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These chewy Chocolate Cherry Granola Bars will be store bought granola bars any day of the week! They are made with easy and clean ingredients, and come together without an oven! These delicious bars are so easy to throw together in less than 10 minutes.
Here at Wholesomelicious, I definitely love a yummy homemade snack! Whether they are for my kids or I devour them all by myself, my brownie energy bites and pumpkin granola bars are a few of my favorites. I realize we definitelty need a granola bar that is good for any time of year, and these Chocolate Cherry Granola Bars are it!
Reasons why you will love these granola bars
- Versatility! These bars are so fun to customize by swapping out the type of nuts, seeds, nut butters, or even raisins/dried fruit for cherries.
- So easy to make! These bars require no oven (YES!!), making them ideal during warmer weather. All they require is about 10 minutes of assembly and some time to harden in the fridge.
- Nutritious: these bars are loaded with healthy fats and fiber. As a nutritionist, I want to feed my kids snacks that are nutrient dense, especially snacks that are a good source of fiber. I use chia seeds in so many of my recipes, and here they add a little fiber boost alongside rolled oats and almonds making these bars something you can feel good about feeding your family.
- So yummy! I love that these are naturally sweetened, and taste like a treat without an overload of sugar.
How to make Chocolate Cherry Granola Bars
Here is what you need to make these delicious granola bars:
- Rolled oats
- Chia seeds
- Almonds
- Coconut flakes or chips
- Dried cherries
- Cinnamon
- Chocolate chips
- Almond butter
- Vanilla extract
- Honey
- Sea salt
To start, all we do is whip place most of our dry ingredients into a bowl: oats, chia seeds, almonds, cinnamon, and dried cherries. I add the chocolate chocolate last so it doesn’t melt. The wet ingredients we use to bind the bars are almond butter, honey, and vanilla extract. These three ingredients are heated together, and mixed into the dry ingredients.
Press it altogether in an 8×8 pan and let it refrigerate to harden.
Let it refrigerate for at least 1 hour, maybe up to 2 hours. Then slice into individual bars.
Storing:
These are best stored in the fridge, but you can also freeze! If stored at room temperature they tend to get a little too soft. They can keep in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
Chocolate Cherry Granola Bars
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cup rolled oats, Gluten Free kind
- 1/3 cup chia seeds
- 1/2 cup roughly chopped raw almonds
- 1/4 cup coconut chips or flakes
- 1/4 cup dried cherries
- 1/4 cup chocolate chips
- 2/3 cup almond butter
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/3 cup honey
- pinch of sea salt
Instructions
- Begin by greasing an 8×8 inch cake pan, and adding parchment paper that hangs over the sides (like a sling).
- Place oats, chia seeds, almonds, coconut chips (or flakes), and cherries in a large bowl and mix.
- In a microwave-safe bowl, mix together honey and almond butter. Microwave at 30 second intervals until mixture is nice and smooth. Add in vanilla and cinnamon. Let cool for a few minutes.
- Mix together the wet ingredients with the dry. Once mixed, add in chocolate chips.
- Bring the entire mixture to the 8×8 pan. Press mixture down very firmly against all edges of the pan. Refrigerate for about 2 hours.
- Remove parchment paper sling with bar mixture, and cut into bars or small squares.
Why ever purchase store bought granola bara when you can make these? They are delicious, wholesome and easy to make.
I don’t have chia seeds! Thought I did!! Can I substitute anything??
You can use hemp seeds, flax seeds, or omit!
love these! how many calories please
How do you store these, in the fridge or pantry? Do they crumble if room temp in a lunchbox?