Nutty Fruity Granola Bars (Gluten-free, Vegan)
Nov 2, 2010 tagged Dairy-free, Egg-free, Gluten-free, Vegan 
Gluten-free & vegan Nutty Fruity Granola Bars. Photo taken by Reed Kiely.
I’ve been on a bit of a quest.
As work picks up and takes me away from my beloved kitchen more and more—leaving earlier and returning later—I find the need for quick, nutritious breakfasts and snacks.
Nuts, gluten-free crackers, and fruit are tucked in my bag. Salads are a lunch staple. In fact, my coworkers think I eat nothing but salads!
It’s time to add to my repertoire of “grab and go” items and granola bars seemed like a good option. Besides the ease—and the fact they’re chock full of nuts, oats, dried fruits and seeds—they’re not hard to make and they taste good.
At least that’s what my husband thinks. And my neighbor. And me. I hope you do, too.
More granola and granola bar recipes from some of my favorite blogs:
granola bars are for grabbing - glutenfree girl and the chef
Famous Flax ‘n Oat Bars - Alisa Cooks
Gluten Free Recipe for Granola - I Am Gluten Free
Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Granola - Gluten-Free Easily
Please post a link to your granola or granola bar recipes in the comments below!
Photo taken by Reed Kiely.
This recipe inspired by Alton Brown & Ina Garten.
Nutty Fruity Granola Bars
These Nutty Fruity Granola Bars are chewy and crunchy all at once. Wrap them individually in wax paper for an on-the-go snack, lunch box extra, or even to take on a hike or camping trip. You can easily switch out the ingredients to make your own version—try dried cherries, blueberries and golden raisins or pecans instead of almonds. The possibilities are endless.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Mix together and set aside:
½ cup dried cranberries
½ cup dried figs, cut into a small dice
½ cup dried apricots, cut into a small dice
Measure out and pour onto a parchment lined cookie sheet:
2 cups gluten-free rolled oats
1 cup sliced almonds
½ cup pepitas or sunflower seeds or a combination of the two
1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
Toast in the oven for 10-12 minutes stirring from time to time. Make sure not to over-toast-–using the coconut as a guide. It should be just browned not dark brown. Remove the toasted oat mixture.
Reduce the oven to 300 degrees.
Meanwhile combine in a medium saucepan over medium heat and cook until the sugar dissolves:
½ cup maple or agave syrup or combination of the two (or alternately honey)
3 tablespoons coconut oil
¼ cup brown sugar, packed
1 teaspoon vanilla
¼ teaspoon salt
Mix together:
Warm toasted oat mixture
¼ cup chia seeds (optional)
¼ cup flax seeds (optional)
Dried fruit mix
Add in and stir to combine:
Warm liquid mixture you made previously
Spoon the mixed granola into a parchment lined baking dish—about 8x11.5 inches. Spread it out, place another piece of parchment on top and press down with your hands to compress the granola evenly into the pan.
Bake for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely in the pan. I mean absolutely, positively, completely cool—a few hours. Cut into bars. These will keep in an airtight container for about a week—if you don’t eat them all first.
Reader Comments (29)
Granola bars look great. Love all those layers of goodness ;)
Those look amazing! Love all the healthy additions!
Nancy, these look SO good. I bet the nuts add a nice layer of protein that would be extra good for me. Whoever Reed Kiely is, he/she takes a gorgeous photo!
Thanks for the link up Nancy!
Those bars look fabulous. I love making homemade granola bars, but haven't done it in ages. May need to try out your formula!
These look fantastic! We've made some similar, but yours look a bit more dense. I'm going to have to try. Thanks for sharing!
Nancy, those look incredible! As soon as I get some gf oats again, I'll be making these for sure. :-)
Thanks so much for linking to my accidental cookie granola! ;-) We love that stuff.
Last, you should link this up to Diane's Friday Foodie Fix from last week (if you haven't already) ... the "secret" ingredient was pepitas.
Hugs,
Shirley
Nancy - these look delicious! Your photographs are gorgeous.
Those bars look so hearty and delicious. What beautiful photos too!
I've always wanted to try granola bars, but have never tried it. Bookmarking your post! :)
Waw!! Your home made granola bars with fruits & nuts look just wonderful & ooh so appetizing too!
MMMMMM,..real breakfast bars!
Nancy - you have outdone yourself. These are absolutely hands down the best granola bars I've ever seen. I am SO making these for our trip to Dallas! Thank you for linking to me girlfriend!
I love having a quick snack to grab on the go. These look great. Yumm...
Oh my goodness! I wanna keep some of these in my desk at work. I don't even think that I would share :)
These look great! I will have to make some this weekend, because I find that I am always hungry during the day, and these look like a healthy (and yummy) way to keep my hunger satisfied.
this looks like a great recipe! We have a lot of patients with food sensitivities! I posted a link to your site on our Hauser Diet facebook fan page!
Looks geat! Here is a link to the Energy Bars that I make on a regular basis!
http://das-leben-der-lundquisten.blogspot.com/2010/08/recipe-energy-bars
I am so thrilled to find you!! I knew if I kept looking, I would find GF/CF/EF!!! Look forward to checking out your recipes and info. Yipee!!
Wow, Nancy, these looks fantastic! I need to make these for my lunch box. Love that its a bar of healthiness!
These looked great and packed full of seeds and flavour. Granola bars are a staple for me & make the best allergy-friendly travelling snacks. You can find my version of Apple & Cinnamon Granola Bars here: http://www.theintolerantgourmet.com/journal/2010/10/3/apple-and-cinnamon-granola-bars.html
Nancy, these look so fabulous and chock full of good ingredients. I will totally make these for the kids over the weekend. I make granola bars a lot for the kids because they think it is a treat to start their day with one. My last batch of bars though was sort of a fail. I was trying to make pumpkin vanilla granola bars, but the kids were less than enthused, so I crumbled them up, baked them on a sheet for a few more minutes to dry it out, and it turned into our new fav. granola.
Your photos are absolutely gorgeous! Wow!