Mamacado: Craisins

My husband and I love Kashi granola bars as a snack or quick breakfast (plus a banana) on the go. However, I can't seem to find any nut, dairy, gluten and egg free granola bars for my son. Solution? Make them myself! I found the recipe for these Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Granola Bars here, and they're so tasty that I haven't tried any alternate recipes. These bars are probably even better than store-bought granola bars since they're homemade, less processed, and include less "junk" than store-bought granola bars.

They may be more of a fall-time treat since they use pumpkin, but they're a staple at our house year-round. They also freeze really well. I just cut them into toddler size squares, wrap them in plastic wrap, and put them in a large ziplock bag to freeze. I defrost one or two on the counter overnight, or even in the microwave if I need one quickly. They taste great even after being frozen.

I found this recipe here. I stayed true to most of it, but made a few minor changes.

Here are the ingredients I used:

3 1/4 cups Bob's Red Mill gluten free oats
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp brown sugar
3/4 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 cup honey (agave nectar works too)
3 Tbsp oil (I used Smart Balance this time) **This is updated from my original post - you need 3!
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips
1/4 cup Craisins

In one large bowl combine: oats, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.

In another bowl whisk together: brown sugar, pumpkin, honey, oil and vanilla extract.

Pour mixture over oats and stir well, then add chocolate chips and Craisins (other add-ins would work well too if you can eat them! I'd love these with almonds, walnuts, sunflower seeds or other dried fruit).