cherry coconut granola bars.
I’m usually pretty excited about the recipes I post here.
Duh, Kelly.
But I’ll tell you – there have been plenty of recipes that haven’t made the blog, like the time I experimented with pumpkin chicken enchiladas but had a bowl of cereal for dinner after several bites of my adventurous failure. Or the orange and beef stir fry that made me want to pick up the phone and order some chinese takeout so I could forget about what I had just wokked up.
But this recipe, my friends…this is a keeper. It’s a gluten-free, vegan granola bar that is simply and totally delicious – perfect for a quick breakfast, mid morning snack or a grab-and-go, nutritious treat on the way to the soccer fields. It’s become a favorite around here, and I think it just might be at your house too. And talk about cost savings! I hit up the bulk section at our local Sprouts when almonds and cherries were on sale, so the total for 20 bars was about $4.
Please. Just trust me on this one 
You'll make new friends of fellow park-goers or co-workers with these bars! They are sweet and salty, packed with nuts, seeds and coconut. Enjoy on the go, on the soccer fields or for a tasty and nutritious dessert.
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 cups old-fashioned oats
- 3/4 cup whole raw almonds
- 1/4 cup coconut oil plus more for greasing
- 3/4 cup coarsely chopped dried cherries
- 3/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
- 1/2 cup unsalted shelled sunflower seeds
- 2 tablespoons flaxseeds
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°. Mix oats and almonds on a large heavy rimmed baking sheet. Bake, stirring once, until just golden, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool on sheet.
- Reduce oven temperature to 325°.
- Brush a 13x9x2-inch metal or glass baking dish with coconut oil. Line with parchment paper, allowing it to extend over long sides. Generously brush paper with oil (and I mean generous...I didn't grease the paper enough the first time and we found ourselves with granola cereal instead of bars :).
- Brush a large bowl generously with oil. Place oat mixture, cherries, coconut, sunflower seeds, and flaxseeds in bowl.
- Bring 1/4 cup oil, honey, sugar, and salt to a boil in a medium saucepan, stirring to dissolve sugar. Boil for 1 minute. Immediately pour over oat mixture in bowl. Using a heatproof spatula, stir until evenly coated. Transfer granola to prepared pan. Lightly press evenly into pan; smooth top.
- Bake for 10 minutes, then rotate the pan and continue baking until golden brown with slightly darker edges, about 15 minutes longer.
- Transfer pan to a wire rack and let granola cool completely in pan. Using paper overhang, lift granola from pan. Cut into 24 bars.
- *Bars can be made 4 days ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.
Notes
135 calories, 7 grams of fat, 17 grams of carbs, 3 grams of protein, 2 grams of fiber
Inspired by Bon Appetit.
TOTAL: Approximately $4.00 or $.20 per bar based on the prices I’ve included in this spreadsheet. Just think how much you’ll save over store bought AND you know exactly what you and your kids are eating!
I make a lot of granola bars but have never toasted the oats beforehand. I think I need to start. I keep hearing how much more flavor it gives them.
Ohhh! Try these…the toasting makes them even more flavorful!
Just made these today – delicious combo! I used ground flaxseeds because the nutrients are more readily available. I also added roasted cacao nibs to give it a little chocolatey yum. I omitted the brown sugar to cut down on the processed ingredients, but should have left it in cuz they were a little too crumbly. Lesson learned for next time. Thank you!
Good call on the flaxseed meal and the cocoa nibs!! I tried to use the least amount of brown sugar that I could but that and the honey really keep it sticky (unfortunately). Thanks for the feedback!
I made these today. The flavors are great and I love all of the healthy ingredients! Mine are pretty crumbly … Not sure what I did wrong. Will use them for granola and for granola bars.
I made two batches and my first were a little crumbly too…I had tried lowering the amount of honey and didn’t grease the pan as well. The second batch had the full amount of honey and I greased the pan really well with coconut oil so they came out easily. Also, another reader said she had better results using a glass pan than a metal pan. Hope that helps!