I feel you can’t have too many granola bar recipes especially when everyone loves them – for school snacks or at home – and everyone has a different opinion as to what makes a good granola bar. So, I’ve been experimenting with different tastes and textures.

Yes, I ate that entire row. I quite like these bars. And they just so happen to be mostly nut free. If you need them to be nut free just substitute the 2 tbsp of almond butter (cashew butter would work, too) with sunflower or pumpkin seed butter. Not sure you’d even notice a taste difference. I stayed away from nuts partially for diet rotation (I find I eat a lot of nuts) as well as nuts can be larger pieces which cause the bars to crumble more. Seeds have just as much protein as nuts so I’m sticking with seeds for this bar, too (my other granola bar recipe is all seeds). 

Part of my experimenting with recipes was to create a crispy granola bar. But this one turned out to be both crispy and chewy, which I like. (I’ll save the crispy creation for another time.) Part of what helps them be both crispy and chewy is the size of the pan they are baked in. I used an 8″x 8″ square glass pyrex dish, so it allows the bars to be thinner (approx 1/2″ high), which makes the tops and edges crispy.

I also process the rolled oats slightly in my small cuisinart spice and nut grinder. I put 1/2 cup in at a time and process for maybe 2-3 seconds. It ends up leaving some whole, some ground. This step is not necessary, but I do it to help the bars stick together. 

gluten free, vegan, dairy free, nut free option

crispy chewy granola bars
350º 20 min, 8″x 8″ pan

1 cup gluten free rolled oats, slightly processed (see note above)

3 tbsp coconut oil

2 tbsp almond butter (sunflower seed butter for nut free)

1/3 c shredded coconut

1/4 cup honey (or brown rice syrup)

1/4 c hemp seeds

1/4 c currants

1/4 c dark chocolate chips (or cacao nibs)

3 tbsp flax seed, ground

2 tbsp pumpkin seeds

1/4 tsp sea salt

3 or 4 shakes of ground cinnamon 

MELT coconut oil, almond butter and honey (if needed) in small pot on low heat. Mix to combine. Remove from heat.

PROCESS rolled oats (if doing this step).

MIX together in a medium size bowl oats, hemp seeds, currants, pumpkin seeds, sea salt and cinnamon. 

ADD cooled liquid ingredients to dry ingredients. Use a silicone spatula to get every drop you can.

MIX together, preferably with a danish whisk (Lee Valley sells them – every baker must have one, brilliant design as the food does not get stuck). 

ADD chocolate chips and combine. 

Place mixture into pan (no greasing necessary) and flatten with a spatula, making sure it spreads into every corner. 

Place in center rack in oven. Cook for 25 minutes.

Remove and place on cookie sheet to cool. Once cool, cut into bars (if you cut while it’s still hot or even warm it will crumble). 

Enjoy!