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Recently a friend asked if I had a good granola bar recipe.  I didn’t, but it sounded like a fun project.  So three days and a jar of peanut butter later (flour on the face for effect,) I emerge with these beauties.   Here you go Steve … your family’s very own custom granola bars!  (But don’t go nabbing this recipe for that hotshot little blog of yours without proper attribution or I WILL come after you.)

These are absolutely delicous, very easy to make (20 minutes prep once you get the hang of it + chill time) and chock full of superfoods… coconut oil, local honey, almonds, chia seeds & blueberries to name a few.  (The dry ingredients can be played around with as long as the wet/dry ratio stays the same.)  If this would be your first time delving into the worlds of coconut oil and chia seeds, go for it – here is why. 

As with all no-bake chewy granola bars, these are best served cool.  Otherwise, they will come apart easily (although they are still very tasty this way.)  We keep them in the fridge or near an ice pack when we go out.

They are kid approved as you can see from these chubby hands that enter the scene…

(realizes she doesn’t yet have the dexterity to nab two…)

No qualms.

Blueberry-Chia Seed Granola Bars

1/4 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/3 cup honey (or try brown rice syrup for a less sweet taste)
1 Tbsp chia seeds (or flax)
1/2 tsp salt (omit if your nuts or nut butter are salted)
1.5 cups rolled oats, split
1/2 cup almonds
1/2 cup crispy rice cereal
1/4 cup sunflower seeds, toasted
2 Tbsp sesame seeds
1/2 cup dried blueberries

Process 3/4 cup of the oats until they begin to get crumbly.  Add the almonds to the food processor and pulse until the oats are quite crumbly and the almonds break down into small chunks.

Heat the peanut butter, coconut oil, honey, chia seeds and salt in a saucepan over medium-low heat until the peanut butter melts and the mixture is very warm but not boiling.   Meanwhile, combine the dry ingredients in a separate bowl.

Remove the liquid mixture from heat and stir the dry ingredients into the wet until all are coated.  Spoon the combined ingredients into an 8×8 glass pan and press down firmly (using, for example, the bottom of a glass or loaf pan) so that all the granola is very firmly and evenly packed.  Refrigerate until the granola bars firm up (about 4 hours) or stick them in the freezer for about an hour if you need them sooner.

Slice up and enjoy!  (Wrap individually in saran wrap to maintain crispiness or if taking them to go.)

(Also posted on Beyond the Peel’s Keep it Real Thursdays and The Nourishing Gourmet’s Pennywise Platter 5/24)