Wednesday 27 September 2017

Granola Bars - a bake and no bake version

I know - I haven't baked for ages. And really, for the sake of everyone's health, I shouldn't be. But what do you you do, when your daughter lives 900km away and wants healthy basked granola bars for breakfast?

You bake them, then you send them overnight, and then you blog about them.

Here's the recipe that worked well - I didn't do the topping. The original is here. And I should mention - minimalist baker.com works well for non-bakers like me.

And yes, I should have taken my own photos, but I forgot, don't hate me.

Mine looked a little more "rustic" than this.
  • 1 cup (90 g) rolled oats
  • 1/3 cup (30 g) raw slivered almonds (or sub sunflower seeds or other nut)
  • 1/4 cup (28 g) flaxseed meal
  • 2/3 cup (49 g) desiccated unsweetened coconut
  • 1/4 tsp sea salt
  • 1/3 cup (~ 5 dates or 35 g) chopped dates (or sub another sticky dried fruit)
  • 2 Tbsp (32 g) almond butter (or another nut or seed butter)
  • 2 Tbsp (45 g) melted coconut oil
  • 1/4 cup (60 ml) maple syrup (or sub brown rice syrup for a less sweet bar)

  • FOR TOPPING optional
    • 1/2 cup (60 g) chopped vegan dark chocolate
    • 1 Tbsp (15 g) coconut oil
    • 1 tsp sea salt or hemp seeds

    What To Do:
    1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees and bake almonds and oats for 10-15 minutes or until slightly toasted. Not  too brown, just slightly toasted for more flavor. Reduce oven heat to 160 degrees.
    2. Combine flaxseed meal, desiccated coconut, and sea salt in a large mixing bowl.
    3. Once oats and almonds are toasted, add to the mixing bowl along with chopped dates, and stir.
    4. Add almond butter, coconut oil, and maple syrup to a small saucepan and bring to a low boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Then remove from heat and immediately add to the oats, mixing thoroughly to disperse all ingredients evenly.
    5. Press into a  baking tray, using a flat measuring spoon to flatten completely.
    6. Bake at 160 degrees  for 20-25 minutes or until the edges are golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool in the pan. 
    7. Lift out of the pan and slice into desired number of bars. 
    8. Optional: Melt dark chocolate and coconut oil in a small mixing bowl in the microwave or over a double boiler on the stovetop. Spoon a small amount over the bars in a drizzle pattern or cover half of the bar with chocolate. Top with sea salt or hemp seeds.
    9. Once bars have dried/cooled, store covered at room temperature for 5 days or in the freezer up to 1 month.

    There's another good "no bake" version here.

    Let's hope the hungry students enjoy them, and that next time I find the recipe easily. 

    No comments: