Customized Soft Granola Bar -- vegan, simple, no-bake goodies

As an example of what you can do to customize the simple chewy granola bar to suit your preferences, we took the basic recipe, and added a few things: hemp hearts, raw cacao, and ground vanilla bean. Simple goodness that you can take with you easily.  I bet these would be good with raisins or chocolate chips. Or pieces of roast almond.

equipment needed:

mixing bowl
mixing spoon
measuring spoon
measuring cup
parchment
silicone baking pan or glass pan lined with parchment that overhangs enough to lift the whole thing out.



ingredients:

1/2 cup coconut nectar
1/2 cup sunflower  seed butter
1/2 tsp sea salt

1/4 cup hemp hearts
1/2 cup shredded coconut
2 tbsp raw cacao
1/2 tsp ground vanilla bean


2 cups scotch oatmeal


directions:
1. heat the coconut nectar and sunflower butter and mix together
2. stir in the sea salt and shredded coconut
3. stir in the scotch oatmeal
4. press into a silicone baking pan
5. score into bar shapes
6. chill
7. makes chewy granola bars



substitutions:

• instead of sunflower seed butter, try almond butter or peanut butter
• instead of coconut nectar, try maple syrup. What's your favourite liquid sweetener?

optional possible add-ins to customize these bars:

• 2 tbsp raw cacao
• 1/2 cup hemp hearts
• chocolate chips
• raisins
• dried cranberries
• chopped nuts
• pumpkin seeds
• sunflower seeds

What would you add?

** No-bake chocolate granola bars with hemp hearts and scottish oatmeal

These no-bake granola bars are very popular in our house. We keep them in the freezer, and even people who aren't chocolate lovers are crazy about them. These are an amazing whole-foods treat that will fuel you and keep you going when you need it. Wrap them in a little baking parchment and take them with you!  With the goodness of hemp hearts, and raw pumpkin and sunflower seeds, the sweetness of date, and the super-awesomeness of raw cacao, you don't have to choose good for your taste-buds or good for your body.

equipment needed:

silicone square pan
mixing bowl
measuring cups
measuring spoons
mixing spoon

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup raw sunflower seeds
• 1/4 cup raw hemp hearts
• 1/4 cup raw pumpkin seeds
• 1/4 cup raw shredded coconut

• 1/4 cup ground chia seeds
• 1/2 cup scottish oatmeal

• 1/4 cup dates, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup krisda chocolate chips

• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 2 tbsp cacao powder

• 1/4 cup sunflower seed butter (unsweetened)
• 1/4 cup coconut butter
• 1/4 cup coconut nectar
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract

Instructions

1. combine the sunflower seed butter, coconut butter, and coconut nectar, and warm until liquid and stir until homogeneous
2. add the salt and cacao and mix well
3. add the sunflower seeds, hemp hearts, and pumpkin seeds, and stir well
4. mix in the dates
5. stir in the ground chia seeds, scottish oatmeal,  and the shredded coconut 
6. add the chocolate chips (make sure the mixture is no longer warm before you add these or they will melt)
7. when well mixed, press into a silicone baking pan (8 inch), and flatten well using a piece of baking parchment
8. chill, then cut into 'bars' or squares.