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Almond Joy Granola Bars

My family is a family that consumes granola bars. (Correction: My mini-me is sitting with me and said I should write, “My family is a family that LOVES granola bars!”) I like them for a quick snack before a run or to hold me over between breakfast and lunch. My kids love them…all the time. But what I don’t love is the added sugar and extra ingredients. This leads to me working to create my own, cleaner version that I can feel good about snacking on. Recently, I looked around my cupboard and found the ingredients for Almond Joy Inspired Granola Bars and was on a mission. These are simple to make, they only dirty up about four dishes, and keep well without needing refrigeration. Yay!

And the approval rating? Well, my mom came to visit, gave them a try, and said, “I think you need to bake these for our family vacation.” Double yay! I think they make a great snack that is the perfect amount of sweet without overdoing it. AND the crumbles that may form at the end of the batch would be great as a topping on any yogurt. I can’t wait for you to give them a try!

Your Ingredients

1 cup old fashioned oats
¾ cup unsweetened coconut
¾ cup lightly salted almonds
¼ cup almond butter
¼ cup dates
½ cup honey
¼ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons chia seeds
½-¾ cup mini chocolate chips, divided
1 teaspoon coconut oil

Your Steps to Almond Joy Inspired Granola Bars

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a 9×13 baking dish by lining it first with foil and then spraying it with cooking spray.

Place the old-fashioned oats in a food processor (I love my Kitchen Aid 7 cup food processor) Grind until a rough flour is formed. Add almonds and unsweetened coconut. Grind for additional 20-30 seconds. Add dates and grind once more, until the dates are broken down. Remove from the food processor and place in a medium-sized bowl.

Combine almond butter and ¼ cup of honey. Microwave for 30 seconds, just to soften it. Mix well and stir into the oats mixture. Add remaining honey, salt, chia seeds, and ¼ cup (or more if you want a little more chocolate) mini chocolate chips. Add additional honey if needed, by the tablespoon. Press the mixture into the prepared pan. Bake for 13-15 minutes, cutting into bars halfway through (A steel scraper/chopper like this guy works great!).

Once cooled, feel free to add a drizzle of chocolate by combining remaining chocolate chips and coconut oil in a microwave-safe container and microwaving for 30-second increments, until smooth. Spoon into a plastic baggie, snip the corner, and drizzle onto the completed bars. Be mindful not to snip the corner too large.

Looking for some other sweet treats for your family? Check out the recipe inspiration below or head over to my baking page!

Almond Joy Granola Bars

A food processor and some simple, good for you ingredients combine to create these delicious almond joy inspired granola bars!

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 10

Course Snack

Cuisine American

Equipment

Food Processor

Ingredients

1 cup old fashioned oats
¾ cup unsweetened coconut
¾ cup lightly salted almonds
¼ cup almond butter
¼ cup dates
½ cup honey
¼ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons chia seeds
½-¾ cup mini chocolate chips divided
1 teaspoon coconut oil

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a 9×13 baking dish by lining it first with foil and then spraying it with cooking spray.
Place the old-fashioned oats in a food processor. Grind until a rough flour is formed. Add almonds and unsweetened coconut. Grind for additional 20-30 seconds.
Add dates and grind once more, until the dates are broken down. Remove from the food processor and place in a medium-sized bowl.
Combine almond butter and ¼ cup of honey. Microwave for 30 seconds, just to soften it. Mix well and stir into the oats mixture.
Add remaining honey, salt, chia seeds, and ¼ cup mini chocolate chips. Add additional honey if needed, by the tablespoon.
Press the mixture into the prepared pan. Bake for 13-15 minutes, cutting into bars halfway through (A steel scraper/chopper like this guy works great!).
Once cooled, feel free to add a drizzle of chocolate by combining remaining chocolate chips and coconut oil in a microwave-safe container and microwaving for 30-second increments, until smooth.
Spoon into a plastic baggie, snip the corner, and drizzle onto the completed bars. Be mindful not to snip the corner too large.

Keyword almonds, chocolate, coconut, Gluten Free, granola bars, snacks

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

February 27, 2022February 27, 2022

Jess1 Comment

Homemade Applesauce: Slow Cooker Style

Growing up, I don’t remember either of my parents making homemade applesauce. That isn’t to say they didn’t do it, but I certainly have no memory of it. It wasn’t until I was almost entirely through college that I even realized canning and preserving food was something commonplace. I didn’t start my own journey with homegrown and preserved food until late into my twenties, after my son was born.

After we purchased our home in 2009, we immediately set to work to plant a garden and get trees started for our own mini orchard. At that point, I still had no idea where my future in home preservation was headed. My in-laws are avid canners and freezers of food they produce in their garden. I don’t know if it was a push by my husband or a curiosity of mine, but I became interested. Slowly, I started by canning pickles and jams. Then tomato sauce. Then my in-laws brought me bushels of apples from their own orchard (ours are JUST starting to produce enough to preserve them. For now, we eat ours and preserve gifted apples). I became interested in making homemade applesauce. Then apple jelly and apple pie filling.

Now, I’ve learned that preserving homemade applesauce doesn’t have to look like canning it (although I like to do a little of both). It can look like freezing it, which is a little less daunting for many. And while I love a low simmer on the stove, a slow cooker does the trick and takes the pressure off of worrying if it’s going to burn. Big win, right?

So if you’re ready, I am excited to share my homemade applesauce recipe for freezing.

Your Ingredients for HOmemade AppleSauce

8-9 pounds of apples (between 27-36 apples)
2-3 cinnamon sticks (optional)
1 cup of water

Note: I never add sugar. Apples are sweet enough on their own that I don’t think you need it. If you want to add sugar, I recommend starting low, say, ½ cup. You can add it later, but you can’t unsweeten applesauce after you add it.

Directions for Slow cooker Applesauce

Gather a bowl and a 7-8 quart slow cooker. Peel, core, and slice your apples. Place the scraps in the bowl for Apple Scrap Jelly (yes, you didn’t know you were also making jelly, but here you are, getting ready to!). Set aside (or compost them if you must.)

Place the sliced apples in the slow cooker. Add cinnamon sticks and water. Set on high for 3-4 hours. Every 30 minutes or so, stir and mash a bit with a potato masher or pastry cutter to break down the apples. Cook until apples are soft.

Remove the cinnamon sticks. Now, you have a decision to make: chunky or smooth?

Chunky Applesauce? Continue to mash with the potato masher until you like the texture.

Smooth Applesauce? Hit it with an immersion blender until you get the texture you love.

Allow to cool for approximately an hour. Ladle cooled applesauce into freezer safe containers (I love these container from Arrow). Label and store in the freezer. My mom likes to ladle her applesauce into freezer bags. She likes that they lay flat in the freezer. You do you. (Yes, I know I started by saying my mom didn’t preserve food. She does now. Maybe I inspired her?)

This recipe should result in about 6 pints of applesauce.

Tools of the Trade

In my post, I talk about my immersion blender (a favorite tool of mine!), my Arrow freezer containers (a go to for apples, portioned leftovers, apple pie filling, and so much more!), and I love my Crock pot. I mean, you can’t go wrong!