Grab a snack. Granola is sometimes carried by people who are hiking, camping, or backpacking because it’s nutritious, lightweight, high in calories, and easy to store.
This is a healthy option as I have a personal interest in a low sodium diet, As a snack, it is often combined with honey, corn syrup, or maple syrup and compressed into a granola bar form that makes it easy to carry for packed lunches, hiking, or other outdoor activities. Despite originating in Switzerland the names Granula and Granola were registered trademarks in the late 19th century in the United States for foods consisting of whole grain products crumbled and then baked until crisp.
Chocolate Nut Granola Bars
Ingredients
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 170°C. With a little butter, grease a 9" x 13" baking tray and line with parchment paper.
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In a blender, pulse the peanuts, the pecans and almonds until they result in varying sizes, this makes for a more interesting bite from each bar.Pulse rather than continuously blend so some texture remains; stop before the nuts begin releasing enough oil to form a paste.
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On a large baking sheet combine the oats, nuts, coconut and whole flax seed, and roast at 170°C for 10 to 15 minutes until toasted, brown and fragrant, stirring once midway through.Watch closely towards the end of roasting because the coconut and smaller nut pieces can colour quickly. Fragrant and lightly browned is the target, not deeply toasted.
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Remove from oven and toss into a large mixing bowl and let it cool slightly, best to do this at room temperature rather than to rush it in the fridge.
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Reduce the oven temperature to 145°C. Meanwhile in the blender or with a stick blender, pulse the honey, maple syrup, dates, and vanilla until smooth. Small pieces of dates are fine, it is unlikely to become completely smooth.
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Blend the salt, ground flax seed and chocolate chips into the oatmeal and pour in the honey mixture stirring well until fully incorporated.
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Transfer to the pre-prepared 9" x 13" baking tray and press mixture firmly into the bottom, sides and corners.Compress the mixture firmly and evenly, particularly around the edges and corners. Good compression is what helps the cooled bars hold together when cut.
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Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and place the tray on a wire rack to cool for 1 to 2 hours prior to removing and portioning into bars.
Nutrition Facts
Servings 12
- Amount Per Serving
- Calories 347.57kcal
- % Daily Value *
- Total Fat 19.67g31%
- Saturated Fat 5.40g27%
- Sodium 9.27mg1%
- Potassium 349.79mg10%
- Total Carbohydrate 37.43g13%
- Dietary Fiber 5.09g21%
- Sugars 19.90g
- Protein 7.63g16%
- Vitamin C 0.05 mg
- Calcium 65.04 mg
- Iron 2.86 mg
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily value may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
