No Bake Chewy Cocoa Granola Bars {Refined Sugar, Gluten & Nut Free}

A NUT FREE granola bar that stays together and doesn’t need to be baked?? IT’S TRUE!!!  Soft and chewy but holds together perfectly! Cocoa flavor throughout with a nice little crunch from some brown rice crispy cereal!

Super easy to make too! All you need is a few ingredients and about 10 minutes of your time to prepare. After ingredients are melted and stirred together you pour them into a small baking dish and refrigerate for 30 minutes!

You may not have ever seen this type of honey before but I found it at Whole Foods Market right next to regular honey. I chose it for another recipe but ended up using it for these bars. It’s a bit thicker than regular honey and helps the bars stick together well. You can certainly use regular honey if that’s all you have on hand.

See?? Thicker, not so loose. This recipe is an adaption from my daughters American Girl Doll magazine if you can believe it!! It called for peanut butter and honey of course. And when my boys saw them …OH how they wanted some, but couldn’t because of their nut allergies! I had to make something they could enjoy! (By the way they absolutely love their version!) My daughters came out very tasty, but were a bit more soft then the ones I made with the creamed honey. But also what I use to replace the honey is what really holds it all together once it refrigerates a bit.

You can leave them alone to sit for an hour and gel together or refrigerate for 30 minutes then they will be much easier to cut into bars or squares.

Perfect for a snack anytime or on the go as a breakfast, it does contain fab ingredients. 🙂

 Quick Note on Substitutions:

You can easily substitute the coconut butter for any nut butter of your choice. Sunflower seeds can be replaced with chopped nuts. Be advised that if you add additional ingredients such as raisins or chocolate chips you may need to increase honey and coconut butter. If you are gluten free, make sure to purchase gluten free rolled oats.

Nutrition Info [16 Squares]

Calories per bar: 98* Fat: 6g* Cholesterol: 0mg* Sodium: 32mg* Carbs: 11g* Fiber: 3g* Sugars: 4g* Protein: 2g* Points+: 3*

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No Bake Chewy Cocoa Granola Bars {Refined Sugar, Gluten & Nut Free}

Prep Time30 minutes mins

Total Time30 minutes mins

Servings: 8

Calories: 196kcal

Author: Brenda Bennett

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going to sleep

Ingredients

• 1 cup crispy brown rice cereal
• 3/4 cup rolled oats gluten free
• 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/4 cup ground flaxseed
• 1/4 cup sunflower seeds
• 2 packets powdered stevia
• 1/3 cup coconut butter melted
• 1/3 cup creamed clover honey
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

• In a large bowl stir together the first 7 ingredients until well blended.
• In a separate microwaveable bowl add the coconut butter, honey, and vanilla. Melt for 1 minute and stir completely until well incorporated.
• Pour into the dry ingredients and mix well.
• Line an 8 by 8 baking dish with parchment paper hanging over opposite sides. Spray the parchment paper with nonstick cooking spray.
• Pour the mixture into the baking dish.
• Spread to edges and press down with a spatula to even off the top.
• Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• Lift by parchment paper onto a cutting board.
• Slice into squares or bars.
• Wrap individually to store.

Notes

Weight Watchers PointsPlus: 5*

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 196kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 12g | Sodium: 64mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 8g

Tried this recipe?Mention @sugarfreemom and tag #sugarfreemom, I'd love to see your dish!