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Kid Approved Granola Bars

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I wasn’t sure if I should name these granola bars “Kid Approved” or “School Approved”. My kids go to a nut-free school and they are very strict about it. The reason behind it is because several kids have severe nut allergies. I totally feel the parent’s of those children, and would want the school to do the same if my child had a severe nut allergy. However, it does limit the healthy snacks one can make as so many of them include nuts.

This is a variation on the Almond Date Granola Bars with the exclusion of almonds, and the addition of chocolate chips. So far these bars got a big “thumps up” from older daughter Lulu, and an “undecided” verdict from the younger one, Nunu…but nothing a drizzle of melted dark chocolate won’t fix.

 

Kid Approved Granola Bars

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Cook Time: 0min
|prep Time: 0min
| total Time: 0min
| servings: 0

Ingredients: 

  • 2 1/2 cups rolled oats
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
  • 1/4 cup ground flax seed
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 cup olive oil (or coconut oil)
  • 1/4 cup honey (or maple syrup)
  •  1/4 cup coconut sugar (or brown sugar)
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup chopped dates (or a mix of dried fruit)
  • 1/4 cup chocolate chips (I used dark)
Optional Topping: 
  • Melted dark chocolate

Instructions:  
  1. Pre-heat the oven to 350F or 160C. Line a 9inch baking pan with parchment paper. Grease the sides of the pan.
  2. Place oats in a food processor and pulse briefly to break into smaller pieces. If using quick-cooking oats like Quaker brand, you can skip this step.
  3. Place the oats and shredded coconut on baking sheet. Toast in the oven until golden brown about 8-12 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl. Add the flax meal, salt and cinnamon. Mix to incorporate and set aside.
  4. In a small saucepan, warm up the oil, honey, coconut sugar, and vanilla just until warm and the sugar has dissolved. Pour over the oat mixture while it’s still warm, and stir to combine. Add the dates and fold in.
  5. Transfer the granola mix to the prepared pan. Distribute the mix evenly and press down firmly with your hand. If the mixture seems sticky, dampen your fingers with a little water. Make sure you press down very well to make sure the bars don’t break apart when you slice them later on.
  6. Bake for 25-30 minutes until golden brown. Cool completely before removing from the pan and slicing.
  7. Drizzle on some melted dark chocolate for those extra picky eaters.

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13 COMMENTS

  1. Nour | 30th May 17

    21/2 cup oats ?

    • Arwa Al-Turkait
      Arwa | 30th May 17

      Yes. I also tried making it with 2 cups oats, and 1/2 cup rice krispies which was also yummy.

  2. Khulood | 31st May 17

    Thank you arwa the other day me and my 3 yesrs old daughter Fay tried this recieps and it was deeeelicious Fay cheated with extra chocolate chips ?. This one difinetly will do it againe insh Allah

    • Arwa Al-Turkait
      Arwa | 31st May 17

      I’m so glad you both enjoyed it Khuloud. I like the idea of extra chocolate chips 😉

  3. Sara | 18th Oct 17

    Hi arwa, I used to buy granola bars from the supermarket bur after trying this recipe, i figured out that what i was buying are sugar bars not healthy granola bars!!! this recipe is delecious, simple and healthy! it tastes waaaaay better and real than the supermarket fake granola bars! when i first made them they were burned a bit from down but wallah me and my husband ate the whole burned bars! For next time i think i must decrease either the oven time or the heat. thank u arwa for this recipe

    • Arwa Al-Turkait
      Arwa | 20th Oct 17

      Oh yeah once you make your own, there is no going back to store bought granola bars! It might be the oven or the pan you are using. You can try placing your baking pan on a baking sheet, this will distribute the heat more evenly. Let me know how it goes 🙂

  4. W.ali | 4th Sep 18

    Can I replace the flax seed with something else?

    • Arwa Al-Turkait
      Arwa | 5th Sep 18

      The flax seed helps bind the ingredients together. You can try using some ground chia seeds but i’ve never tried. Let me know if it works!

  5. Nora | 29th Sep 18

    I love u sister thank u so much ❤? from Algeria

  6. Sam_akha | 9th Oct 18

    I tried this recipe and it was superb. Perfect. Just like “nature valley” granola bars. Crrrunchyyy.
    I have one query….What do I need to change to make them on the chewy side? Baking time or alter the ingredients?
    Or try a no bake version for chewy bars?

    • Arwa Al-Turkait
      Arwa | 9th Oct 18

      Hi! I would expect less cooking time should do the trick. If you don’t wanna bake them I would go with blending the dates so they act like a binder and add to chewiness. Let me know how it goes whatever you try.

  7. Sam_akha | 10th Oct 18

    Thanks for the quick reply.
    I will try baking for a shorter time next time to get chewy ones.

    If I add nuts or seeds to this recipe do you recommend grinding them to smaller pieces or roughly chopped?

    • Arwa Al-Turkait
      Arwa | 11th Oct 18

      Depends on your preference, just keep the ratio of dry to liquid the same. So you may need to reduce the amount of oats. So if you use 1/4 cup nuts/seeds, reduce oats by 1/4 cup.

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