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*
No Bake Chewy Cocoa Granola Bars {Refined Sugar, Gluten & Nut Free}
Ingredients
- 1 cup crispy brown rice cereal
- ¾ cup rolled oats gluten free
- ½ cup unsweetened shredded coconut
- ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- ¼ cup ground flaxseed
- ¼ cup sunflower seeds
- 2 packets powdered stevia
- ⅓ cup coconut butter melted
- ⅓ 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
Nutrition
About Brenda
Brenda Bennett is a certified Nutritional Therapy Practitioner, certified Sugar Detox Coach, certified Keto Coach and certified Life Coach. She has been Sugar Free & Refined carb free for 17 years and has written 2 cookbooks, Sugar-Free Mom, and Naturally Keto and her 3rd book The 30-Day Sugar Elimination Diet, is a four part program to help you detox from sugar, eliminate cravings, balance blood sugar and lose weight all while eating a delicious, nutrient dense whole foods. Meal plan offers two tracks to follow, low carb or keto. She is the founder of the Sugar Free Fresh Start course and Sugar Free Tribe weight loss membership. Learn more.
Kenny Benton
Me again. My friend who was making these before i knew about you, can not eat grain of any kind, so what do you suggest we can substitute the rice and oat with? Again i can't ask her. No longer in contact.
Brenda
I would think a different recipe might be needed because I can't really think of a grain free solution in this recipe. Try this one instead:https://www.sugarfreemom.com/recipes/no-bake-sugar-free-coconut-cashew-protein-bars/
Jena
When you said your kids have a nut allergy, I thought of this fruit I had a while back. It's called....*searching Google*....Bunchosia Argentea. It tastes just like peanut butter. I'm not sure if you live in a warm climate or not, but if so you may be able to grow it. 🙂 I live in Hawaii and our neighbors were growing it for their kids.
Hala
Help! I made these and they fall apart. They taste GREAT but don't hold together. Any thoughts?
Brenda
Did you use the creamed honey?
Tracy Van Lone
Since when is honey NOT a sugar?
Brenda
The title of this recipe is refined sugar free, not sugar free. I use honey for recipes for my children because it is a natural sweetener.