Crunchy Homemade Nut Bars… Vegan, Gluten Free, and Packed with All the Goodness! A Perfect Health Snack to satisfy your cravings…!
You might be wondering why would you need a snack bar recipe when every grocery store has a cereals aisle stacked full of endless varieties of snack bars? Well, I too am a huge fan of nut bars and have tried many store-bought ones; some are sooo good whereas the rest are just ok ok and at times I wished if they had substituted certain ingredients, or reduced the saltiness, sweetness, etc. That’s what actually got me going to try making them at home and perfect it to my choice of flavours. I mean seriously, if you love something so much then why buy it and not try making it yourself?
What’s great in learning to make your own snack bars is that, the options are endless. Tweak one ingredient and you have something new and unique. Prefer to make it healthy? Simple! Skip the high calorie sweetener/syrup and there you go.
This recipe is super simple and gluten & refined sugar free. I have used maple syrup along with brown sugar which acts as a binding agent to hold the nuts together and retain its shape. You can substitute maple syrup with honey, but I highly recommend the former as it is a good holding element and takes the flavours to a whole new level.
The nut bars are surprisingly easy to cook and turned out to be so delicious that my whole family loved it and finished it in no time. They are crunchy n chewy with the right balance of sweetness, Oh and so chocolaty!
It’s perfect as a healthy snack for kids, a post/pre-work out snack, or as a snack to munch between your meals. Feel free to experiment with your favorite ingredients and create your own customized snack bar.
Enjoy, Happy Cooking…!
Don’t forget to check out my Berry Oatmeal Crumb Bars recipe which is a whole wheat oatmeal crumb bar using fresh strawberries.
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Crunchy Homemade Nut Bars… Vegan, Gluten Free, and Packed with All the Goodness! A Perfect Health Snack to satisfy your cravings…!
- 1 cup cashews (unsalted)
- ½ cup walnuts (chopped)
- ½ cup pepitas
- ¼ cup pecans (chopped)
- ½ cup dried cranberries
- ½ cup old fashioned / rolled oats
- ⅓ cup maple syrup (or honey if not vegan)
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- Pinch of salt
- ¼ cup chocolate chips
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Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9-inch square pan with parchment paper extending through its sides, this will helps later in lifting up easily.
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In a large bowl, combine together cashews, walnuts, pepitas, pecans, dried cranberries, and oats. You can also add any leftover crumbs or powders from the prior chopping of nuts.
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In a small saucepan, heat the maple syrup, vanilla extract, salt and brown sugar. Whisk with a spatula until it is completely dissolved. When the syrup starts to boil and bubble up, remove the pan from the heat and pour it to the prepared nut mix. Using the spatula combine them together to mix properly, it will be slightly sticky.
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Transfer this mix to the prepared baking pan. Press down gently on it using the back a spoon or any flat bowl so that it forms an even layer. Make sure there are no gaps in the flattened mix.
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Bake by placing in the middle of your oven rack for 20 minutes. Allow it to cool for 30 minutes.
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Once the nut mix is cooled, remove it from the pan by lifting the parchment paper. Carefully cut into even bar sizes of your choice using a sharp knife.
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Melt chocolate chips in a small bowl in the microwave at 30 seconds intervals until it is completely melted, you may also follow the double broiler method. Whisk the melted chocolate well until it is smooth, then drizzle it over the nuts. Transfer the bars to a refrigerator for 30 minutes to allow the chocolate to harden.
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Your snack bars are ready to serve. You may also store them in an air tight container for up to two weeks.