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

Vegan, veggie-packed, chocolate chip granola bars

 

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Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

20 mins

Total time

35 mins

 

Author: Happy Healthy Human

Serves: 14 bars

Ingredients

• 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

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350F and take out two non-stick loaf pans (or use an 8 inch square baking pan)
2. In a large bowl, mix the baking soda, allspice, grated carrot, oats, oat flour, and sugar together.
3. In a saucepan or microwaveable bowl, melt coconut oil, take of the heat, and then mix in the maple syrup.
4. Add the coconut oil/maple syrup to the dry ingredients and mix.
5. If the dough seems too crumbly, you can add up to ¼ cup of water to help the mixture stick together.
6. Once the dough has been mixed thoroughly, add the chocolate chips and mix until just combined.
7. Transfer the dough to the pans, pressing the dough flat.
8. Cook at 350F for about 20 minutes or until you start to notice some browning towards the edges of the pan.
9. Remove from the oven and let cool.
10. The bars will be pretty crumbly as they cool, you might even want to refrigerate them before cutting to help preserve the shape.
11. 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!

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