Tasty Tuesday - Granola Bars Take 3

I. love. homemade. granola bars!

If you couldn't tell from my previous  posts, my family loves them too. You can fill them up with lots of healthy treats they may not otherwise want to eat. My son, Rooster, and daughter enjoy making them with me so it is a win-win for me! They are easy to put in our snack bags when we are on the go.

I recently saw Merrell Outside posted Nutrition Kitchen's homemade chewy peanut butter energy bar, so we had to try it!
With my sous chefs ready, we got all the ingredients out except for the coconut flakes since I did not have any nor do I care for them. I also did not have almond butter so I just put a handful of almonds in my food processor until it turned into almond butter.

This recipe was not as quick to make as the no bake Larabars, but everyone did enjoy them.  I liked how this recipe was a bit different from my other recipes using coconut oil and Chia seeds. We will be keeping this recipe in the rotation too.

Ingredients for Chewy Peanut Energy Bars:

• 2 cups Oats (Gluten free if needed)
• 1 cup plain peanuts roughly chopped (not salted or roasted)
• 1 cup Seeds (pumpkin & sunflower)
• 1/2 cup Coconut flakes
• 2 Tbsp Chia seeds
• 1/2 cup water
• 10 medjool dates (chopped)
• 1/4 cup Coconut oil
• 1/3 cup Maple syrup or (rice syrup/ honey)
• 2 Tbsp Almond Butter
• 2 Ripe bananas

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
2) Spread oats, seeds and coconut on a baking tray
3) Place in oven for 15 minutes to lightly brown, stirring regularly. Be careful not to let the coconut burn. When ready, place in large bowl and add chopped peanuts.
4) Meanwhile put the Chia seeds and 1/4 cup water in a bowl and set aside.
5) Place the chopped dates, coconut oil, 1/4 cup water and the maple syrup in a saucepan.
6) Gently heat until the oil is melted and the dates have softened. Then, add to the bowl with the chia seeds.
7) Place the bananas and almond butter in blender until smooth, feel free to add a little of the date liquid if you need to.
8) When smooth, add the banana mixture to the chia seed and date bowl and mix together with 1/2 tsp sea salt.
9) Add the bowl of wet ingredients to the bowl of dry ingredients and mix until well combined.
10) Pour the mixture into a lined baking tin and spread with the back of a spoon until it is evenly dispersed and compacted.