Homemade Spicy Chocolate Coconut Granola Bars

I cringe at the price and ingredients of granola and meal replacement bars at the supermarket….

$2-$4 (sometimes even more) for a bar that has weird sugar syrups, refined oils, soy lecithin, and/or a myriad of other undesirable additives?

YEAH RIGHT!

You can make your own bars at home and control the oils,  sweeteners and all of the ingredients for only a fraction of the cost. 

Check out my spicy chocolate coconut granola bars!

Oooohhhh Ahhhhhhh

These puppies are super easy to make and pack up very nicely in your gym bag or purse for some quick fuel on the go. Feel free to sub your favorite nuts and seeds and change the sweetener to your preference (coconut sugar, honey etc). I used garam masala and curry powder but if that’s a little too out there for your taste or you are making these for kids feel free to leave it out. 

Homemade Chocolate Spiced Granola Bars

Yields 12

Vegan - Gluten Free - Refined Sugar Free - Soy Free

Ingredients

• 1/2 Cup Roughly Chopped Raw Pecans (or nut of choice)
• 1/2 Cup Roughly Chopped Raw Cashews (or nut of choice)
• 1 Cup Raw Pumpkin Seeds (or seed of choice)
• 1 Cup Raw Shredded Coconut
• 1 Cup Soaked and Sprouted Gluten Free Oats (or equal amount of seeds or nuts) * see notes
• 2 Tbl Raw Cacao
• 2 tsp Cinnamon
• 1 tsp Garam Masala (optional. I used Frontier brand)
• 1/2 tsp Curry Powder (optional. I used Trader Joe's brand)
• 1/2 tsp Fine Sea Salt
• 3 Tbl Coconut Oil 
• 2/3 Cup Pure Maple Syrup (or coconut syrup, or honey)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350F
2. Grease a 9x13 baking pan with the oil you are using for the granola bars and line with parchment paper.
3. On a sheet pan place all of the nuts, seeds, and oats (if using) and toast on the middle rack for 8 minutes or until fragrant and lightly browned. (If you prefer a raw bar skip this step)
4. Take the pan out of the oven and sprinkle the shredded coconut on top and return the sheet pan to the oven for 2-3 more minutes or until the coconut is lightly browned.
5. Transfer the oat/nut/coconut mixture into a large bowl and set aside.
6. Reduce the oven temp to 325F
7. In a saucepan, combine the maple syrup and oil.
8. Over medium high heat bring to a boil and then add the salt, spices, and cacao powder.
9. Stir as soon as you add the spices and as soon as the mixture starts to bubble remove from the heat.
10. Pour the syrup over the oat/nut mixture in the large bowl and stir until evenly coated.
11. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and press down firmly with a piece of parchment paper over your hands or greased or wet hands.
12. Bake for 25 minutes.
13. Let cool for 1-2 hours in the pan on the counter.
14. Once fully cooled remove from the pan and turn out onto a cutting board.
15. Cut into bars.
16. The size is up to you but I cut mine into 12 bars by cutting the whole tray down the middle length wise and then splitting those 2 pieces into 6 equal portions in the shape of granola bars.

Notes

1. If you would like to make a raw bar simply omit toasting the nut and seeds. Combine the syrup mixture and stir into the nuts. Follow the rest of the recipe as is except dehydrate the bars in a warm oven (on the lowest setting) overnight or in a dehydrator for 12 hours or until dry and crispy. Allow to set up on the counter for one hour before slicing. Do not consume raw oats they contain phytic acid that requires them to be soaked first. Soak them overnight and then dehydrate in a low oven or dehydrator overnight to "sprout" them.