Dark Chocolate Chunk Quinoa Granola Bars – a healthy, gluten free, vegetarian, on the go breakfast option!
- 1 cup old-fashioned oats
- 1 cup quinoa uncooked
- 1 cup sliced almonds
- 1 cup shredded coconut (mine was sweetened)
- 1/2 cup toasted wheat germ
- 3 tbsp coconut oil measured out while hard (at room temperature)
- 2/3 cup honey (some vegans will eat honey, others won't, so keep that in mind!)
- 1/4 cup dark brown sugar packed
- 1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup chopped pitted dates (I like smaller fruit chunks, so I chopped these pretty finely)
- 1/4 cup dried cherry craisins
- 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips (if vegan, make sure you're purchasing vegan chocolate chips)
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Butter an 8 x 12 in glassbaking dish (or a similar size) and line it with parchment paper.
- Combine the oats, quinoa, almonds, and coconut together on an unlined baking pan and bake for 12 minutes, or until lightly browned, stirring every 4 minutes.
- Transfer the mixture to a mixing bowl and stir in the wheat germ.
- Reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees F.
- Place the oil, honey, brown sugar, vanilla, and salt in a small saucepan and heat over medium heat. Bring to a boil (the mixture will start foaming) Once boiling, cook for 60 seconds, stirring constantly.
- Pour the syrup over the toasted oatmeal mixture. Add the dates and craisins and stir well.
- Stir in the dark chocolate chunks, because the mixture is so warm, you will find some of the chocolate melting.
- Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and gently, but firmly press the mixture evenly into the pan using your fingers. Bake for 20 minutes, or until the granola is a light golden brown color.
- Cool for at least 2 to 3 hours before removing from the pan and cutting into squares. Store in an airtight container at room temperature!
- Notes: **Make sure that your oats are certified gluten free. ** These do contain honey, I've seen some vegans eat honey, others don't, so keep that in mind! 🙂 I haven't tried to sub the honey with agave, but if you do, please let me know the results!
Source:Â Foodista.com - The Cooking Encyclopedia Everyone Can Edit