Roasted Nut Granola Bars

Soft and chewy granola bars made with only 8 ingredients that take about 40 minutes from start to finish (include setting time) and that are genuinely healthy and delicious, what more could you ask for? These Roasted Nut Granola Bars make an amazing on-the-go snack or part of a balanced breakfast and they travel well, too. If you’re like me, you’ll hate snacks that go out of shape and squish in your bag,  but these bars won’t leave you disappointed in that department.

Thanks to a wealth of healthful ingredients, these bars will keep you fuelled before or after a workout for example and will keep those mid-afternoon “hangry” moments at bay. Use your favourite mix of nuts and seeds for this recipe as the secret to truly tasty snacks is in the roasting process. Give your nuts a quick 10 minutes in the oven until they smell really fragrant and toasty and they’ll add such a depth of flavour.

The stickiness of these Roasted Nut Granola Bars comes from the naturally sweet dates blended up with a some creamy almond butter and almond essence for richness, a little syrup and some coconut oil. These bars really do satisfy your sweet tooth while being perfectly balanced thanks to the almond butter and nuts. I’ve also added in some oats to the mixture to increase the fibre content and to give you even more of a boost.

I first made these while playing around with my new food processor (it’s this pink one!) and I gifted them to friends and family all week long. They’re great during a long working day as you know you have something delicious and satisfying just an arms reach away and one that doesn’t come in a plastic packet. There are so many “healthier” protein and granola bars on the shelves but they also contain a lot of extra added ingredients that just aren’t necessary especially when these are so quick to whip up.

This recipe is naturally vegan, gluten-free (make sure you use certified GF oats if necessary), refined sugar free (depending on the syrup, I like fruit or coconut syrup) and you could make it nut-free by only using seeds and switching to a seed butter instead of the almond variety.

I want to try a cinnamon cardamom version of these next to add a chai-spiced element to the mixture but I hope you’ll love these just as they are. Especially as in a recent Instagram poll, you all voted for more sweet and more breakfast recipes, so this ticks both boxes!

These Roasted Nut Granola Bars are chewy, satisfying, easy to make, family-friendly, crowd-pleasing and a delicious and healthy high-protein snack. If you’re looking for more snack ideas, how about my Berry Peanut Butter Muesli Bars, Date and Oat Coconut Brownies or Raw Ginger and Apricot Crunch Bars.

Roasted Nut Granola Bars

• Servings: 12
• Time: 40 minutes
• Difficulty: easy
• Print

Thick and chewy granola bars with roasted nuts and seeds, almond butter and dates for a delicious, healthy and vegan snack bar.

Ingredients

• 150g mixed nuts
• 40g seeds
• 200g dates
• 80g almond butter
• 2 tbsp syrup
• 1 tbsp coconut oil, melted
• 1 tsp almond essence
• 180g oats

Directions

1. Soak dates in boiling water for 10 minutes.
2. Roast the mixed nuts for 10 minutes in a preheated oven at 180Fan/200*C until smelling fragrant. Pulse briefly in a food processor* to break them down slightly. Place in a large mixing bowl.
3. Drain the dates and add to the food processor and blend until jammy. Add the almond butter, syrup, coconut oil and almond essence and process until fully combined and smooth.
4. Add the date mixture to the nuts along with the seeds and oats and use a spoon and your hands to bring the mix together.
5. Transfer the mix to a line baking dish or tray (roughly 20 x 17 cm) and press down firmly to compact the mixture. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
6. Once the Roasted Nut Granola Bars are set, cut into 12 bars and keep in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

I can’t wait to hear what you think of my Roasted Nut Granola Bars so please do leave a comment below and tag me in your creations on social media. I’m @nourishing.amy on Instagram and use the hashtag #nourishingamy. I’m also on Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest  – please say hello!

With bars of love x

*I used the Mini Food Prep Processor from Cuisinart who kindly sponsored this recipe although all opinions and recipes are my own.