp unsweetened Almond milk
• 1/2 cup honey (I used Labonte Organic Amber)
  ***NOTE: you can also use 1/2 cup amber Maple Syrup or a mixture of both to equal 1/2 cup***
• 1/4 cup mini chocolate chips

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Start by combing Flax seed meal with almond milk. Set aside to gel; this creates Flax egg. Note: I’ve tried using warm water and it doesn’t give the right consistency of a regular egg.

Next, in a small pot, boil water and quinoa until all water is absorbed, just like regular rice. Set aside but keep it covered.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the dry spices and chia seeds. Add apple sauce and mix well. Add chopped walnuts (optional) and vanilla. Add sweetener and peanut butter. Add cooked quinoa. Separate dried cranberries. Note: this is time consuming but I prefer to not have clusters of cranberries in the final mix. Add melted coconut oil.

On a large cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, roast oats and coconut in an oven set to 350 F for 5 minutes. Note: Parchment paper is not wax paper. Set aside roasted mixture to cool.

Add chocolate chips to bowl mixture. Add cooled oats to bowl. Note: If the oats aren’t cooled, they will melt the chocolate chips. Add the flax egg.

In an 8×8 baking pan, line the pan with the same parchment paper used to roast the oats. Press mixture into the pan ensuring corners are filled first. Bake at 350 F for 30 minutes. Note: A different size of pan will require a different baking time.

Cut and serve after letting it cool or freeze it for later. It must be eaten quickly 😉

It’s taken me 2 years of experimenting with this recipe to get the consistency just right for what I was looking for – something between a cookie and a Chewy granola bar. You may change it up however you wish; it’ll just take some experimentation of your own to get it the way you want. From my heart to yours, I wish you a very happy August long weekend and I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I have!