Oat-Free and Gluten-Free Granola Bars (Clean Eating)

If you are trying to avoid certain grains and processed sugars, this is an excellent substitute for the traditional granola bar. After trying these, my husband refuses to eat traditional granola bars and begs me to keep them in stock in our freezer. This is also wonderful on top of ice cream or baked apples.

• Preparation Time: 10 mins
• Cooking Time: 3 mins
• Total Time: 13 mins
• Calories: 352 Calories

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup honey
• 1 cup diced dried apricots
• 1 ¼ cups almonds, divided
• 1 ¼ cups sunflower seeds, divided
• 2 cups shredded unsweetened coconut
• 1 ½ cups coconut oil
• ¼ cup ground cinnamon, or as needed

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Place 3/4 cups almonds and 3/4 cups sunflower seeds into a food processor; chop until nuts are in 1/4-inch pieces, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from food processor and pour in a bowl. Place the remaining almonds and sunflower seeds into the food processor; roughly chop into larger pieces, about 1 minute. Mix remaining nuts, seeds, shredded coconut, and dried apricot into the 1/4-inch nuts until fruit and nut mixture is combined.

Step 2

Combine coconut oil, honey, ground cinnamon, vanilla extract, and salt in a sauce pan over medium-low heat; cook until the coconut oil mixture bubbles and turns a lighter color, 3 to 5 minutes.

Step 3

Pour coconut oil mixture over the fruit and nut mixture; stir until the granola mixture takes on the consistency of wet sand, about 1 minute.

Step 4

Line a baking sheet with waxed paper. Pour granola mixture onto the sheet; place a second sheet of waxed paper on top of the granola mixture. Push down on the waxed paper with you hands until the granola mixture has been evenly spread. Pack tightly to ensure that the granola will not fall apart.

Step 5

Cool until granola has hardened, 2 to 3 hours. Cut into bars.