Gluten-free Healthy Chewy Granola Bars chocked full of oats, sunflower seeds, cranberries, flax seed, and chocolate chips, sweetened with honey!
I know that the arrival of January always brings that big push to get organized, start new routines, and eat healthier foods. None of that is really something I pay much mind to, really. I try to stay consistent in the healthy eating department, and the thought of placing those other two things on myself at the beginning of a new year seems overwhelming and a lot of unnecessary pressure.
I did, though, recently have to start going through the contents of all my childhood belongings and keepsakes, as my parents won’t be able to store them anymore. Talk about overwhelming.
My pre-digital camera childhood has been boxed up with pictures and negatives neatly in their jackets, bead necklaces, medals, diaries, and a couple of old teeth. (No joke on that last one. Gross).
I had forgotten how easy smart phones and “the cloud” have made it to save and catalogue special memories and moments. Faced staring at box mountain the other day, I suddenly felt at a loss on what to put in the keep pile and what should finally, finally be discarded.
How do you even begin to decide which memories stay in your possession and which ones go?
While I’m still figuring out the answer to that question, let’s move on to something much simpler.
These healthy chewy granola bars are chocked full of the good stuff. Oats, almond flour, cranberries, sunflower seeds, flax seed, and, of course, chocolate chips. Sweetened with honey (or maple syrup), you’ve got yourself one wholesome little treat.
I’ve been making batches of these granola bars and wrapping them individually in foil to store in the freezer. Grabbing one (or two) on my way out the door in the mornings has been a lifesaver.
A very tasty lifesaver.
Make a Salted Plains recipe? I’d love to see! Tag your creations on Instagram with #saltedplains!
Healthy Chewy Granola Bars (Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free)
Healthy Chewy Granola Bars for an on-the-go snack or after school treat! Gluten-free, dairy-free, refined sugar-free.
Ingredients
- 2 cups gluten-free oats
- 1 cup almond flour/meal
- 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons ground flax seed
- 1 cup dairy-free chocolate chips
- 1/3-1/2 cup dried cranberries
- 1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds
- 1/2 cup melted coconut oil allow to cool a few minutes
- 1/2 cup honey or maple syrup to make vegan
- 1 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a 9x13 pan with coconut oil or line with parchment paper. Parchment paper will yield a cleaner removal.
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In a large bowl, combine oats, almond flour, cinnamon, salt, ground flax seed, chocolate chips, cranberries, and sunflower seeds. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour cooled coconut oil, honey, and vanilla extract. Stir until the mixture is evenly coated.
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Transfer mixture to prepared pan and using a a piece of parchment paper, press mixture firmly down into pan.
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Bake for 22-25 minutes or until sides and top start to turn a golden brown. Cool on a wire rack. Once completely cool, use a sharp knife to cut into bars. Wrap individually with foil or store in an airtight container.
Recipe Notes
Adapted from my Cinnamon Apple Granola and these Playgroup Granola Bars.
I just went through this exact same thing! My parents moved last year, so I was tasked with clearing out my ‘stuff’, which felt impossible to do. Honestly, I tossed a lot of it, kept the few important things, and took pictures of the rest :) Also, I think these would have been a perfect snack to keep me going through all that sorting! xo
It makes you never want to save stuff again, doesn’t it?! Ha. I like the the taking pictures of the rest idea – I’ve started to do that! Thanks, Abby!! xo
No doubt the digital age has changed everything with regards to photographs, sounds and video. The physical things.. that’s a tough one. Perhaps snapping pics of those things, then letting them move on and have another purpose (except those teeth ;) ) That’s a tough one. I cleaned out years ago.. and really, I don’t miss anything. I think my Ma was more upset than I was about giving my wedding dress to a thrift store. I found as much as we’ve moved and the fact that we prefer small homes, requires us to keep (and buy) less. I don’t feel like I’m missing anything, but I know this is a very personal decision. I love these bars, Tessa! Keeping healthy, grab and go snacks on the ready saves me at 3:00 when I’m hangry! Delicious! xo
Hahaha, don’t worry, those teeth are gone-zo! :) When we moved this summer it was with living a little more simply in mind, and hence, no storage space! I am totally with you on the buying less. I think I will just be taking lots of photos of the stuff! Thank you, Traci! Hope you’ve had a lovely weekend! xo
That’s a tough one Tessa! So hard to get rid of things because there are so many memories that go along with them! While helping my son move out of his last apartment after he graduated from college I found every card I sent to him over the course of his four years at college tucked away in a drawer in his desk. Priceless! Just when you think they don’t appreciate the little things, they surprise you like that! By the way…LOVE these granola bars! Such a satisfying snack! These will be the perfect mid-afternoon treat to tide me over til dinner!
I love it!! What a awesome story! Thank you for sharing that. Sounds like you have a very sweet son. Thanks so much, Mary Ann!
these look perfect
in every way – and
would be a great
way to wean myself
and toddler off
of store bought
granola bars.
question about the coconut oil:
it says to use it cooled,
but doesn’t it harden again once
it cools?
thank you!
Hi Carri – great question! The coconut oil doesn’t need to be completely cooled, you just don’t want it to be hot. This is mostly because it would cause the chocolate chips to melt (which maybe wouldn’t be so bad!). I will make a note in the recipe.
Thank you for your kind words – I do hope you enjoy these granola bars!!
I use to be the biggest memory hoarder, so I understand how hard it is to figure out what to keep and what to trash when it comes to things that hold a personal value. I wish you lots of luck in your organization endeavor!
Granola bars have to be one of my favorite snacks, but so many of the store bought ones are filled with sugar and crap that is just not good for you. I love making my own and yours look absolutely delicious! Jam packed with lots of flavors and goodies! Definitely trying yours soon! Pinned! Cheers to a wonderful weekend!
Thank you, Cheyanne! I am SUCH a memory hoarder as well. :)
One of my favorite things about these granola bars is they are whipped up in one bowl! Thank you for your kind words – hope you’ve been having a great weekend!
It is so hard to decide what things to keep, and what to get rid of when it comes to things from our younger years. I don’t have as much trouble getting of “extras” that i’ve accumulated now, like clothes, things for the kitchen, etc, but the pictures and keepsakes are what’s hardest. I don’t know what the right answer is, and was faced it with this christmas going through a similar experience at my mom’s house. I ended up discarding a lot, and putting others in a large box, just one, to hold on to a little bit longer.
Your granola bars look amazing. Way better than store bought. I think I need to make them soon and store in the freezer like you do! xo
I’m right there with you – nowadays I don’t have a problem getting rid of stuff, but that keepsake stuff is hard! I really like the idea of keeping one box – thank you for sharing that! xo
p.s. I’m pretty sure we were close(-ish) to Minnesota temps last night – 3 degrees!! ;)
Tessa, these granola bars are so delicious! Chocolate and cranberries – such a fine combination. I love the points you surface here – so much technology has replaced the keepsakes we so humbly collected in our youth. It’s so easy to snap a shot these days. I had to giggle at the teeth in your box, I’m quite sure I’ve got some interesting (questionable) specimens myself. Happy January to you! xo
Thank you, Danielle! It’s such a strange thing to think about, isn’t it? The way technology has changed things? The teeth thing is certainly strange on my part! :) Haha. Hope you are having a good week, my dear! xo
A few years ago, I found a bunch of little teeth in one of the drawers of my mother’s jewelry box and I was so simultaneously grossed out and also kind of touched that she would keep them! hahah it still makes me laugh though – isn’t it funny what parents feel compelled to hold on to? I have a hard time getting rid of some of the sentimental things too. I think we all do. I like Amanda’s idea of keeping one larger box :)
I also have been meaning to check out your super tasty-looking recipe for days, since I saw it on instagram! I LOVE having stuff like this in the freezer, ready to go. I can’t wait to spend some time baking this weekend, and I’ll definitely be making these. Good luck with sorting through all of those keepsakes, I know it’s not an easy task xo
I’m always looking for more grab + go breakfasts, so this looks to be a lifesaver, Tessa! Do you think maple syrup will work in place of the honey?
Me too! If I’m being honest with myself, breakfast just doesn’t happen for me unless it is grab + go ready. ;) Maple syrup would definitely work well here! xo.
Going through old stuff is such a dreaded task for me too, but I find once I start throwing stuff out, the easier it becomes to let go and pretty soon I just want to throw it all out. :) Snacking bars like this are my weakness, I could probably eat the whole pan if I wanted to! Yours like absolutely delish and full of so many good things!
Hahaha, so true! It does feel good to throw things out once you are in the mode. Bars are a weakness of mine as well – wrapping them and keeping them in the freezer keeps me from devouring them all at once! :) Thanks, Emily!
I just went through a whole lot of my old memories, too, and it was a pretty interesting experience! It was fun seeing photos of a much tinier version of myself, a variety of strange-looking artworks and bizarre handwritten stories with the most hilarious spelling errors! I sat there for hours going through it all. These bars, though…delicious! I recently made some that look very similar and with a similar ingredient list, too. Also dairy-free but with eggs. They were such a fantastic snack for taking to work! Yum :D
The old handwritten stories are the best!! So funny too. It’s interesting what you remember of those items and what you totally, completely forgot.
So glad you like these bars – makes a perfect start to the work day, yes! Thank you, Lisa!
I made these but they ended up being topping for yogurt…they did not stay together. Pure crumble. Any suggestions?
Hi Susan – I am so sorry that happened!! A couple suggestions that might do the trick…Due to slight oven temp variations, you may try baking the bars a bit longer. Also, I’m wondering if they were refrigerated prior to being cut into bars if that would help prevent the crumble. Besides that, packing the mixture down into the baking pan was key for me. They are a tad delicate in nature, but should’t totally crumble. I apologize that that was your experience. I actually just finished the stockpile of bars I had wrapped and frozen as my go-to breakfast bars, so I am due to make another batch for this next week. I will try to see if there is anything else I can add that might be of help to you.
This is helpful…will give it another try. Thanks
Tessa
Is there a best alternative to the almond flour, as these look perfect for the kids to take to school, but they are not allowed nuts.
Hi Charlotte! I haven’t tried it, but I think gluten-free oat flour would work well as a substitute. I’d love to hear if you try it this way.
Hi!! I’m a little late to this granola bar post, but I was wondering what the almond flour is for? Can I just use regular gluten free all purpose flour? Or does it have to be almond?
Thank you!
Hi! Sorry for the delayed response! The almond flour helps bind the nuts, seeds, and oats together. I have not tried it with all-purpose flour, but my guess is that if you sub one-for-one, it should work ok. I do think the almond flour adds to the flavor, and that may be lost with the all-purpose. I hope that helps!
thanks!
Sound great..photo of 2 cups of oats seem more than 2 cups..especially when you look at the 1 cup of choc chips..is this correct 2 cups of oats thanks
Hi Lorraine! The recipe is correct, but the photos are not exactly measured. The photos are just to highlight the ingredients. Thanks!
Delicious
I just made these and they are delicious ! Having one for an after dinner treat . Not to soft and not to hard Just chewy and delicious ! Will definitely recommend these Thanks for the great recipe
Thank you, Nancy! I’m so glad you liked them!