I used to be a granola bar lover. Thinking I was being super healthy stuffing one into my back pocket not really aware of how much sugar was packed into each bar. I saw some the other day and it gave me a hankering. So, I came up with a pretty great keto alternative. They have that crumble but not too much crumble. They hold together so they would be great for camping or hiking. I like the macros and above all, they taste awesome! They are really easy but you will need something like a food processor to blend everything together. It is basically throw it all in, smoosh it, bake it, drizzle it, eat it.
“Nature Valley” Crunchy Granola Bars – Peanut Butter Flavor
Preheat your oven to 350*. Combine the sliced almonds (reserve about 2 ounces), pecans, peanuts, coconut, flax seed, hemp seed, coconut oil, salt, baking soda, sweetener, peanut butter powder and vanilla into a food processor. Blend until it visually becomes sticky and pulls away from the sides.
Sprinkle a baking dish or shallow cookie pan with the reserved sliced almonds evenly and pour the granola mixture over the almonds. With the flat bottom of a glass, press and spread the mixture out to create an even thin granola bar. You’re aiming for about 1/4″ to 1/2″ thickness. If your pan is too big, you don’t need to fill the pan. Spread it out then straighten out the end of the bars. The mixture won’t run so you can mold it and it will stay. Bake at 350 for about 18 – 20 minutes. Start keeping an eye on it towards the end of baking time to make sure you they aren’t burning.
Pull them out of the oven and let them cool for about 20 minutes. Once they have cooled, cut them into even bars. You should get 15 bars.
Nature Valley bars have a peanut butter drizzle on top so that’s where the peanut butter and coconut oil come in. Combine the peanut butter & oil and heat it in the microwave for a few seconds until melted, stir, then drizzle over the top of your cut & cooled bars. The longer you let these sit, the crunchier they get but they will be set and ready to go once they cool. They have a fantastic granola bar crunch and you won’t miss the oats. I promise!
Ingredients:
- 1 C Unsalted Pecans
- 1 C Sliced Almonds (reserve about 2 ounces)
- 1/2 C Unsalted Peanuts
- 1/4 C Hemp Hearts
- 1/4 C Flax Seed
- 1/2 C Lakanto Golden Sweetener (or your choice, I like the taste of the “brown sugar” in these)
- 1 C Unsweetened Coconut (I used large flakes)
- 1/4 C Coconut Oil
- 1 t Vanilla Extract
- 1/2 t Salt (I used Pink Himalayan Salt)
- 1/2 t Baking Soda
- 1/4 C Powdered Peanut Butter
- —— Peanut Butter Drizzle ———
- 2 T Peanut Butter
- 1 t Coconut Oil
Nutritional & Serving Information:
- Serving Size: Makes about 15 4×2 bars
- 241 Calories
- 26g Fat
- 12.9g Carbs
- 11.1g Fiber
- 8.3g Protein
Sugar Free Jazz 