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.

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 Bar Recipe

Dry Ingredients:

• 6 cups old fashioned oats
• 3/4 cups raw unsalted sunflower seeds (we use Gerbs Raw Sunflower Seeds) 
• 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 cup Enjoy Life Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips (we use these since they're food allergy friendly)

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!

You may also like: Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Granola Bars