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You know the Snickers commercials that say “you’re not you when you’re hungry”? Well, when hunger strikes for me, I tend to turn into the antiChrist. To avoid the need to get the smell of sulfur and brimstone out of my house, I always keep a batch of these No Bake Cranberry Pistachio Granola Bars around.
These healthy bars are a great chewy treat to snack on in between meals. They’re loaded with nutrients from pantry staples and are completely customizable depending on what you have on hand. These oats are made up of mostly rolled oats and puffed kamut cereal. If you’re gluten free, you can use puffed rice cereal instead. These energizing carbohydrates are bound together by peanut butter, coconut oil, and chia seeds, which also provide satiating fats. You can replace the peanut butter with any nut or seed butter you like. Sunflower butter is a great substitute if you have a nut allergy.
This versatility applies to the mix ins as well. I love the sweet salty combo of pistachios and dried cranberries, but you can substitute them with whatever suits your taste buds. Cashews and dried blueberries, peanuts and chocolate chips, and pumpkin seeds and chopped dates are some of my favorite combos. Feel free to raid your pantry and go wild with your combos, just make sure that the ratios are the same.
These are also a great snack or on the go breakfast to prep for the week. They could not be easier to make. You have to mix all the ingredients together, press them into a pan, and let your freezer do the work. The only hard part is waiting for them to firm up. But it’s a small price to pay to not have to turn your oven on in the middle of the summer. They keep well in the fridge for up to a week and the freezer for up to 3 months.
If you tend to grow horns when your stomach growls, You might want to make a double batch and stash some in the freezer to keep the inner monster appeased.
If you make this recipe or any others on my blog, tag me in a photo on Instagram @figisisters . I would love to see your recreation!
Recipe:
Makes about 10-12 bars
Ingredients:
80 g - Rolled Oats*
30 g - Puffed Kamut Cereal - Sub puffed rice cereal for gluten free
60 g - Dried Cranberries
50 g - Pistachios - Reserve some for topping if desired
24 g - Chia Seeds
36 g - Peanut Butter Powder* - Sub 32 more grams of peanut butter
7 ml - Refined Coconut Oil
64 g - Natural Peanut Butter - Sub nut or seed butter of choice
60 ml - Maple Syrup
1 tsp - Vanilla Extract
¼ tsp - Kosher Salt
3 tbsp - Water
Optional Coconut Butter Drizzle:
24 g - Coconut Butter*
3 tbsp - Warm Water
In a large bowl, add oats, puffed kamut, cranberries, pistachios, chia seeds, and kosher salt. Mix until evenly combined.
In a small bowl, add peanut butter powder and water. Stir until a paste forms. Then add in coconut oil, peanut butter, maple syrup, and vanilla extract. Stir until well combined*.
Pour peanut butter mixture over the oats. Using a greased spatula, stir until oats are evenly coated.
Pour mixture into a parchment lined baking dish. Using a greased spatula or greased hands, press mixture down and spread into corners of the baking dish.
Place in the freezer for 3-4 hours or until set*.
If making coconut butter drizzle, mix together coconut butter and water until well combined. Remove granola bars from the freezer. Drizzle over coconut butter. Place bars back in the freezer for an additional 10 minutes for the coconut butter to set.
Remove from the freezer, slice into bars, and enjoy!
Store in the fridge for up to 10 days or freezer for 3 months*.
*Notes:
Make sure your oats are gluten free certified if needed.
If the mixture is difficult to stir, microwave it for 10-15 seconds or until peanut butter has softened.
I like to use peanut butter powder to keep the calories a bit lower and the added protein. You can use regular peanut butter if you like!
Make sure to use coconut butter NOT coconut oil for the drizzle.
Be careful not to remove the bars too early or they will crumble. If this happens, I just use it as no bake granola clusters. It’s still delicious ;).
If you’re going to freeze the bars, I would recommend wrapping them individually in parchment paper before storing them so they don’t stick together.
Want another sweet treat? Try this Chickpea Cookie Dough!
