Hazelnut Crunch Granola Bars
It’s Plastic Free July, and one of the biggest challenges I face with trying to reducing my plastic consumption is eliminating plastic snack packaging. While making your own snacks is much healthier and cheaper, it can take up a lot of extra time. That’s why I love this granola bar recipe - it’s simple, quick and you can substitute almost all of the ingredients with whatever you have in your pantry.
I designed this recipe to be more of a dessert bar - in my opinion, it tastes like a healthier, vegan Ferrero Rocher 🤤. I used hazelnuts because that’s what I had on hand, but you can substitute for any type of nuts (almonds or peanuts would work well). I also added cranberries for a touch of fruitiness, and seeds for crunch. If you’re not a huge fan of sweet granola bars, feel free to dial it back on the brown sugar. However, keeping the agave syrup (or a syrup of your choice) is necessary to help the bars stick together.
What’s your go-to granola bar flavour?
Hazelnut Crunch Granola Bars
Time: approx. 30 minutes (wait time - min. 2-3 hours for refrigeration)
Serving Size: about 14 bars
Ingredients
2 & 1/2 cups of rolled oats (instant oats work too)
1 cup of hazelnuts
1/2 cup of vegan chocolate chips
1/2 cup combination of extra toppings (I used chopped cranberries, sunflower & pumpkin seeds)
1/3 cup of vegetable oil (I used avocado oil)
1/3 cup of agave syrup (sub for maple syrup or honey)
2 tbsp of brown sugar
1 tsp of vanilla extract
To Make
Chop the hazelnuts.
Optional (adds a toasted flavour): Preheat oven to 350 degreed F. Lay the oats and hazelnuts on a baking sheet. Bake for 10-15 minutes.
Liquid Mixture: In a small saucepan, mix the vegetable oil, agave syrup, brown sugar and vanilla extract on medium heat.
Add the toasted hazelnuts and oats to a mixing bowl. Stir in the warm liquid mixture.
Add in the chocolate chips and extra toppings, mix well.
Line a baking pan with a reusable silicon baking mat. You can also use parchment paper or grease the pan really well with oil/butter, to avoid sticking.
Pour the granola into the baking pan and spread evenly.
Using a flat spatula, press the granola very firmly until flat. You can also use your hands or the bottom of a glass, but don’t skip this step!
Refrigerate the granola for 2-3 hours, or until hardened.
Carefully remove the sheet of granola from the pan - you may have to cut it into two or three pieces in the pan before transferring to a cutting board to avoid crumbling.
Cut the granola into bars according to your size preference. Store in a reusable sealed bag or an airtight container.
