Monday, March 31

Nut Free Granola Bars

I don't know about you, but I have certain recipes I make over and over again. This recipe for nut free granola bars is one of them. It has been a staple in our house ever since I bought food allergy friendly Gerbs Raw Sunflower Seeds a few weeks ago.

Since we can't buy granola bars at the grocery store (seriously, if you can find an egg-free, nut-free, dairy-free and sesame-free granola bar at the grocery store - please let me know!), I make batches of these every other week. We eat most of them (they go FAST!) and then I freeze the rest for a quick and portable snack for the kiddos.

These are similar to the pumpkin chocolate chip granola bars I previously posted, but with a nuttier flavor and texture. I like this new version better because it includes less sugar and I love the nutty taste and crunchier texture of the sunflower seeds.

No nuts granola bars

I call them granola bars since it's a granola bar substitute in our house. But I could also call them nut free oat bars since they're a little softer and chewier than traditional granola bars you buy in the store.

Whatever you call them...they're delicious and addicting!

Sometimes I pop a small one out of the freezer to satisfy a sweet craving. It's JUST sweet enough. I figure it's a healthier option than candy or cookies.

Here's the recipe. Hope you try it!

nut free granola bars

Nut Free Granola Bar Recipe

Dry Ingredients:
Wet Ingredients:
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar (I recently started only using 1/4 to cut down on sugar. Works great! Also, I included this with the wet ingredients since you mix it in with all the wet ingredients first)
  • 1 cup honey (or agave nectar - maple syrup would probably work too)
  • 1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree (make sure to buy plain, not pumpkin pie puree)
  • 6 Tbsp oil (I use organic canola oil)
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
Directions:
  • Mix all of the dry ingredients in a large bowl with a whisk EXCEPT for the chocolate chips 
  • Mix the wet ingredients in a separate bowl
  • Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir well with a spoon or spatula
  • Add the chocolate chips and stir until distributed throughout 
  • Line a 9" x 13" pan with parchment paper and add the granola bar mixture to the pan. Spread it, press it down and smooth it with a spatula so the granola bars are flat.
  • Bake at 350 degrees for at least 30 minutes or until golden brown
  • Let cool and cut as you wish.
Here are the awesome food allergy friendly Gerbs Raw Sunflower Seeds I used for this recipe. I actually bought the raw and lightly salted versions.  I'd highly recommend the raw/plain kind, but I found the lightly salted kind tasted a little too salty. I've been using the salty kind in salads and I plan to make trail mix with them. Next time I'll just buy the raw kind so I can control the amount of salt by adding my own.

As I said, this is a major REPEAT recipe for us - I keep making it over and over again! What's your favorite repeat recipe!? 

Linking this to Real Food Recipe Roundup!

8 comments:

Diane said...

These are really yummy Kathryn :)

Jo-Lynne Shane said...

My son is allergic to nuts. I MUST TRY THIS!

Danielle @ TheCharmItSpot said...

These look delicious! Love the recipe, thanks!

Kathryn @ Mamacado said...

Jo-Lynne - hopefully the whole family will love these as we do!

Danielle - let me know if you try it!

Momof3kids said...

I gotta try this since all three of my kids are allergic to nuts. Thanks

Kathryn @ Mamacado said...

Let me know how you like it! You sure have a lot to handle with 3 allergic to nuts!

Barb @ A Life in Balance said...

I need to make these and freeze them for our summer day trips! Thanks for sharing the recipe at Pinterest Foodie this week!

Kathryn @ Mamacado said...

Hi Barb - yes, these freeze well! I just take them out the night or morning before we need them.

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