(Super) Easy No-Bake Granola Bars

As I may have mentioned before, I am not what you would call “good in the kitchen.” I always seem to burn what I’m cooking or end up eating the ingredients before they ever catch a glimpse of their intended purpose. So whenever I set out to make something from scratch, I make sure it is: A) simple in both directions and ingredients, B) something that will better my life, and C) doesn’t take too much time.

Lately I’ve noticed that I am zipping through my days, going from one thing to the next without much time in between to have a nutritious lunch or snack. I’ve found myself reaching for convenience foods and more often than not, I’m deciding on granola bars that are packed with sugar and ultimately leave me feeling hungry and tired. So I had a thought, why don’t I make my own healthy granola bars that are a fraction of the price and contain only the ingredients that I want? …but they have to be quick and easy. Well, I think I found the perfect recipe! It takes no time at all and you can follow the recipe as much as you’d like, or not. Below is the recipe for my no-bake granola bars, but feel free to swap any ingredient out for a different personal choice. Also, I didn’t follow the recipe exactly (remember how I said I eat ingredients as I go?) so you can be somewhat flexible with the measurements.

No Bake Granola Bars

Ingredients:

1 cup rolled oats

2 Tbsp chia seeds

1/2 cup chopped nuts (I used a raw trail mix with raisins but feel free to use almonds, pumpkin seeds, walnuts, or any other favorite nut)

Approximately 1/2 cup almond butter (I used a little less)

Approximately 1/3 cup raw honey (Again, I used a little less)

2 Tbsp cacao nibs

That’s all of the ingredients! But you can add dried fruits, hemp hearts, or anything else you desire. Next time I am adding more almonds and less honey.

1. Mix all dry ingredients together in a mixing bowl.

2. Melt the almond butter and honey until creamy — Approximately 40 seconds in a microwave or a few minutes on low heat on the stove.

3. Pour the melted almond butter and honey into the bowl and mix with the dry ingredients until everything is evenly coated.

Press into an 8×8 pan. I recommend lining the pan with wax paper so the bars do not stick.

Freeze for 20-30 minutes. Cut into eight equal-sized bars.

Store the granola bars in an airtight container in the fridge. You can eat as a snack or crumbled on top of yogurt with fresh fruit.

Enjoy!

+ Let me know what ingredients you are planning to put into yours!

Be sure to check out more healthy recipes from the BLDG 25 blog!

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