Sara's "Granola Bars"
After a few hours in the fridge, it firms up, and you can cut it into squares.
Everything's all laid out -- just reading Sara's notes one more time.
Sara wisely suggests toasting the almonds, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds and oats separately, as they brown at different speeds.
You just want them lightly browned.
Almond butter makes these bars rich and chewy -- just make sure to stir it up well before you use it.
Dried apricot, dried cranberries and puffed rice (which I used because I couldn't find brown rice crispies).
Mixing the honey and the almond butter, which will be the "glue" that holds everything else together.
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.
In go a big spoonful of both cinnamon and salt.
It helps to mix together all the dry ingredients before you add the "glue."
Folding everything together -- careful not crush the puffed rice!
The mixture is sticky, so make sure to line your pan with parchment paper.
I pressed everything into the pan with my hands so that it wouldn't fall apart once it was cut.
Share
- ✉
-
Author Notes: My friend Sara is a great cook, and she's forever amazing me with her deftness at making something transcendent out of a few simple ingredients. She doesn't tend to favor elaborate, cloying desserts -- more than once she's ended a dinner party with a plate of her homemade "granola bars." They're chewy and rich, a jumble of nuts, cereal, seeds and dried fruit barely held together with almond butter and honey (no baking involved). She's not shy with the salt, which I think really sets these bars apart. Last week, she shared the recipe with me, and now I'm sharing it with you. These are great to have around, as a dessert or a snack. - merrill
Makes about 30 2-inch bars
- 1 1/2 cup old fashioned rolled oats
- 1 cup raw sunflower seeds
- 1 cup raw sliced almonds
- 1 cup raw pumpkin seeds
- 3 cups brown rice crispies (you can substitute regular rice crispies or puffed rice)
- 1 cup dried apricots, sliced thinly
- 1 cup dried cranberries
- 1 cup almond butter
- 1 cup honey
- 1 tablespoon sea salt
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 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.)
- When all the items are sufficiently toasted, toss them with the brown rice crispies, sliced apricot and cranberries in a large bowl.
- In 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.
- Turn 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.
- This recipe is a Community Pick!
Tags: can be made ahead, Healthy, no bake
More Great Recipes
Share a Recipe
Enter one of our contests, or share that great thing you made for dinner last night.
Add a Recipe
28 days ago Dimply Dots
About the refrigeration issue: it states to refrigerate for several hours to cool them down and help them set. They do not need to be stored in the refrigerator, only a sealed container on the counter is fine. They easily keep for a week on the counter in my experience. In regards to the salt issue, I'd add half, then taste and keep adding until it seems right to you. Depending on the type of salt, one tablespoon can be fine or seem too salty. One tablespoon of sea salt has worked great for me, but one tablespoon of kosher salt is a bit too much. These are really great granola bars and lend themselves well to substitutions.
24 days ago Dimply Dots
Also if using Puffed rice, the almond butter and honey ratio is simply not enough to actually bind the ingredients together. It was fine when using rice crispies, but when tried with puffed rice I was left with a crumbly mess. At least it was a delicious crumbly mess. I'll save it by throwing it on some ice scream perhaps.
about 1 month ago LiveItUp
What I meant was, once firm, why do they need to be stored in the refrig?
about 1 month ago LiveItUp
Why do these need to be refrigerated?
2 months ago fmacmac
These are truly outstanding; my husband has been known to eat several at one sitting, sometimes warmed in the microwave and served with a dollop of vanilla ice-cream.
4 months ago Noelle Lennox Slusarski
These bars are outstanding.
5 months ago boulangere
Cynthia is a trusted source on Bread/Baking.
Made these this morning for a gluten-free breakfast buffet. I used peanut butter rather than almond butter, and they are fantastic. They've earned a permanent spot on the rotation.
5 months ago Rogan
What the...?! These are amazing. I ran out of space in my smaller pan so I used non-stick muffin pan and made little circular "bars" (make sure to push down firmly). I found this to be a less messy solution because there is no cutting. You just pop them out and wrap 'em up. My husband ate three late last night. I may have to hide them...
5 months ago merrill
Merrill is a co-founder of food52.
Genius!
5 months ago boulangere
Cynthia is a trusted source on Bread/Baking.
Wonderful idea!
11 months ago KateLynn
I've made these a few times now, and they are absolutely delicious. But, is a tablespoon of salt a typo? The first time the bars were so salty I could barely eat them. Now I add a half teaspoon, max. Anyone else find this odd? Or am I just super sensitive?
about 1 year ago tbranscum328
Sounds great but I am allergic to rice. Can you recommend and alternative?
about 1 year ago merrill
Merrill is a co-founder of food52.
You 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.
about 1 year ago Franca
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
about 1 year ago Kt4
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.
over 1 year ago Jenifer Mangione Vogt
I'm in awe of these!
over 1 year ago Michelle Taylor
Wonderful bars! I can't stop eating them. So delicious and easy.
almost 2 years ago CathyB
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.
almost 2 years ago Sharonzell
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!
almost 2 years ago Djangojones
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!
almost 2 years ago RoundLake Cook
Made these over the weekend and they are phenomenal!
almost 2 years ago goodie
how would you make them without the rice crispies?
almost 2 years ago edamame2003
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?
almost 2 years ago thirschfeld
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.
almost 2 years ago Jenifer Mangione Vogt
How long can you store these? How do you store them? In the fridge? Thanks!
almost 2 years ago merrill
Merrill is a co-founder of food52.
They should keep in the fridge for several days. Or, you could try freezing them (see my other comment below).