Dried Fruit And Nut Granola Bar Recipes

CRISPY HONEY NUT GRANOLA BARS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with heavy duty aluminum foil.
• Spread the oats, walnuts and almonds onto the prepared baking sheet. Place in the oven and toast for 7 minutes. Add the coconut and toss well with a rubber spatula, then place back in the oven to cook for 4 to 5 minutes more. Keep an eye on it towards the end; you want the coconut to turn golden but not burn.
• In the meantime, combine the honey, brown sugar, butter, vanilla extract and salt in a small saucepan and place over medium-high heat. Whisk and bring to a rapid boil, then turn off the heat and set aside.
• Once the oat mixture is done, remove it from the oven and reduce the heat to 300°F. Combine the oat mixture, honey mixture, rice cereal, and dried fruit in a large bowl and toss well. (Reserve the aluminum foil.)
• Use the reserved foil to line a 9x13-inch baking dish, then spray the foil with nonstick cooking spray. Turn the granola bar mixture out into the prepared baking dish and spread evenly, patting down with a spatula. Be sure the heat is reduced to 300°F, then bake until lightly golden, 20 to 23 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool completely, 1 to 1½ hours. Use the foil overhang to transfer the bars to a cutting board, then use a large, sharp knife to cut into rectangles. Store the bars in a single layer in an airtight container, or wrap the bars individually in aluminum foil, for up to a week at room temperature.
• Note: You can swap in your favorite nuts and seeds as long as you keep the proportions of dry to wet ingredients the same. You can also toss in some dried fruit. On occasion, I'll sprinkle some chocolate chips over top for the kids (you can't mix them in or they'll melt).
• Note: Be sure your oven is fully preheated before toasting nuts; the initial blast of heat to preheat the oven can burn them.
• Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The granola bars can be frozen for up to 3 months. Let them cool completely and store in an airtight container separating layers with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Before serving, remove them from the container and let them come to room temperature.

DRIED FRUIT AND NUT GRANOLA BAR

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat an 8-inch-square pan with cooking spray. Spread oats, almonds, sunflower seeds, flaxseeds and sesame seeds evenly on a large baking sheet. Bake until the oats are lightly toasted and the nuts are fragrant, stir one halfway through, 8 to 12 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl. Stir in puffed cereal, all the dried fruits until well mixed. Add almond butter, sugar, honey, vanilla and salt in a small saucepan. Heat over medium-low, stirring constantly, until the mixture bubbles lightly, 3 to 5 minutes. Right away pour the almond butter mixture over the dry ingredients and mix with a wooden spoon until all the dried spots are moistened. Arrange the mixture into the prepared square pan. Coat your hands lightly with cooking spray and press the mixture down firmly to make an even layer. Refrigerate until firm, at least half an hour. Cut into bars; bigger or small, square or rectangular depend on your own interest.

COCONUT MAPLE GRANOLA WITH MIXED NUTS AND DRIED FRUIT

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F and line 2 sheet trays with parchment paper.
• In a large bowl, combine the oats, almonds, coconut, pecans, pistachios, maple syrup, coconut oil and brown sugar. Divide between the lined sheet trays.
• Bake the granola for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Remove the granola to a large mixing bowl and allow to cool slightly, about 5 minutes. Add the dried apricots, dried cherries and golden raisins and stir to combine. Allow to cool completely, then store in an airtight container for up to two weeks.

GRANOLA BARS WITH DRIED FRUIT AND SEEDS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°F. Lightly coat a 13x9" pan with nonstick spray and line with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on both long sides; spray parchment.
• Pulse 3/4 cup fruit and 1/2 cup hot water in a food processor until smooth and incorporated, 3-4 minutes. Add honey, almond butter, cinnamon, salt, and vanilla and pulse until combined, about 15 seconds. Add 1/2 cup oats and pulse until well combined, 30-45 seconds. Add pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, coconut, and remaining 1 cup oats and 1/2 cup fruit. Pulse until just combined, about 15 seconds.
• Transfer mixture to prepared pan, pressing down until completely even. Bake granola until darkened, firm around the edges, and the center gives just slightly when pressed, about 35 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack and let cool in pan. Remove granola using parchment overhang, then cut into 20 bars with a serrated knife.
• Do Ahead
• Granola can be made 5 days ahead. Keep tightly wrapped at room temperature.

NUT BUTTER GRANOLA BARS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Toast nuts pumpkin seeds on a rimmed baking sheet until golden brown or slightly darkened in color, 10-12 minutes. Transfer to a food processor and let sit until cool enough to handle.
• Reduce oven temperature to 300°F. Lightly oil 13x9" pan and line with parchment paper, leaving overhang on both long sides. Lightly oil parchment.
• Add 1 cup oats to nut mixture in food processor and pulse until nuts are a sandy consistency and no whole oats remain. Transfer to a large bowl.
• Pulse any dried fruit larger than a raisin in food processor (no need to wipe out) until about the size of chocolate chips. Transfer to bowl with nut mixture. Add remaining 1 cup oats and stir to combine, breaking up any fruit that is stuck together. Add remaining 3 Tbsp. oil and stir to coat. Add peanut butter, but don't stir it in; set aside.
• Bring honey, salt, and vanilla to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium heat (it will bubble up). Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until it is foaming vigorously and smells like caramel, about 3 minutes.
• Immediately pour honey mixture over peanut butter in reserved bowl (it will melt the peanut butter). Stir to combine, making sure to aggressively break up any clumps.
• Using a fork or small whisk, lightly beat egg white in a small bowl to thin out. Add to oat mixture and mix until egg white is no longer visible.
• Scrape oat mixture into prepared pan and press firmly into an even layer. (Be sure to really compact the mixture into the pan-it helps to use the bottom of a heavy glass or metal measuring cup.)
• Bake granola bars until deep golden brown and no longer sticky or wet, 30-35 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes, then lightly score into 16 long rectangles (1 cut lengthwise and 7 cuts crosswise will make bars that are about 6½x1"). Let cool completely in pan, then use parchment to hoist bars out onto a cutting board. Using a sharp chef's knife, cut along marks to separate bars.
• Do Ahead: Bars can be made 1 week ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.

CRANBERRY NUT GRANOLA BARS

Steps:

• Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a 13x9-inch pan with lightly-greased parchment paper; an inch or so of parchment paper should stick up on 2 sides to form lifting handles.
• Mix the quick-cooking oats, old-fashioned oats, pumpkin seeds, almonds, mixed nuts, cranberries, and sweetened condensed milk together in a bowl; spread into the prepared pan, evenly pressing into the corners and out to the sides.
• Bake in the preheated oven until the edges are golden brown, 20-25 minutes, using slightly less time for chewier bars and slightly more time for crunchier bars.
• Allow the the bars cool for 5 minutes in the pan before using the parchment paper to lift them from the pan. Use a sharp knife to cut into bars. Let the bars cool completely and store in an airtight container.

GRANOLA WITH PECANS AND DRIED FRUIT

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300 degrees, with racks in upper and lower thirds. Lightly coat two rimmed baking sheets with cooking spray. In a large bowl, combine oil, sugar, honey, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and salt. Add oats and pecans; stir to combine. Divide mixture between sheets. Bake 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add 1/2 cup coconut to each sheet; bake until mixture is golden brown, 15 minutes. Let cool completely on sheets. Stir in dried fruit and chocolate chips, if desired.

FRUIT AND NUT GRANOLA BARS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• Grease an 8x8 glass pan.
• Place nuts and oats on a baking sheet, and bake for about 12 minutes or until lightly toasted.
• While oats and nuts are toasting, place in a saucepan over medium heat the honey, brown sugar, butter, vanilla, cinnamon and salt.
• Stir until the mixture bubbles, and keep it boiling and stirring for about 2 minutes.
• When oats and nuts come out of the oven, turn it down to 325.
• Take the pan off the heat, and when the oats are finished, pour them right into the saucepan and mix to combine honey mixture evenly.
• Stir in the chopped dried fruit.
• Press mixture into the glass pan with the back of a spoon - it will be pretty sticky.
• Bake at 325 for 20 minutes, and let cool completely before cutting.
• Wrapped in saran wrap, these will keep for at least a couple of weeks!

FRUIT AND NUT GRANOLA (CHRISSIE'S GRANOLA)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Lightly grease a large baking sheet.
• Pour the oats into a large bowl. Add almonds, cinnamon, cocoa powder, salt, brown sugar, and dried fruit into the oats respectively, stirring each into the mixture before adding the next.
• Mix maple syrup and vanilla extract together in a small bowl. With a rubber spatula, add the maple syrup-vanilla mixture to your dry ingredients. Fold the two together until mixed and all dry ingredients are well coated.
• Bake in preheated oven for about 20 minutes, stir, and continue baking until golden brown, about 25 minutes more. Set aside to cool slightly, about 20 minutes.
• Gently fold chocolate chips into the granola mixture, allowing the chocolate to coat the granola as it melts slightly. Cool completely before storing.