Almond and Ancho Granola Bars

Who doesn’t like a nice granola bar?  Good for when a snack attack strikes or when you’re out and about and need something to tie you over until you can sit down for a proper meal.  The texture of these treats can’t be beat with the nuts and oats, and the sweet tooth is tamed with the honey, maple syrup, and mini chocolate chips.  Who can resist?  

A little granola Jenga for ya.

The nice thing about making your own granola bars is that you know there’s nothing sketchy in the ingredients and you can tailor them to your personal taste.  The almond butter can be switched out with sunflower butter or peanut butter (crunchy or smooth); the hemp seeds can be switched out with flax meal; the semi-sweet chocolate chips can be swapped out with white chocolate chunks or those sweet and crunchy lil’ toffee bits.  Come on now, how good does that sound??

Perfect with a nice cuppa. (By the way, this pic shows a half batch…what was I thinking!!)

The Recipe

Yield: 9 x 12 sheet tray/20 small bars

½ cup almond butter

¼ cup maple syrup

¼ cup honey

½ tsp vanilla extract

½ tsp almond extract

2 cups old fashioned oats

1 tsp kosher salt

½ tsp cinnamon powder

1 tsp ancho chili powder

¼ cup hemp seeds

½ cup toasted sliced almonds

½ cup mini chocolate chips

1.     Preheat oven to 350F.  Line a sheet tray with parchment paper, making sure it goes up the sides of the sheet tray. Do this by scrunching the parchment up into a ball. Then, flatten it out and mold it to the shape for the sheet tray. (See pic above)

2.     In a medium pot melt almond butter, maple syrup, and honey over medium-low heat.  

3.     While almond butter, maple syrup, and honey is melting, add oats, salt, cinnamon, ancho chili, hemp, almonds, and chocolate chips to a large bowl.

4.     After the almond butter has melted, add vanilla and almond extracts.  Stir to combine.

5.     Add almond butter mixture to oat mixture and stir with a wooden spoon to combine.  Pour into a parchment-lined sheet tray and, with wet fingers, press into the pan.  Make sure the mixture goes all the way to the edges.  

6.     Score the granola mixture with a bench scraper or chef’s knife into 20 even bars.  Bake for 18-20 minutes.

(This pic shows a half batch.)

1.     Let cool at room temperature for 30 minutes, or pop them in the freezer for 15 minutes if you’re like me and can’t wait the full half hour.  When cooled, cut along scored lines to separate bars.

8.     Store in an airtight container at room temperature or in the fridge for a firmer consistency.