Maple Oatmeal Nut Granola Bars Recipes

HEALTHY 5-INGREDIENT GRANOLA BARS

Steps:

• Process dates in a food processor until small bits remain (about 1 minute). It should form a "dough" like consistency. (Mine rolled into a ball.)
• Optional step: Toast your oats (and almonds if raw) in a 350-degree F (176 C) oven for 10-15 minutes or until slightly golden brown. Otherwise, leave them raw - I prefer the toasted flavor.
• Place oats, almonds and dates in a large mixing bowl - set aside.
• Warm maple syrup (or agave or honey) and peanut butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir and pour over oat mixture and then mix, breaking up the dates to disperse throughout.
• Once thoroughly mixed, transfer to an 8x8-inch baking dish or other small pan lined with plastic wrap or parchment paper so they lift out easily. (A loaf pan might work, but will yield thicker bars // adjust size of pan if altering batch size).
• Press down firmly until uniformly flattened - I use something flat, like a drinking glass, to press down and really pack the bars, which helps them hold together better.
• Cover with parchment or plastic wrap, and let firm up in fridge or freezer for 15-20 minutes.
• Remove bars from pan and chop into 10 even bars (or 9 squares // as original recipe is written). Store in an airtight container for up to a few days. I kept mine in the freezer to keep them extra fresh, but it isn't necessary.

TOASTED OAT AND NUT GRANOLA

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (160 degrees C).
• In a large bowl, combine the oats, nuts, coconut and brown sugar.
• In a liquid measuring cup, combine the maple syrup, oil, water and salt; stir with a fork until incorporated. Pour into the oat mixture and stir until coated.
• Divide the mixture among 2 rimmed baking sheets and bake until the granola is golden brown all over, 45 to 55 minutes, stirring every 20 minutes.
• Remove from the oven and let cool completely on wire racks. Serve or store in an airtight container for up to 2 months.

MAPLE OATMEAL NUT GRANOLA BARS

Steps:

• On a sheet pan lined with parchment paper, toast the oats for 15 minutes on 350.
• While the oats are baking, heat the coconut oil, cinnamon, vanilla, honey, maple syrup, and brown sugar in a saucepan until it comes to a boil and stir it until it's well mixed.
• Place all the seeds and fruits, and toasted oats in a large bowl and pour the syrup mixture over it. Mix everything up until it's all evenly covered with the syrup.
• Then pack it down (firmly) to desired thickness on a sheet pan covered with parchment paper (same one you used to toast the granola). Bake on 350 for 20 minutes Remove from the oven and cut desired size bars before it cools and hardens. Then place in the refrigerator for at least an hour to allow it to set properly!

EASY NO-BAKE GRANOLA BARS

Steps:

• Line a 9-inch square baker with two strips of criss-crossed parchment paper, cut to fit neatly against the base and up the sides. The parchment paper will make it easy for you to slice the bars later.
• Place the oats in a large mixing bowl**. Add the cinnamon and salt, and stir to combine. Set aside.
• Now we'll blitz the mix-ins briefly in the food processor or blender (or, you can chop them by hand). Add any large nuts (like almonds or pecans) first and blitz for a few seconds. Then add the rest and run the machine for a few more seconds, until the ingredients are all broken up into pieces smaller than your pinky nail. Pour the mix-ins into the bowl of oats.
• In a 2-cup liquid measuring cup, measure out the nut butter. Top with ½ cup honey and the vanilla extract. Stir until well blended. If you must, you can gently warm the liquid mixture on the stovetop or in the microwave, but make sure it's close to room temperature before you pour it into the dry mixture (this is especially important if using chocolate, since it will melt).
• Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients. Use a big spoon to mix them together until the two are evenly combined and no dry oats remain. This takes some arm muscles, but you can do it! If the mixture was easy to mix together, that's a sign that you need to add some more oats-sprinkle in more oats until you can't incorporate any more.
• Transfer the mixture to the prepared square baker. Use your spoon to arrange the mixture fairly evenly in the baker, then use the bottom of a flat, round surface (like a short, sturdy drinking glass) to pack the mixture down as firmly and evenly as possible.
• Cover the baker and refrigerate for at least one hour, or preferably overnight. (The oats need time to soak up some of the moisture so they aren't sticky.) When you're ready to slice, lift the bars out of the baker by grabbing both pieces of parchment paper on opposite corners. Use a sharp knife to slice the bars into 4 even columns and 4 even rows.
• Wrap individual bars in plastic wrap or parchment paper (if you store them all together, they will stick to one another). Bars keep well for several days at room temperature, a couple of weeks in the fridge, or several months in a freezer-safe bag in the freezer for best flavor.

CHEWY MAPLE BARS

Steps:

• In a mixing bow, cream sugar and shortening. Add syrup and egg and beat well. Combine flour and baking powder; add to creamed mixture. Add vanilla and mix well. Stir in oats and walnuts. Pour into a greased 9-in. square baking pan. Bake at 350° for 35 minutes. Cut into squares while warm. Cool on a wire rack.