THESE NO BAKE GRANOLA BARS ARE PERFECT FOR SCHOOL SNACK, OR ON-THE-GO!
Do you struggle with school snack ideas?
Want to give your kids something they enjoy but also isn’t going to give them a sugar rush during the day, and have them coming home grumpy and tired due to a sugar crash? I hear ya! If you know me, you know I am all about balance. So it’s not about no sugar, but keeping those sugars natural, and balancing them with ingredients that will help with blood sugar regulation.
These no-bake gluten-free granola bars are a cinch to make and the perfect snack for school or on-the-go! You and your kids will love them!
Gluten-Free No Bake Granola Bars
Perfect for school snacks or on-the-go
INGREDIENTS
- 1 tsp coconut oil or avocado oil
- 1.5 cup pitted dates (about 18)
- 1/4 cup nut/seed butter of choice (peanut, almond butter, sunflower butter, tahini all work well!)
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup roasted unsalted almonds, roughly chopped (see note for nut-free option)
- 1/2 cup rolled oats
- 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
- 1 Tbsp ground flax seeds
INSTRUCTIONS
- Line an 8" square pan with parchment paper and leave a slight overhang on all sides. Very lightly grease your parchment paper with coconut or avocado oil just to ensure the bars don't stick.
- Chop your dates. You can either do this by hand or in a food processor. The dates will form a ball in the food processor, and that's okay!
- Transfer your dates to a mixing bowl.
- In a small saucepan over medium/low heat, melt the nut/seed butter of choice with the honey and vanilla. Stirring occasionally until combined and warm. This should take about 1 minute. Add the mixture to the bowl with the dates and mix to combine.
- If you don't have roasted almonds, you can use raw almonds, and toast them on a pan for a few minutes before chopping.
- Fold in the almonds, oats, pumpkin seeds, and flax.
- Press the mixture into the prepared pan and freeze for about 30 minutes. Remove your parchment paper with the frozen bar mixture onto a cutting board and cut into 12 bars. Store in the refrigerator.
NOTES:
- For a nut-free version, you can replace the almonds with a seed mixture. I like pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, shredded coconut, and sunflower seeds. You can gently toast these on a pan like you would the almonds.
- For storing I like to individually wrap the bars in parchment paper. This ensures they won't stick and makes grabbing and going easy.
- You can make more! Make 2 batches if you like and store the 2nd in the freezer. Transfer to the fridge when ready to enjoy.