Do you love those granola bars from the supermarket?  Take a look at the ingredients list on the side of the box, and more than likely, theres a scary-huge list of ingredients.  According to a NYTimes piece from the spring, a Kellog’s Nutri-grain bar contains ingredients from 9 different countries!  Supply-chain management strikes healthy convenience foods!

Granola bars are not difficult to make, and when you make your own, you know exactly how many ingredients you’re putting in ( and chances are you’ll be able to pronounce all of them!).  These are a tasty gluten-free version that are pretty easy to pull together.  They have lots of nuts and seeds for protein, some dried fruit for energy, and they have a binder made from almond butter and agave syrup, so you won’t be left buzzing from a sugar-high!

Make sure you use certified gluten-free oats for these.  Oats can be cross-contaminated in the field if they are grown close to wheat, rye or barley, as well as the potential for cross-contamination during processing.  I use Bob’s certified Gluten-Free oats.

Print ready version: chewy granola bars

Line a 9 x 13 pan with foil or parchment allowing a bit of an overhang.  Grease the foil or parchment.   If you like your granola bars thicker, use a smaller pan, but you will need to bake your granola bars longer.

• 3/4 cup agave syrup
• 1/2 cup  almond butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups gluten-free oats
• 1/2 cup shredded coconut
• 1 cup raisins
• 1/2 cup dried blueberries
• 3/4 cup toasted pistachios
• 1 1/4 cups toasted almond slivers
• 1/4 cup sunflower seeds
• 1/4 cup hemp hearts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Heat the agave syrup and almond butter and mix together until well combined.  Add the vanilla

Combine all the other ingredients in a large bowl and mix well.  Add the liquid ingredients and stir well.  Press into the pan, and bake for 20-30 minutes.  Let cool completely in the pan before removing from the pan and cutting into squares.e