Nutty & Nice: Cashew & Dark Chocolate Granola Bar Recipe

Granola bars can pose a clean eating quandary. Their ingredients, while usually individually healthy, often have the purity of their health corrupted by the way in which they are prepared. The oats that comprise the majority of granola is healthy, dried fruit is healthy, nuts and even raw honey is healthy, but the added processed sugars, artificial colours and flavours and preservatives can serious damage the otherwise healthy integrity of this food.

While there are healthy, organic granola bars out there, it is ultimately cheaper and easier to just whip up a batch yourself. Enter our incredibly healthy and clean cashew and dark chocolate granola bar recipe!

Featuring the heart healthy and mineral packedperks of cashews and the antioxidant rich and brain boostingbenefits of dark chocolate, this recipe also includes cinnamon and fibre to help keep you fuller, longer. Just remember to stick to one serving. Too much of a good thing is still too much!

Try it out. Tell us what you think! We love these bars as a snack, or as part of a meal on-the-go. Want other amazing meal and snack ideas? Check out ourNEW meal plan and recipe guide. It’s replete with delicious and nutritious ways to infuse your life with cleaner, more healthful food.

Dark Chocolate & Cashew Granola Bars

Makes 12 servings

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups rolled oats
• 3/4 cup chopped, raw cashews
• ¼ cup pine nuts
• 2 cups dried fruit of choice (raisins, chopped dates, cranberries, chopped apricot, etc.)
• 3/4 cup cacao powder
• ½ tsp cinnamon
• 3/4 cup dark chocolate chips (>75%)
• 1/4 cup natural salted nut butter of choice
• 1/4 cup raw honey, agave nectar or maple syrup

Directions

1. Combine all dry ingredients into a bowl and mix well.
2. Add wet ingredients, heating the raw honey and nut butter if necessary beforehand so it is more liquified.
3. Mix everything together well.
4. Line a pan with parchment paper and then transfer mixture into the pan, spreading it out evenly.
5. Freeze for 20 minutes or refrigerate a 3-4 hours.
6. Lift mix from pan and chop into 12 equal bars.
7. Keep in airtight container in fridge or freezer to keep them extra fresh.