Homemade Granola Bars?

rachelhaueter · July 2014

I found a recipe for 5 ingredient granola bars:

Healthy, no bake granola bars with just 5 ingredients and a sweet, crunchy texture. Peanut butter and honey complement each other perfectly in this ideal portable breakfast or snack.

Author: Minimalist Baker

Recipe type: Snack

Serves: 10 bars

Ingredients
•1 cup packed dates, pitted (deglet nour or medjool)*
•1/4 cup honey (or sub maple syrup or agave for vegan option)
•1/4 cup creamy salted natural peanut butter or almond butter
•1 cup roasted unsalted almonds, loosely chopped
•1 1/2 cups rolled oats (gluten free for GF eaters)
•optional additions: chocolate chips, dried fruit, nuts, banana chips, vanilla, etc.

Instructions
1.Process dates in a food processor until small bits remain (about 1 minute). It should form a "dough" like consistency. (mine rolled into a ball)
2.Optional step: Toast your oats in a 350 degree oven for 15-ish minutes or until slightly golden brown. Otherwise, leave them raw - I just prefer the toasted flavor.
3.Place oats, almonds and dates in a bowl - set aside.
4.Warm honey and peanut butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir and pour over oat mixture and then mix, breaking up the dates to disperse throughout.
5.Once thoroughly mixed, transfer to an 8x8 dish or other small pan lined with plastic wrap or parchment paper so they lift out easily. (A loaf pan might work, but will yield thicker bars.)
6.Press down until uniformly flattened. Cover with parchment or plastic wrap, and let set in fridge or freezer for 15-20 minutes to harden.
7.Remove bars from pan and chop into 10 even bars. Store in an airtight container for up to a few days. I kept mine in the freezer to keep them extra fresh, but it isn't necessary.

Notes

*If your dates don't feel sticky and moist, soak them in water for 10 minutes then drain before processing. This will ultimately help hold the bars together better.

Nutrition Information

Serving size: 1 bar Calories: 217 Fat: 8 g Saturated fat: 1 g Carbohydrates: 31 g Sugar: 19 g Fiber: 4 g Protein: 6 g

I would really like to try these, but I have a very rough time chewing up almonds. Does anyone know if I could substitute them for sunflower seeds or does anyone know of something else?