I’ve been eating a lot of snack food lately. I find that if I don’t snack really often, I end up with a very rumbly stomach in the middle of the day which can be a very embarrassing (and loud) situation in a dead quiet classroom. In order to avoid the rumblies, and do it without interfering with our budget, I decided to use things we already have in our kitchen to make some snack bars!
I started with a granola bar recipe from Ina, and then healthified it by swapping butter with coconut oil and reducing the sugar. Ina is wonderful (I watch Barefoot Contessa nearly every day) but sometimes I feel like she feels a compulsion to use butter in everything. I understand the compulsion, I used to have it myself. Butter is delicious. But gimme a break…you do NOT need butter in GRANOLA BARS. Seriously.
If you’re looking for a cheap and nutritious snack that will be great for on-the-go, look no further!
Berry Bars
by
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Keywords: snack vegan oats
Ingredients (8 bars)
- 1 c. quick cooking oats (you can use old fashioned instead)
- 1/2 c. shredded coconut
- 1/2 c. chopped raw almonds
- 1/4 c. toasted wheat germ
- 1 1/2 T. coconut oil
- 1/4 c. honey
- 1 T. brown sugar
- 1 t. vanilla extract
- 1/4 t. salt
- 1/4 c. dried blueberries
- heaping 1/4 c. dried cranberries
- 1/2 t. ground cinnamon
Instructions
In a small saucepan or skillet, melt the coconut oil over medium-low heat and add the honey, brown sugar, and salt.
Whisk together over the heat until the mixture becomes a thick syrup. Set aside.
In a mixing bowl, combine the oats, almonds, coconut, wheat germ, cranberries, and blueberries.
Add the syrup mixture to the dry ingredients and mix together well with a spatula until everything is evenly coated.
Evenly spread and press down the mixture into a greased baking dish lined with parchment paper.
Bake in a 300 degree oven for 20-25 minutes, or until the granola is golden brown.
Remove from the oven and let cool in the pan for at least 2 hours. When ready to cut, flip them out of the pan and cut into 8 even rectangles with a very sharp knife.
Store in airtight containers at room temperature.
You can substitute with whatever kind of dried fruit you have, but I really think the berries make it especially delicious. Dried fruit is a staple for me in the winter, don’t know what I would do without it!
The perfect thing to keep my stomach from announcing itself to classrooms full of people. 😛
Thanks for reading! Have a fun weekend!
-Lauren
6 Responses
EmPri
I wish you would have drizzled some chocolate on top….
next time.
PS i miss gchatting with you. its been too long
Lauren
Haha man you are one tough customer! I thought about chocolate chips but decided to keep them as healthy as possible. It has been a long time since we gchatted! Next week. 🙂
Lindsay @ The Lean Green Bean
yummmm! love homemade granola bars. dried fruit makes everything good!
MegSmith @ Cooking.In.College
Haha I couldn’t agree more…I think every Food Network star feels the need to use a little butter in everything!
These look great, snacks are a complete necessity in my life too. If there was a condition in which the symptoms were extremely loud tummy I would have it, no doubt!
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