November 8, 2018
Vegan chocolate chip granola bars
Since we’ve been talking about the cyclical, seasonal nature of life, it seemed fitting to share a recipe from my past today that I’ve recently resurrected.
My mother started making her famous granola bars when I was probably 8 or 9. Every single week, these gooey, delicious granola bars were prepped on the weekend and then lovingly packed for a week’s worth of lunches. They started to show up for parties, special occasions, and anytime we needed a snack. The liquid for the granola bars was a combination of butter and maple syrup heated up on the stove top, and the smell was intoxicating.
Last week, I was looking for a comforting, easy snack bar. Immediately, the memory of these delicious granola bars came to me, and my sister passed along the old recipe.
Now…things have changed a bit since I was 10…most notably that I don’t eat dairy. I also wanted to add some carrot to this granola bar recipe for two reasons: first….I’ve not been doing all that well on the vegetable front recently, and I needed to up my game. Secondly, carrot in baked goods tastes delicious! It’s sweet and moist, meaning you can reduce a little sugar and add a beautiful fresh flavor to baked goods.
Now, it might be the nostalgia speaking, but I LOVE this recipe. It comes together so easily, and tastes great.
Vegan, veggie-packed, chocolate chip granola bar recipe
- 8 tbsp virgin coconut oil
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- ¼ cup water
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp allspice
- 1 grated carrot (about ¾ cup)
- 2 cups oats
- 1 cup oat flour (ground oats)
- 1 cup sugar
- ½ cup dark chocolate chips
- Preheat the oven to 350F and take out two non-stick loaf pans (or use an 8 inch square baking pan)
- In a large bowl, mix the baking soda, allspice, grated carrot, oats, oat flour, and sugar together.
- In a saucepan or microwaveable bowl, melt coconut oil, take of the heat, and then mix in the maple syrup.
- Add the coconut oil/maple syrup to the dry ingredients and mix.
- If the dough seems too crumbly, you can add up to ¼ cup of water to help the mixture stick together.
- Once the dough has been mixed thoroughly, add the chocolate chips and mix until just combined.
- Transfer the dough to the pans, pressing the dough flat.
- Cook at 350F for about 20 minutes or until you start to notice some browning towards the edges of the pan.
- Remove from the oven and let cool.
- The bars will be pretty crumbly as they cool, you might even want to refrigerate them before cutting to help preserve the shape.
- I like to store in the fridge or freezer so they last longer, but you can also keep them on the counter top for up to a week!
Thanks for reading, and have a wonderful day,
