Hey My Beautiful People!!
I am not a healthy eating addict ( although, I should) but I do enjoy trying out some recipes and to my surprise healthy recipes are not all bland and boring if we know to maintain a balance between flavour and health. I love to add nuts and seeds to my diet but many a times it gets little boring and they remain stacked for a long time untouched. I despise those energy bars sold in stores that claim to be healthy but the second primary ingredient is high fructose syrups. I do not always eat healthy but I try to avoid sugar most of the times, except for my morning caffeine dose.
When I found out the different ways to make granola or energy bars, I could not help but make my own version and Trust Me, there will always be granola bars in my home for years to come from now on. (Would go crazy and mix up different ingredients.)
Since this was my first time at making these delicious and addictive treats, I kept the ingredients to minimal.
Let’s roll up the sleeves and begin our journey towards the healthy way of life.LOL!! (BTW, I must give up some of the very indulging foods that I can’t resist.)

This recipe also makes it easier for people living in the tropics where coconut oil is liquid at room temperature.

Gluten Free Granola Bars

Ingredients we need;

1 1/2 Cup of Rolled Oats ( I used certified gluten free ones)
1/4 Cup of Almond Butter (I made my own.)
1/4 Cup of Honey OR Maple Syrup if you are vegan
12 Pitted Dates
1/4 Cup Cranberries
1/4 Cup Raisins
18 Roughly Chopped Almonds

(Coconut oil for greasing the baking tray.)

How to;

Preheat the oven to 160 degree celsus. Spread the oats on a baking sheet and toast for 10 minutes.

Separate the pits from the flesh of the dates and blend them to a smooth paste. Use good quality dates as dried and chewy ones will not blend smoothly.
In a pan add honey, almond butter and dates paste on lowest heat and warm the mixture. Do not let the honey boil or burn. This is a great chance to loosen up the date paste as the heat will soften the flesh.

In a large bowl, add the toasted and cool oats, cranberries, raisins and chopped almonds.

Pour in the heated honey, almond butter and date mixture.

Mix everything well but remember to not to over combine as it may affect the chewiness of the final product and make the granola too  firm. Spread on a baking sheet that is sparingly greased with coconut oil to avoid if any sticking happens.

I sprinkled some oats on top for aesthetics, you can totally skip it , if you wish. Finally, flatten and smooth the surface. My baking tray was little larger to the quantity of the mixture comparatively, so I spreaded everything to a thin layer. ( You can use only the half of the pan to pour your mixture, but I was bit skeptical.)
In a 160 degree celsus oven, use bake settings if you have multiple settings oven. Cook for 25-30 minutes and keep checking in between so you do not burn your granola. Once done, remove the baking tray from the oven and press down the granola so you do not end up with bits of granola rather than firmly held together blocks.

Let the cooked granola cool down before cutting or breaking down into your preferred sized bars. I like to break down into rustic style pieces rather along with professional like sliced ones.
This recipe and timing will neither give too soft and creamy nor crunchy bars. I like that the blocks hold together well without falling off, have a balanced texture and do not taste teeth numbing sweet.

Do try this recipe and let me know your thoughts. Also, what is your favourite snack time food??
Thank you so much for reading and supporting me!
Take Care and GOOD LUCK😊✨