Sarah’s Most Amazing Soft & Chewy Granola Bars

This recipe was one I made for my TrailCooking blog last winter. Now I swap in sunflower seeds for the pecans. Otherwise, delicious as they were then!

Sarah’s Most Amazing Soft & Chewy Granola Bars

Ingredients:

• 2 cups old-fashioned oats or quick cooking (1-minute oats (see below in notes)
• 1 cup oat flour (see below in notes)
• ½ cup Maple Syrup Powder/Maple Sugar
• ½ cup pecans or sunflower seeds
• ½ cup dark chocolate chips
• ¼ cup Unsweetened Shredded Coconut
• ¼ cup Date Crumbles
• ¼ cup raisins, preferably organic
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp fine sea salt
• ½ cup Organic Extra Virgin Coconut Oil, melted
• ½ cup pure maple syrup
• 1 Tbsp ground flaxseed meal + 3 Tbsp cool water
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°, line a 9×13″ glass baking pan with parchment paper, down the middle and up the sides (for easier removal).

Grind the pecans or sunflower seeds finely.

Stir the oats through sea salt in a large bowl.

Whisk the wet ingredients together, pour over dry and mix well (food grade gloves and your hands make it a snap). Spread in prepared pan, pack down tightly.

Bake for 30 minutes, until golden on the edges. Let cool for 10 to 20 minutes, then cut into desired size of bars, let cool fully before removing and wrapping.

Store in refrigerator (or freezer for long-term storage), for best results, tightly wrapped or in an airtight container.

Notes:

Oats while technically gluten-free, can be contaminated during growing and processing. If you are avoiding gluten contamination it is very important to buy ones that are gluten-free. I trust Bob’s Red Mill and their product line, they take GF seriously. They carry a vast assortment of GF ingredients (the company store is a fantastic place I might add, to visit, if you are ever near Portland, Oregon). You can source on Amazon Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Quick Cooking Oats.

If on a strict GF diet, you can use regular dates, finely chopped instead.

In the recipe, I call for either old-fashioned or quick-cooking, use which you have on hand. If yours are old-fashioned, whirl them in a food processor or mini-food chopper for a few pulses to break down a bit.

To make oat flour, don’t go looking for it to buy – it is beyond easy to make! Add oats to a dry blender, food processor or mini-food chopper, whirl until powdery. Pretty simple, eh?