Last week was the week of the granola bar in my kitchen.
It was also, unfortunately, the week of sticky fingers, sticky cupboards, sticky floors, sticky handles, and sticky clothing.
Actually, it still is. I should do something about that..
I’ve been testing oodles of baked and no-bake granola bars for the cookbook, working hard to get the perfect flavour, texture, and combination of healthy ingredients for each one. Granola bars are one of my all-time favourite things to bake and eat, but they can be tricky to get just right! One day, I’d like to write a cookbook devoted to granola bars, squares, and other snacks. That would be right up my alley.
I planned this week of granola bar testing to coincide with our upcoming trip to Calgary (we leave tomorrow morning). We’re having a family reunion of sorts (Grandpa and Diane are also coming from Ontario…yay!!) so I will have lots of eager testers, most importantly my nephews. Kids are the best critics of all..they are just so honest.
I’m just hoping the 60+ bars and two huge super soaker water guns (best aunt ever) don’t put my suitcase over the weight limit. I may be forced to eat all of the granola bars at the check-in counter (worst aunt ever). I’m willing to do whatever is necessary. That includes baking more and turning my mom’s kitchen into a sticky mess. Sorry mom.
After last week’s granola-bar-athon, I decided it was time to move on. For now, at least. Next up: a portable hiking cookie to bring during our weekend hiking adventures.
I had a vision in mind:
1) Crispy around the edges
2) Chewy in the middle
3) Loaded with healthy ingredients
4) Fold in nuts, seeds, and dried fruit
5) A touch of chocolate, never hurts either (Enjoy Life mini chips are amazing and vegan too)
6) Props for being a bit homely looking! Ok, I added that in after the fact. ;)
Here’s another great thing about the cookies – they are free of any added oil. The secret lies in a base of toasted pecans.
You simply toast pecans in the oven and process or chop them until they are smaller than peas, like so:
This toasted pecan base creates a lovely “buttery” flavour without having to add a drop of oil. I’m sure you could also use walnuts here, but I love the sweetness of pecans. A mixture of the two might work well also. To round out these cookies I added dried sweetened cranberries, pepita seeds, and mini chocolate chips.
The batter is very sticky so I had to dip my hands into a bowl of water, lightly shake them off, and then roll the dough into balls that way. Every 4 cookies or so, I re-dipped my hands into the water. This method worked really well. Be sure to pack the dough together firmly as this will help them stick together.
After 11-12 minutes at 350F, we have a winner!
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Happy Trails Adventure Cookies
Yield
13-14 cookies
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
Ingredients
For the dry ingredients
- 1 cup pecans, toasted
- 1 cup + 1 tbsp oat flour (I made my own flour in the blender using 1 cup rolled oats)*
- 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp rolled oats*
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 scant tsp fine grain sea salt
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tbsp ground flax seed
For the wet ingredients
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
- 3 tbsp brown rice syrup*
- 1/2 tbsp pure vanilla extract
For the mix-ins
- 1/3 cup dried sweetened cranberries
- 3 tbsp pepita seeds
- 3-4 tbsp mini chocolate chips (I use Enjoy Life brand)
Directions
- Preheat oven to 325°F and toast pecans for 8-10 minutes, watching closely. Remove and set aside to cool. Turn oven temp to 350°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment or grease with oil. Set aside.
- Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. In a separate smaller bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients.
- In a mini processor (or by hand) process/chop the pecans into small crumbs, just smaller than the size of peas. Stir into the dry ingredients.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir well until combined. The dough will be very sticky, but not to worry. Fold in the mix-ins.
- With lightly wet hands, grab about 2 tbsp dough and shape into a ball, packing firmly. Place on prepared baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Repeat for the rest, wetting hands every 4 cookies or so.
- Bake at 350°F for 10-12 minutes (I baked for 11.5 mins). Cool on baking sheet for at least 10 minutes. When completely cooled, store in a glass jar or freeze for maximum freshness.
Tip:
To make these gluten-free, using certified GF oats and check all other ingredients.
If you eat honey, you can probably use it as a sub for brown rice syrup. I do think the cookies need either brown rice syrup or honey for the cookies to hold together and retain that nice chewy texture. I don’t recommend subbing it for more maple syrup.
Enjoy the cookies with a cold glass of almond milk or simply as fuel for all your outdoor summer adventures.
happy trails to you!
Do you think there would be a way to make this grain free and use a different flour? If so, what flour would you think would be equivalent – almond flour and chopped almonds instead of the oats or some chia seeds to help soak up some of the liquid like the oats would?
I’m always on the lookout for homemade granola bars/healthier treats! Thanks! :)
Yum! These look so delicious, anything with oats in cookie form is my favorite. Can’t wait to try this recipe!
I should have known better and doubled the recipe batch cuz these were a hit all across the board! My two year old pretty much tried ramming a whole one into his mouth, haha! These are soooo scrumptious. I didn’t have cranberries so subbed for dried plump cherries. Ahmazing! I would be all over your granola cookbook. Who doesn’t love anything granola!
Have a great time in Calgary and hope all your goodies made it there too:-)
I just made these and they are delicious! Mmmmmm
So I made these the other day and they were very good! A nice hearty and healthy cookie but still sweet. I was wondering though…mine did not spread out on their own. After 8-9 min in the oven I flattened them because they were still round. Any ideas? The only thing I changed was using honey and quick oats not rolled. Thanks for sharing!
Hey Andrea, Hmm my guess is that it was the quick oats? I think honey is usually a 1:1 sub for brown rice syrup so I cant imagine that was the issue. Im glad you enjoyed them anyways!
I just made these tonight and had the same spreading issue, I used regular oats. Hmmm…
yum, i love granola-esque cookies like this. i usually just throw together whatever i have. a mashed banana here, a handful of fruit and nuts there.
These look SOOOO good :) I am definitely making these soon! But I have one question…Can I substitute a different type of nut for the pecans??
you probably can…I can’t see why not :) The flavour will change of course, but most nuts are pretty darn tasty. I think walnuts would also work.
I made these this morning for hubby and my impromptu trip to the Silver Dollar City theme park in Branson Mo. Amazing!!!!!! I used raw sunflower seeds instead of pepita just because i had them on hand. They kept us fueled and satisfied throughout the day…a big task when the smell of fried treats are all around you (a slight weakness of ours…funnel cake). These may become our traditional theme park snack!!!!
Angela,
You have changed my life. I have never cooked until I discovered your website. Your recipes are delicious and non-intimidating. I have been moving towards this plant based diet and you are an inspiration. I ran my 11th marathon as a “no meat athlete” and it was one of my best performances. I thought of you during that race and how you recognize your fears and anxiety and then move through them. You find beauty seemingly everywhere and I am trying to do the same. I just have to say thank you for enriching my life and making such yummy food!
Hey Suzanne, Thank you so much for your lovely comment. That means so much to me! Congrats to you for all of the healthy changes you are making in your life. 11 marathons?? Wow!! What an accomplishment. So glad you are enjoying the recipes too.
I made these this afternoon with walnuts as I was out of pecans, and they turned out absolutely delicious! Next time I’m going to use pecans – they are my fav! :)
These were so delicious Angela! Just made them…hard to wait the 10 mins needed but so worth it! YUM!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hey Sarah, So glad to hear that you enjoyed the cookies! I have some waiting for me at home in the freezer :) yum
Sounds like heaven! You have inspired me to invest in my first REAL camera (a Nikon D3100). It’s seriously my baby – I take it everywhere! Too bad all those buttons still terrify me…automatic mode all the way…need to get a little bit more adventurous in that department. Hope you are having a wonderful weekend! :)
Enjoy your camera…don’t worry the manual settings will come. It took me a long time to get used to it too.
These look delicious – perfect for a summer road trip :) I love that they’re oil-free and sugar-free too – can’t wait to make them! Thank you!
These are delicious! I didn’t have the brown rice syrup on hand and I don’t eat honey, so I subbed agave nectar. They held together pretty well overall. I can’t wait to eat these this week!
Mmm these cookies look great! I love cookies with lots of add-ins, especially if there’s no oil to deal with either :)
Made these tonight for my boot campers! They are delicious. I had to wrap them asap to keep myself from eating them up.
Oh.my.goodness. These cookies were so fantastic! I made them the day before our whole family came in to town before leaving on a trip. I told them that I made them to have on the plane and also so I would have some vegan snacks in case there was a non veganish area :) They devoured them. My cousin had 4, then begged for more, uncle had 3, dad had 2. Put it this way…I had to stop them because I only had 2 left for the trip! Wow, what an amazing recipe. I got to have the last 2, and thank goodness! They are delicious. Chewy, full of texture, slightly sweet, and you would never know that this was a healthy oatmeal cookie.
Made these as a post-hiking snack yesterday. even my non-vegan boyfriend (who balked at the idea of using pumpkin seeds in cookies) thought they were awesome! You’re right, the dough is sticky, but the water trick works wonders.
Glad to hear that Lindsey!
Any ideas as to how I could make these without tree nuts? They look amazing!