Clean Granola Bars

My kids loveee granola bars-like LOVE. However, a lot of them have a laundry list of ingredients and contain nut and peanut allergens. My oldest has nut and peanut allergies so I can’t use the conventional peanut butter based bars. This is my favorite whole ingredient granola bar recipe that doesn’t contain nuts or refined sugar. I made a 2x batch of this recipe today for school snacks and after school snacks for the week. It took about 10 minutes of prep with a 40 minute bake time. While my items are baking I typically prep other snacks I plan to prepare for the week or fold a load of laundry…or wipe a butt. I’m not sure regarding the shelf life for these because they never last past 5 days in my home.

Ingredients (2x):

• 8 Cups of oats (not quick-cook). I use the generic brand. Buying organic is expensive so our family has a priority list that fits our budget. Oats are not high on the list.

• 1/2 tsp Himalayan pink sea salt. We buy this is bulk from Costco.

• 1/3 Cup Whole Wheat Flour

• At least 1 Cup of Dark Chocolate Chips

• 1 Cup Oil. I use olive oil because its what I usually have on hand and I like the savory flavor to offset the sweet, but avocado would be wonderful.

• 1.5 Cup Locally Farmed Honey. We use Bee Squared but there are many wonderful options based on your location.

• 2 tsp Vanilla Extract.

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F

2. Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl. I use my stand mixer with the paddle attachment as I find the honey can be a bit difficult to evenly distribute otherwise. BUT you can absolutely get the job with a spoon.

3. Apply a thin layer of water on a non-stick cookie sheet and lay a pre-cut piece of parchment paper on top of the sheet.

4. Dump the mixture onto the pan and use a silicone spatula to spread the mixture into an even layer 1-2” thick depending on preference. I love using my pakkawood cooking utensils for this step. Adjust bake time down by about 10 minutes if making thinner bars.

5. Bake the mixture for 30-40 minutes until golden brown.

6. Remove the mixture from the oven and set aside to cool for about 10 minutes.

7. Move to a cutting board and cut into small bars while still warm.

8. Cool completely before placing in a storage container.