It appears I’m on a granola bar kick this week.
and I can’t be stopped.
But I didn’t think you’d mind too much?
Experimenting with granola bar recipes (and flavours) is one of my favourite things to do. It’s rare that I don’t have a bar tucked away in my purse for “emergencies”. You know, hangry attacks! Eric went so crazy for these bars he insisted I post the recipe on the blog RIGHT THIS SECOND so who am I to argue? I imagine that I’ll be making these a lot over the summer and stashing them in the freezer over the next several months. That’s if we can keep our paws off them for that long (unlikely, really).
Much like my Feel Good Hearty Granola Bars, these bars are also lower in sugar than most (5.8 grams per bar). This time I used just 1/4 cup of coconut nectar syrup which is a fruity-tasting low-glycemic sweetener. It doesn’t seem to give me sugar crashes like regular cane sugar does. Due to its fruity flavour, I don’t find it works in all recipes. For instance, it’s not my favourite sweetener in some chocolate recipes, but in granola or fruit-based recipes it tends to always blend in nicely.
The only caveat with this recipe is that the bars don’t hold together perfectly, so I recommend storing them in the fridge and not letting them sit at room temperature. Best to take one straight from the fridge and stuff it in the face! It’s a hard task, I know. They definitely aren’t “travel” bars (unless you don’t mind it turning into loose granola at room temp).
Oh and for the record, I did try baking a batch in the oven for curiosity’s sake and the no-bake version won by a landslide. The baked bars held together a teeny tiny bit better, but they tasted less sweet and a bit bland. I don’t think it’s worth the extra time or oven heat, personally.
Like most granola bar recipes, this one is versatile so be sure to let me know what flavours you come up with in the comment section. Think we can come up with 52 flavours, or what?
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No-Bake Almond Joy Granola Bars
Yield
14 small bars
Prep time
Cook time
0 minutes
Chill time
10 minutes
Total time
Easy no-bake granola bars inspired by the popular Almond Joy Chocolate bar flavour. Roasted almond butter, mini chocolate chips, and coconut unite to create one tasty bar that's whipped up in 10 minutes (no oven required!). Recipe adapted from Yummy Mummy.
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups rolled oats (use certified gluten-free if necessary)
- 1 cup rice crisp cereal
- 1/2 cup sliced almonds
- 1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
- 2 tablespoons chia seeds
- 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
- 1/2 cup roasted almond butter
- 1/4 cup coconut nectar syrup (or brown rice syrup - see note)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- pinch of fine grain sea salt or pink Himalayan salt, to taste
- 1.5 tablespoons non-dairy mini chocolate chips (such as Enjoy Life brand, optional)
Directions
- Line an 8-inch or 9-inch square pan with two pieces of parchment paper, one going each way so it's easy to lift out.
- In a large bowl, stir together the oats, rice crisp cereal, sliced almonds, coconut, and chia seeds.
- In a medium pot over low heat, melt the coconut oil. Remove from heat and stir in the almond butter, coconut nectar, and vanilla, until smooth.
- Pour wet mixture over dry and stir well until thoroughly combined. Add a pinch of salt to taste and stir again.
- Spoon mixture into the pan and roughly spread out (but don't pack down yet). Sprinkle on the chocolate chips in an even layer. Wet hands lightly and then press down the mixture until even. Use a pastry roller to roll it out and pack it in even more.
- Transfer pan to the freezer for about 10 minutes until firm. Slice into bars, wrap, and store in the fridge or freezer. These bars fall apart easily so I don't recommend leaving them at room temperature for longer than a few minutes.
Tip:
I do not recommend swapping the coconut nectar or brown rice syrup for any other liquid sweetener. Other sweeteners won't be sticky enough to bind the bars.
These look so good (but your recipes are always delicious). I have had trouble locating coconut nectar in Toronto. Where do you find yours? Congratulations on your pregnancy!
They just came out of the freezer. I cut them up, took one bite, then my non-veg boyfriend took it out of my hand, took a bite, walked away with it, and asked if I could mass produce them! They are fantastic!
haha that’s cute :) So glad you enjoyed them!
Thank you for the tip about the coconut nectar syrup! That is something that we haven’t tried in our recipes, but we will now. :)
My oh my, your granola bars are packed with goodies!!! Thanks for the recipe! Best for snack or brekkie :).
Julie
Gourmet Getaways
I will be trying these out ASAP! On another note….does anyone know who won the vitamin contest? I didn’t see anything posted on the blog entry nor on twitter….:/
Hi Stacey,
Yes, the winner is on the contest post and I also linked it on Twitter too. http://ohsheglows.com/2014/04/30/vitamix-5200-giveaway-osgcookbook-social-media-contest/
This looks so delicious and it’s so perfect right now, saying our ovens broke! We’ve been searching for a good granola recipe so we can’t wait to try this out!
these look delicious and would definitely make a great post workout snack
I was wondering if you find that Coconut Palm Sugar works ok as a sub for Coconut Nectar Syrup. I have the sugar on hand and wondered if you had played around with it. I love, love, love this blog!
Oooh these sound so good! I think I might just make them tomorrow.
These look delicious! Will make them soon.
For other flavors what about baklava with some dried fig?
Congrats on your pregnancy!
Angela, these look incredible! kinda floored on how easy you made these seem. Definitely going to try this recipe. Love the theme you have going right now! :)
I am so making these right now! By the way Angela, I have already bought three of your cookbooks. Everytime I have a dinner party I leave it out while “finishing up dinner.” The guests inevitably ask about it, then say, “Where did you get this? I want a copy.” And, then this is their after dinner present. My last guest said, “I have never been so excited about a cookbook in my life.” Love the dessert pizza and the enchiladas, and the granola bars of course.
I’m all for no-bake recipes! Can’t wait to try these :)
I just made these with the brown rice syrup instead and white chocolate chips (all I had in my pantry!) and they were SO good!! My boyfriend has already eaten half the batch! Unfortunately they’re still pretty crumbly so I guess the brown rice syrup doesn’t make a difference? No bother, we’re totally okay with standing at my freezer door and stuffing our faces :) Thanks for the continually awesome recipes!!
HOW is it possible for something to be so simple yet so delicious at the same time?! I call that sophistication.
Crazy good.
I just made these and my two boys, 9 & 11, loved them. Finally a granola bar for their lunch that I know every ingredient inside and they like it! Thank you.
Angela these look incredible as always! I’ve been making your Glo bars from the book alot lately for my boyfriend.. now he has no excuse to say he’s too busy to eat at work ! And he loves ’em :) .
Yummy!!! thank-you, inspirational reading!
I made these yesterday, and while they were super easy, I am having a hard time with them being too crumbly (hard to get one out whole isn’t happening). They taste good though, but next time I will use more “wet” ingredients I think. (And I even used brown rice syrup!)
Same here. I just made these using brown rice syrup, and they were way too crumbly to cut into bars – even after freezing for a good 15 min. They taste good, just not as easy to eat.
I’m wondering how it might work to swap the measurements and use 1/2 c brown rice syrup and 1/4 c almond butter. That is what’s used in the glo bars and they hold together perfectly. Just a thought.
Hi Angela,
I love your cookbook and website. Since I got your cookbook, I have been using it 2-4 times a week. It is awesome! What replacement would you suggest for brown rice syrup and coconut nectar? Both are extremely expensive where I live. Do yo think jaggery would work? That is the cheapest non-processed sweetener here in Israel. What about honey? I am not vegan.
Thank you!