Homemade Granola Bars For The Kids (Or You!)
Apricot Granola Bars
Apricot Granola Bars
The ultimate satisfaction is when I make something nutritious for my kids and they gobble it up and ask for more. I knew this would be a winner just by looking at the recipe; my kids were standing in front of the oven waiting for these babies to come out. I got the original recipe from Vanilla & Spice. I didn’t change much either, just the type of fruit I used , type of salt, and type of sweetener. These bars are chewy, crunchy, and sweet. Oh and they make the house smell divine!
Ingredients:
1/2 c. raw almonds
1/4 c. dates, chopped
1/4 c. dried apricots (make sure there’s no sugar or sulfur added)
1 c. quick oats
2 tbsp. dry millet
1/4 c. mixed seeds (half pumpkin and half sunflower-unsalted)
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. pink himalayan salt
2 tbsp. ground flax seed
1/2 c. almond butter
2 ripe bananas, mashed
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tbsp. honey (optional)*
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350. Prepare an 8 x 8 pan by lining with parchment paper. Place almonds, dates, and apricots in a food processor until roughly chopped). Transfer to a bowl and add oats, millet, seeds, cinnamon, salt, and flax. Use a whisk to mix thoroughly. Place almond butter and mashed bananas together in a small bowl and microwave for 30 seconds. Stir. Microwave for 15 more seconds. Stir until smooth. Stir in the vanilla and honey. Pour wet mixture into the dry ingredients and stir with a rubber spatula until evenly coated. Pour mixture into prepared pan and press down firmly with spatula. Bake for 22-27 minutes, until edges are brown and top is firm to the touch. Cool completely, then slice into 8 bars.
*If I was making these for myself, I would leave the honey out to make them less sweet. Macros below include the recipe WITH the honey.
Macros per bar: 285k cals, 15.9g fat (1.1g sat, 3.2g poly, 6.1g mono), 31.7g carbs (6.9g fiber, 12.5g sugar), 8.3g protein, 62.2mg sodium, 205.2mg potassium
References:
Vanilla & Spice – Healthy Treats and Vegetarian Eats
Fadi Malouf – Nutritionist and Personal Trainer
