No Bake Almond Butter Granola Bars Food

EASY NO-BAKE GRANOLA BARS

Steps:

• Line a 9-inch square baker with two strips of criss-crossed parchment paper, cut to fit neatly against the base and up the sides. The parchment paper will make it easy for you to slice the bars later.
• Place the oats in a large mixing bowl**. Add the cinnamon and salt, and stir to combine. Set aside.
• Now we'll blitz the mix-ins briefly in the food processor or blender (or, you can chop them by hand). Add any large nuts (like almonds or pecans) first and blitz for a few seconds. Then add the rest and run the machine for a few more seconds, until the ingredients are all broken up into pieces smaller than your pinky nail. Pour the mix-ins into the bowl of oats.
• In a 2-cup liquid measuring cup, measure out the nut butter. Top with ½ cup honey and the vanilla extract. Stir until well blended. If you must, you can gently warm the liquid mixture on the stovetop or in the microwave, but make sure it's close to room temperature before you pour it into the dry mixture (this is especially important if using chocolate, since it will melt).
• Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients. Use a big spoon to mix them together until the two are evenly combined and no dry oats remain. This takes some arm muscles, but you can do it! If the mixture was easy to mix together, that's a sign that you need to add some more oats-sprinkle in more oats until you can't incorporate any more.
• Transfer the mixture to the prepared square baker. Use your spoon to arrange the mixture fairly evenly in the baker, then use the bottom of a flat, round surface (like a short, sturdy drinking glass) to pack the mixture down as firmly and evenly as possible.
• Cover the baker and refrigerate for at least one hour, or preferably overnight. (The oats need time to soak up some of the moisture so they aren't sticky.) When you're ready to slice, lift the bars out of the baker by grabbing both pieces of parchment paper on opposite corners. Use a sharp knife to slice the bars into 4 even columns and 4 even rows.
• Wrap individual bars in plastic wrap or parchment paper (if you store them all together, they will stick to one another). Bars keep well for several days at room temperature, a couple of weeks in the fridge, or several months in a freezer-safe bag in the freezer for best flavor.

NO BAKE ALMOND BUTTER GRANOLA BARS

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine rolled oats and puffed rice cereal; set aside.
• In a small saucepan on medium-high heat, whisk together coconut oil, brown sugar, almond butter and honey and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to medium-low, continually whisking, and allow mixture to simmer for about 2 minutes. Remove mixture from heat and stir in the vanilla extract.
• Pour mixture over the dry oat mixture and fold together so everything is evenly coated. Stir in one tablespoon of chocolate chips and transfer to a prepared 9×13-inch baking dish lined with parchment paper.
• Press granola mixture firmly into the baking dish (I used extra parchment paper to press down to avoid granola from sticking to my fingers) and sprinkle remaining chocolate chips over top along with a pinch of sea salt. Cover and refrigerate for two hours.
• Remove from refrigerator and lift the parchment paper so the bars are easily removed from the baking dish. Cut into 18 bars and store at room temp individually wrapped in plastic wrap or freeze for later.

NO-BAKE GRANOLA BARS WITH CAROB DRIZZLE

Steps:

• Place the dates in a medium bowl, cover with 2 cups hot water and soak for 30 minutes, until softened.
• Line a 9-by-13-by-2-inch pan with foil, leaving a 2-inch overhang on at least two sides. Lightly spray the foil with cooking spray.
• In a large bowl, combine the oats, puffed rice cereal, almonds, 1 cup of the carob chips, dried cherries, sunflower seeds and flaked coconut. Mix until evenly combined.
• Add the softened dates and their soaking water to a blender along with the cinnamon, vanilla and salt. Blend on high speed until completely smooth, 1 minute.
• In a separate bowl, mix together the almond butter and 1 1/2 cups of the date syrup. (Refrigerate the extra date syrup for another use; see Cook's Note.) Add the almond butter mixture to the bowl with the oats and mix together with a rubber spatula or clean hands until evenly combined. When you squeeze the granola in your hands, it should hold together like a wet dough.
• Firmly pack the granola into the prepared pan. Flatten the top by lightly spraying the bottom of a 1-cup metal measuring cup and pressing down on the granola to compact it as much as possible. There should be about 3/4 inch between the granola and the rim of the pan. Cover with foil and freeze for 2 hours.
• When the granola has set, remove the foil. Melt the remaining 1/2 cup carob chips with the coconut oil in the microwave. Immediately drizzle the melted carob over the granola. Let set at room temperature or, for faster results, freeze for 5 minutes.
• Once the carob has set, use the foil overhang to lift the granola from the pan. Cut the granola into 24 bars by cutting it into 3 strips on the 9-inch side (every 3 inches) and 8 strips on the 13-inch side (about every 1 1/2 inches).
• Serve immediately or wrap the bars individually in plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator for a quick on-the-go snack.

NO-BAKE RICE KRISPIES PEANUT BUTTER GRANOLA BARS (LOWER-FAT)

Steps:

• lightly grease 11 x 7-inch, can use a 13 x 9-inch baking dish but you will have a thinner bar.
• In a large bowl combine Rice Krispies cereal, oats and raisins.
• In a saucepan stir the corn syrup or honey and brown sugar until just at a boil.
• Immediately remove from heat and stir in the peanut butter and vanilla until well combined.
• Pour over the dry ingredients in the bowl; mix to combine.
• Mix in mini chocolate chips (if using) work fast the mixture hardens quickly.
• Transfer the mixture into prepared baking dish, then using slightly wet hands push evenly down into the pan.
• While the mixture is still soft, for easier slicing take a sharp knife and slice into desired size bars.
• Chill until firm.

ALMOND BUTTER GRANOLA BARS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• In a large bowl, mix the oats, cherries, and dry milk.
• In a small sauce pan, combine the honey, almond butter, and almond extract. Turn on low-heat and stir until ingredients are combined. If the mixture looks particularly thick, you may need to add a few tablespoons of vegetable oil.
• Pour the honey-mixture over the oat mixture, and stir until all ingredients are moist.
• Spread the mixture into a greased 9x9 pan and bake for 20 minutes.
• Cut into bars after they've cooled. Store in an air-tight container.