Dark Chocolate & Coconut Granola Bars
I love a good ole fashioned muesli bar, however it is really hard to find a ready made one that is gluten free and not full of refined sugar. I have found a few, and although they are delicious, they are really expensive. Which I get, because they are packed full of real food, and not processed crap, however I’m not too keen on spending my hard-earned dosh on them every time I have the urge to eat one. Which is often.
So, I set out to make my own version, which wasn’t as easy as I thought it would be. I love to cook, but I’m more of a savoury cook, as it’s all about the flavours and visuals, not about the science behind it all. And that’s the annoying thing with baking…it’s a science. You’ve gotta have the right ratios of this and that, otherwise it simply does not work. And my patience levels really are not designed for that kind of detail. But where this is a will there is a way. I literally had the calculator out getting the % right with this!! I’m surrounded by extremely talented bakers (and I mean extremely talented – the multi award winning kind), but I am way too stubborn to ask for their advice, so I slogged it out and after a couple of failures, I give to you, one of my favourite recipes ever.
Enjoy!
Sunflower seeds 310gms
Pumpkin seeds 210gms
Raw almonds 140gms – roughly chopped
Raw cashews 70gms
Coconut chips 150gms
Dried apricots 50gms – finely sliced
Dried cranberries 120gms
Dark chocolate 150gms – roughly chopped. I use Whitakers 62%, but you use whatever you fancy.
Almond butter 190gms
Honey 450gms
Heat oven to 170C (do not use fan bake).
Mix buckwheat groats, sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds together and spread evenly across 2 baking trays. Toast in oven for 10mins – giving them a good shake and swapping tray positions over after 5mins. Cool.
Mix together chopped up almonds and cashews and toast for 10mins. Give them a bit of a shake half way through too. Cool.
While all this toasting business is going on, in a large bowl mix together the coconut chips, cranberries, apricots and dark choccie.
Add the almond butter and honey to a pot and place on a low temperature to melt. Give it a mix every now and then, to ensure that the almond butter doesn’t stick to the base of the pot. You’ll know when it’s good to go as the honey and the fat from the almond butter will mix well together.
Add the cooled seeds and nuts to the bowl with the other dry ingredients. Give it a really good stir. Add the honey/almond butter and mix well. You don’t want to take too long on this step as the choccie will start melting and you want it to go into the baking tray as chunky as possible.
Pour/spoon into a well line baking tray (base and sides). Press down firmly with wet hands as you want to ensure it is well compacted. My baking trays are 31cm x 21cm.
Bake at 170C for 20-25mins if you like a chewy granola bar, or 25-30mins if you like a super crunchy granola bar. I bake mine for 22mins.
Once cooked, remove from oven. Lightly oil that back of a serving spoon and again give the granola bar a little love by gently pushing on the top with the back of the oiled spoon. This will ensure that all the ingredients are good friends and won’t have a falling out when you take them out of the baking tray.
Leave to cool in the tray overnight. The next morning, remove from the tray, take off the baking paper carefully (be aware that some of the honey may still be a little sticky), and cut to whatever size you like.
This is not a cheap recipe to make, but do not be put off by that. This freezes well, so cut into whatever portion size you fancy, then put in the freezer. If sealed well it will last for 6 months. This way you only need to make every few months and you always have a power packed snack ready to go. Just take out a piece in the morning before work, throw in your lunch box and that’s the mid-afternoon sugar craving sorted.
You can’t really sub out too many of the ingredients as it is a bit of a science getting the right texture. If you don’t have buckwheat groats, you can add more sunflower seeds. You could also swap out the cranberries for sultana’s or raisins. Feel free to use peanut butter instead of almond butter – make sure it is smooth peanut butter though.
If you want to make it vegan you can sub out the honey for golden syrup or rice malt syrup.
This is a pretty robust slice, so it is more than happy to go tramping, skiing or running. Just be aware that there is chocolate and honey in it and they are not fans of body heat or direct sunlight. It is also happy to sit under a sun umbrella on the beach or have a picnic in the park, just in case you were wondering