No-Bake Granola Bars

Name: No-Bake Granola Bars
Yield: 9 square bars
Ingredients: 2 1/2 cups rolled oats; 1/2 cup sliced almonds; 2/3 cup dried cranberries; 2/3 cup almond butter; 1/2 cup agave nectar; 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

alaskafromscratch

9 years ago

Weather: 37 degrees. Yesterday’s beautiful fresh snow is getting rained on as we speak.
What I’m listening to: NO, Meghan Trainor

When I’m at my local library or bookstore, you can most often find me in the cookbook section. Shocker, I know. When I pore over a cookbook, I’m looking for more than just recipe inspiration. I’m taking in the food photography and styling. I’m soaking up the fine design details like the fonts and colors. I’m listening to the author’s voice and seeing if it resonates with my own. I’m familiarizing myself with the weight of the paper, the texture of it, the way it smells when the book is opened. The cookbooks I own are full of dog-ears in the corners, splatters on the covers, and notes on the pages, marking ideas to which I hope to return. The books I borrow, on the other hand, are filled with removable tabs, post-it notes, and bookmarks.

This is a recipe I bookmarked in a new cookbook I borrowed from the Soldotna Library – Food 52 Vegan. The authors declared these no-bake granola bars to be one of their most popular recipes by far. I was thoroughly convinced to try it for myself, having not tried a new granola bar recipe in a few years. I had a fantastic jar of Trader Joe’s almond butter my aunt Wendy had sent in a care package from California that I had been wanting to use. This recipe calls for peanut butter or almond butter, so I eagerly grabbed my jar of almond butter and got started. For my nuts and dried fruit I selected cranberries and sliced almonds. They turned out beautifully – quick, simple, and adaptable. Next time I might try peanut butter and mini dark chocolate chips. I can easily see why this granola bar recipe is a favorite.

You can also find this recipe published in Alaska Dispatch News.

No-Bake Granola Bars

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These no-bake granola bars are quick to throw together and completely customizable. Try this version with almond butter, sliced almonds, and dried cranberries.

Yields: 9 square bars

2 1/2 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup sliced almonds
2/3 cup dried cranberries
2/3 cup almond butter
1/2 cup agave nectar
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

Line an 8x8 pan with aluminum foil and set aside. In a mixing bowl, stir together the oats, nuts, and cranberries. In another smaller bowl, stir together the almond butter, agave nectar, and salt until smooth and combined. Pour the mixture into the oats and stir until everything is completely coated. Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan. Using another sheet of foil, press the granola bars down firmly into the pan. Freeze the pan for at least two hours before lifting out the foil and cutting into bars. Cut into nine squares using a sharp knife. Wrap the bars individually and store in the refrigerator.

Adapted from the Food 52 Vegan’s Five-Minute No-Bake Granola Bars recipe.