On a recent grocery run with the kids, I knew I wasn’t getting passed the wall of granola bars without my 4-year-old's snack detector going off.
"Can I have a snack?" he quickly shouted.
I picked up the healthiest looking bars of the bunch(Kashi), thinking, “How bad could it be?”
Crappy oils, GMO corn, lots of GMO soy, processed sugar, way too much salt, natural flavoring(aka mystery chemicals)…Holy Hell, more than 30 ingredients!
What kind of granola bar needs 30 ingredients?
I’d like to say I didn’t buy it but I did.
My son’s pleading broke me.
But I went home with a plan to create some seriously easy granola bars to keep in the freezer and whip out on our next grocery trip.
This one is my favorite granola bar recipe.
It’s nine ingredients and it kicks the store bought kind’s ass!
No Bake Peanut Butter Bars
Adapted from the minimalist baker
Ingredients:
2 cups pitted dates
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
*3 cups old fashioned or rolled oats(I use Gluten Free)
1/2 cup raisins
1 cup unsalted peanuts
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
3/4 cup unsalted peanut butter
1/2 cup brown rice syrup or honey
Directions:
- If your dates are moist, blend them in food processor until paste-like. If they’re a little hard, put them in a bowl and cover with warm water for about 10 minutes and drain before processing.
- Mix peanut butter and syrup in a small saucepan on low and heat briefly until melted.
- In a large bowl mix all dry ingredients. Then add wet ingredients and mix well. You're arm might get a little tired here but keep going.
- Dump mixture into a parchment paper or plastic wrap lined 13 x 9 baking dish (pretty much any dish size will work. It will just change the thickness of bars). Using another piece of plastic wrap firmly press mixture evenly into dish.
- Cover and place in fridge for 20 minutes. Cut into bars and enjoy!
Yields about 14 squares
* Toasting the oats on 350F for 12 minutes gives it a bit of a nuttier flavor but it’s totally not necessary.