Chewy Granola Bars
When I was a kid, I loved chewy chocolate chip granola bars, they were the perfect portable snack! The downside? There’s a lot of extra ingredients that aren’t necessarily good for you. I have good news! You can make your own at home, that way you know exactly what’s in them. These chewy granola bars are healthy, full of great flavor and loaded with protein. I used natural peanut butter but almond butter would work well too. You can also add dried fruit and other nuts and seeds if you’d like.
Makes 12 bars
Ingredients:
- 2 cups old-fashioned oats
- 1 cup slivered or sliced almonds
- 1/3 cup pumpkin seeds
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds
- 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed
- 3/4 cup natural smooth peanut butter
- 1/2 cup honey
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1/2 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips, plus more for topping
Directions:
Line a 9×9 inch baking pan with parchment so that the paper comes up the sides and set aside.
Place the oats, almond and pumpkin seeds in a food processor or blender and pulse a few times just to break them up slightly then place in a large bowl, stir in the chia seeds and flaxseed and set aside.
Place the peanut butter, honey and coconut oil in a medium saucepan and warm over low heat until smooth.
Remove from heat and stir in the salt and vanilla.
Pour the peanut butter mixture over the oat mixture and stir until oat mixture is completely coated.
Fold in the chocolate chips then pour mixture into prepared baking pan and press down firmly until evenly distributed in the pan.
Add extra chocolate chips to the top, cover with plastic and refrigerate for an hour until set.
Remove from the refrigerator and pull the bars out by lifting the sides of the parchment paper.
Cut into 12 bars and enjoy!
Store your chewy granola bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.
