More Granola Bars

I love finding granola bar recipes!  Especially ones that can double as a breakfast food.  I’m usually in a rush on the way out the door in the morning, so they are a great way to eat a healthy breakfast while running to the bus!

Breakfast to go!

Ingredients

1/2 cup whole wheat flour (you can also use a Gluten Free pre-mixed flour or spelt flourand it would turn out great!)

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup organic almond butter

1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1/3 cup honey

1 large egg

2 large egg whites

2 tablespoons canola oil (I omitted this)

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats

1 cup dried cranberries (or raisins)

1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts or almonds

1/2 cup bittersweet or semisweet chocolate chips

 

Preheat oven to 350°F.  Grease a 9 x 13-inch baking pan with butter.

Whisk the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Mix together the almond butter, sugar, and honey in a large bowl. Blend egg and egg whites with a fork in a small bowl and add to the almond butter mixture, along with oil (if using) and vanilla. Beat until smooth. Add flour mixture and mix with a rubber spatula. Mix in oats, dried cranberries (or raisins), walnuts (or almonds), and chocolate chips. Scrape batter into the prepared baking dish, using a spatula to spread it evenly.  Bake the bars until lightly browned and firm to the touch, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool completely in the pan on a rack before cutting into 24 bars.

Homemade Granola

I got this recipe from a newsletter that my naturopath sends out regularly – I love granola, but the store-bought kind is not the healthiest option.  This granola is so delicious.  The smell of it made the whole house smell like Christmas!  It was delicious, crunchy and I have to say, within 15 minutes of it coming out of the oven, probably half of it was eaten!  I used coconut and pumpkin seeds as my “additional options” and added in about a 1/2 cup of each.

Ingredients:

3 cups rolled oats (I used Only Oats wheat free regular flakes to make a gluten free version)

1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts

1 cup coarsely chopped almonds

1 tablespoon cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp cloves

1/4 tsp ginger

1/4 tsp sea salt

1/2 cup maple syrup

1/2 cup melted coconut oil (or 1/4 cup apple juice + 1/4 cup melted coconut oil) – I used 1/2 cup of melted coconut oil, if you are aiming for lower fat, the apple juice/oil combo would probably be better

1 tsp vanilla

Optional additions:

Chopped dried apple

Raisins

Dried cranberries

Dried cherries

Shredded coconut

Sunflower seeds

Pumpkin seeds

Directions:

Preheat oven to 300 F.  Place the rolled oats, chopped nuts and spices into a medium-sized bowl and mix well.  Melt coconut oil* over medium-low heat.  Add maple syrup, melted coconut oil and vanilla to the oat mixture.  Toss together using two spoons.  Add shredded coconut and any seeds, if desired, and toss again (wait until after the mixture is baked before adding any dried fruit).  Spread mixture onto a large cookie sheet and place in the oven.  Bake for 25-30 minutes, turning occasionally with a spatula (I baked for 30 minutes, but I would say this is too much, 25 minutes is probably enough).  Remove from oven and stir in any dried fruit, if desired.  Let cool completely and transfer to a large glass jar.

Only Oats - Wheat Free, Gluten Free!

All the ingredients, mixed in the bowl

Ready to Eat! Yum.

*Coconut oil is not your typical oil.  It is not in a liquid form, but comes as almost a waxy consistency that must be melted or softened.  Coconut oil has a common misconception that it is extremely unhealthy, however most people are referring to hydrogenated coconut oil that is found in a lot of packaged, processed foods.  When shopping for coconut oil, it is usually found in the refrigerated section with the organic foods.  Look for Certified Organic Coconut Oil or Extra Virgin Coconut Oil.  There are many health benefits associated with coconut oil, including weight loss (yes, weight loss), immune support, skin care, healing of infections, and can be used in helping the body fight kidney and liver diseases, even cancer.  Click here to learn more, or Google “health benefits of coconut oil” to see for yourself.

Organic Coconut Oil

Coffee Walnut Chocolate Chip Muffins

I’ve made these a couple times with mixed results.  Sometimes they end up a bit dry, but when they are good, they are very, VERY good.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup sugar

1 tbsp butter, softened

1/2 cup brown sugar, packed

3 tbsp instant coffee

2 tsp vanilla

1 3/4 cups flour

1 tbsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

2 eggs

2/3 cups milk

1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts

3/4 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 F.  In a large bowl, cream together butter, sugar, brown sugar, coffee and vanilla.  Add in eggs and milk and mix together.  In a separate bowl, stir together flour, baking powder and salt.  Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients, stirring just to combine (don’t overmix!).  Stir in walnuts and chocolate chips.  Bake 20-25 minutes.