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Monday, December 12, 2011

Heavenly Gluten Free-Vegan Soft & Chewy Granola Bars


Thank you to Kim @ Cook It Allergy Free for this perfect and totally allergy friendly granola bar.   I have been experimenting with a TON of granola bar recipes, and while many were good, they were not quite the texture I was looking for: soft and chewy.  This bar is just as versatile as other granola bar recipes in that you can choose your own favorite seeds, nuts, and dried fruit pieces to mix in to make it your perfect bar (Kim has some fabulous add-in ideas if you need inspiration).  What I love best about this bar is that I could easily make it totally allergy-friendly so that my youngest could actually eat them.  Lisa, over at Allergy Free Vintage Cookery and I were lamenting how so many granola bars out there come dressed as healthy, but one look at the ingredients should send most momma's running to the hills!  Not the case here, feed these to your family happily: totally nutritious, and most important, totally delicious!!

How do you like YOUR granola bars?  Let us know what creative combinations you come up with and how it turns out!

2 cup gluten-free rolled oats (Trader Joe's now carrying there own brand, $2.99/pound!)
1 cup gluten free oat flour (or brown rice)
1/3 cup palm sugar (much lower glycemic index than cane sugar, about $4-5/pound) or brown sugar
1/4 cup quinoa flakes (or more oats if you don't have them, but totally worth it!)
1/4 cup chia meal (or flax meal, or any ground seeds)
2 teaspoons cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup dried fruit of choice (I used raisins)
1/4 cup chia seeds ( or other seed of choice)
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
1 chia or flax 'egg' (1 tablespoon meal mixed with 3 tablespoons hot water, let set for a minute or more to gel)You could also use 1 egg
2/3 cup melted coconut oil or canola oil (did you know Trader Joe's now carries their own brand of organic coconut oil for $5.99.16 ounces!)
1/2 cup maple syrup (best deal still at Costco) - I think honey or agave would work just as well here
1 tablespoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 x 13 pan, set aside.

In a large bowl, mix together all the dry ingredients through the chocolate chips.  Pour in the 'egg,' oil, syrup, and vanilla and mix thoroughly with your hands so that all ingredients are moistened and mixed.  Press into the prepared pan and bake for about 25-30 minutes until just golden around the edges.  Resist the urge to dig in right away, the set better as they cool!



This recipe was shared on Lunchbox LovePennywise Platter

8 comments:

  1. These look good! I will have to try them!

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  2. Yeah-a granola bar I can pack in my husband's lunch and feel good about!

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  3. Hi Tessa--thanks for your comment re: the millet porridge (yours looks great, too) and for submitting to WW. As I said in the comment, though, the submissions must be from the current week only (see guidelines). Sorry about that! Hope you have a great weekend. :)

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  4. Tessa, thanks for pointing me to these on your blog. My daughter was just diagnosed with egg, gluten, and dairy intolerances and granola bars are her favorite snack. I've been searching everywhere for some healthy allergy free ones I can make myself. I can't wait to try these and several of your other recipes.

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  5. I hope you love them as much as we do! let me know if you need any tips in this new journey...it can sure be overwhelming in the beginning!

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  6. Do you have any tips on how to get these to stay together? I made them & they taste incredible, but fell apart and it's pretty much easier to eat them with a spoon rather than like a granola bar. How do I get them to stick together?

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  7. How strange...I have made this multiple times and they hold together perfectly. The chia egg and oil and syrup are what bind.....the mixture should be very moist. Did you follow the recipe exactly? Help me trouble shoot.....

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