by merrill
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Photo by Sarah Shatz
1 1/2 cup old fashioned rolled oats Ask a question about this ingredient
1 cup raw sunflower seeds Ask a question about this ingredient
1 cup raw sliced almonds Ask a question about this ingredient
1 cup raw pumpkin seeds Ask a question about this ingredient
3 cups brown rice crispies (you can substitute regular rice crispies or puffed rice) Ask a question about this ingredient
1 cup dried apricots, sliced thinly Ask a question about this ingredient
1 cup dried cranberries Ask a question about this ingredient
1 cup almond butter Ask a question about this ingredient
1 cup honey Ask a question about this ingredient
1 tablespoon sea salt Ask a question about this ingredient
2 teaspoons cinnamon Ask a question about this ingredient
Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Toast the oats, sunflower seeds, almonds, pumpkin seeds. (Sara recommends toasting them all separately because of different burn rates -- I found that the pumpkin seeds took the least amount of time, at 7 minutes, and the sunflower seeds the most, at about 15 minutes.)
Ask a question about this stepWhen all the items are sufficiently toasted, toss them with the brown rice crispies, sliced apricot and cranberries in a large bowl.
Ask a question about this stepIn a small saucepan, heat the almond butter and honey just to get melty, not cooked. (This is your glue and if it boils or even comes close, it gets hard and yucky.) Stir in the salt and cinnamon, then pour over the oat and nut mixture and stir. You want to get everything incorporated and 'glued' together without crushing the tender crispies.
Ask a question about this stepTurn into a 9x13 baking dish lined with parchment and press the mixture evenly and firmly -- again, try not crush the crispies too much. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for several hours. Cut into 2-inch squares before serving.
Ask a question about this stepYou just want something with a slightly different texture -- maybe a puffed corn cereal? You could also just leave out the puffed rice and up the other dry ingredients proportionately.
I had a hard time mixing therefore they didn't hold together the way I would like, but ooh the flavour. They are absolutely delicious! Love the contrast between sweet and salty. Definately a keeper
I wonder if there's a way to make these so they don't require refrigeration :-? I'd love to make something like this for hikes & horseback rides.
I'm in awe of these!
Wonderful bars! I can't stop eating them. So delicious and easy.
Wow! These are amazing! I've been meaning to make these for weeks and I finally got around to it last night. I didn't have puffed rice or rice krispies (and didn't feel like running to the store), so I used whole grain Cheerios. They are still terrific. Thanks for a great recipe. Can't wait to try it with other nuts/seeds/dried fruit.
These are very delicious! We made a few substitutions (walnuts for almonds, mango/ coconut for the other dried fruit, and added some golden flaxseed), but they disappeared quickly. We will be making them again!
I made these bars with what I had in the house: chocolate chips, unsweetened coconut, peanuts, raisins, almonds, and pumpkin seeds. The chips melted when I added the "glue," but turned the granola bars into a chocolatey goodness I didn't expect!
Made these over the weekend and they are phenomenal!
i made these and they are delicious. they just don't stay together as a 'bar' and i'd like to pack them as a snack for my son. is there anything I can do now to get them to stay together?
what kind of almond butter? I made these and they are sticking together great. I made them last Wednesday and have had them in the fridge and they are as good as the day we made them. I am thinking, since some others have had them fall apart, that you used a ground natural butter, probably had to stir it to combine the oil back into it. I used an organic almond butter with cane syrup extract and palm oil. It resembles Jif and I think it makes for a better glue. I just wonder if this might not be the issue.
How long can you store these? How do you store them? In the fridge? Thanks!
They should keep in the fridge for several days. Or, you could try freezing them (see my other comment below).
I libe in Brazil and i can't find almond butter, can i chance for normal butter?
Tks, luciana
If you don't have almond butter, peanut butter or another nut butter should work fine. I wouldn't recommend regular butter for these.
Hmmnn...wondering if it would be OK to just buy the nuts/seeds already roasted to save time? Or, will that make a big difference in flavor/outcome? I'm a newbie at cooking so all thes little nuances are still pretty foreign for me. (I love this blog and am learning so much :-)
What a nice comment! You could buy pre-roasted nuts and seeds, but the flavor will be better if you do it yourself.
I actually did this last night. My store was seriously lacking in "raw" anything so I got roasted sliced almonds and roasted unsalted sunflower seeds. They didn't have any pumpkin seeds so I substituted some flax seed that I had at home. I also swapped out the cranberries for dried cherries and tossed in a few mini dark chocolate chips and they turned out AWESOME! I wouldn't sweat it if you can't find unroasted seeds.
Also, the almond butter I used was super raw, and not terribly creamy, and I think they're holding together alright, but next time I'm going to try the more creamy kind for a better "glue".
Made these on Wednesday and we love them. Both girls think they belong in the granola bar hall of fame.
Very close in taste and texture to granola bars made by Whole Foods. Loved them, very addictive but had an issue with the bars falling apart on me. I did use just a little less honey than the recipe called for. Do you think that's the problem? Is there another ingredient that would "glue" the bars?
Pam R.
this happened to me with another, very similar recipe...and we found out that it's even better as a topping on yogurt! so now my family insists on it!
As Sara mentioned, sometimes you may even need a little more of the almond butter/honey mixture to hold the dry ingredients together. You could maybe try substituting agave for the honey.
For storage purposes, do you think these would do alright in the freezer?
Yes, I think they should be fine if they're well-wrapped.
Could you substitute peanut butter for almond butter?
i have substituted it with peanut butter, but prefer the almond. the peanut butter has a way of overtaking all the other flavors; the almond seems to let the seeds and fruits shine.
I made these with peanut butter and dried cherries and they came out well. I mightbtr a sesame seed variation next time.
These are so saved.
Yum...I think my husband will love these as a breakfast bar!
Marion is the Paulette Goddard Professor of Nutrition, Food Studies, and Public Health at NYU and the author of several books on food policy, including Safe Food and What To Eat.
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Everything's all laid out -- just reading Sara's notes one more time.
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Sara wisely suggests toasting the almonds, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds and oats separately, as they brown at different speeds.
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You just want them lightly browned.
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Almond butter makes these bars rich and chewy -- just make sure to stir it up well before you use it.
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Dried apricot, dried cranberries and puffed rice (which I used because I couldn't find brown rice crispies).
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Mixing the honey and the almond butter, which will be the "glue" that holds everything else together.
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You want to warm the honey and almond butter just until it loosens up a little -- make sure not to let it get too hot, or it will harden up.
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In go a big spoonful of both cinnamon and salt.
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It helps to mix together all the dry ingredients before you add the "glue."
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Folding everything together -- careful not crush the puffed rice!
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The mixture is sticky, so make sure to line your pan with parchment paper.
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I pressed everything into the pan with my hands so that it wouldn't fall apart once it was cut.
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After a few hours in the fridge, it firms up, and you can cut it into squares.
Sounds great but I am allergic to rice. Can you recommend and alternative?