gluten free coconut cranberry granola bars

Chewy Coconut Cranberry Granola Bars

This recipe is a  favourite here at Crosby’s. A wholesome and nutritious granola bar topped with a wafer-thin coat of chocolate to make them extra appealing.

gluten free coconut cranberry granola bars with chocolate

It’s a shame these Coconut Cranberry Granola Bars aren’t school friendly (because of the nut). With lots of fiber, protein, calcium and more, they make for a great afterschool snack and even better picnic food. And they’re gluten-free, if that’s important to you.

 

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Chewy Coconut Cranberry Granola Bars

  • Author: Crosby’s Molasses
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 10
  • Total Time: 25 minutes
  • Yield: 16 bars 1x
  • Category: Cookies

Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 cups rolled oats*, pulsed in the food processor a few times
  • 3/4 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
  • ½ cup sunflower seeds
  • ½ cup pumpkin seeds
  • 1 Tbsp. ground flax
  • 1/2 cup dried cranberries, coarsely chopped
  • 1/2 cup Crosby’s Fancy Molasses
  • 1/2 cup creamy natural peanut butter or almond butter
  • 2 teaspoons coconut oil
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • ½ cup chocolate chips to melt and spread on top (optional)

*Choose oats labeled gluten free to avoid gluten cross contamination common in most rolled oats.

Instructions

  1.  Line a 9-inch square pan with parchment paper.
  2. In a large bowl combine oats, coconut, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, flax and dried cranberries.
  3. In a medium saucepan over medium low heat, combine the molasses and peanut butter (or almond butter). Bring just to a simmer and remove from heat. Stir in vanilla and coconut oil.
  4. Pour molasses mixture over oats-seed mixture and stir until well combined.
  5. Scrape mixture into prepared pan, spread it evenly and press into pan as firmly as possible.
  6. Melt chocolate and spread on top. Refrigerate until firm.
  7. Cut into 16 bars. Store in a cool place.

Notes

Adapted from Ambitious Kitchen

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Nutritional profile per bar (recipe makes 16 bars):

Calories (kcal)223.2
Fat (g)12.5
Saturated Fat (g)4.
Cholesterol (mg)0.2
Sodium (mg)7.3
Potassium (mg)341.4
Carbohydrate (g)24.4
Fibre (g)3.5
Sugar (g)10.2
Protein (g)5.7
Folate (DFE)24.1
Calcium (mg)40.5

Comments

  • August 21, 2022
    reply

    Teresa Craig

    I have not made this recipe but it sounds yummy.
    Can the coconut be omitted or substituted?
    From a non coding eating family.

    • September 16, 2022
      reply

      Crosby Molasses

      Yes, you can omit the coconut -Marie from Crosby’s Kitchen

  • April 30, 2022
    reply

    Evelyn

    I am going to make this recipe as it looks healthy and a great snack for grandchildren. However, the print on the website is so tiny and small that when I printed off the recipe, I could barelypick out anything. So I had to copy and paste into a Word document, then enlarge and bold the recipe. I am of the old school and like to have a printed recipe in front of me.

    • June 10, 2022
      reply

      Vautier Doris

      Hi,before you print click on options and you can choose bigger characters which makes it easier.I was glad I found that option as well !

    • July 15, 2023
      reply

      DMK

      The size of the print can be adjusted when you set up to print. This is done after you hit the print button and adjusting the settings on the print page.

  • November 19, 2018
    reply

    I like the simplicity of this recipe. I added a lot more honey then the recipe calls for, but overall it’s fantastic!

  • May 20, 2015
    reply

    Janet

    Just finished making my 3rd or 4th batch of these bars, love them! The trick to the chocolate at least for me, has been to put it into a freezer bag (or actual piping bag) and drizzle it over the bars before I spread it out. Have done this on every batch except the 1st one and it works like a charm.

  • March 23, 2015
    reply

    Janet

    I made these on Saturday and they are delicious! My husband loves them and he usually doesn’t like anything with dried fruit in it. I also had an issue with the 1/2 cup of chocolate chips not being enough to cover the whole pan. Now, the pan I used is 9.5″ x 9.5″ so that might be part of the problem but I didn’t worry too much about it. I did manage to get it to cover the whole pan, it just is a lot thinner than pictured. I will definitely be making these again!

  • March 18, 2015
    reply

    Lorraine

    This has as much protein as some Protein Bars and makes this a great choice.

  • March 15, 2015
    reply

    Sharon aka celticrafter

    You’re opening paragraph is so true – the snowbanks are as high as my childhood memories! LOL. This recipe sounds very tasty and I’m going to make them tomorrow.

    • June 25, 2022
      reply

      Cathy

      You have the option to print a particular size. When you hit print recipe it opens up another page. Hit the options button and it allows you to select the print size.

      • June 29, 2022
        reply

        Crosby Molasses

        Thank you Cathy! -Marie at Crosby’s Kitchen

  • March 1, 2015
    reply

    Chelsey-May

    I just finished making these and I have to say I was impressed with how easy it was…..right up until we got to the chocolate. Firstly, I melted 1/2 a cup and poured it on the granola mixture. The granola mixture stuck to it and there wasn’t enough chocolate for the whole pan. So my mom stuck it in the freezer while the second 1/2 cup melted. It still wasn’t enough. They look absolutely nothing like your pictures. I can only hope that they’ll taste better than they look.

  • February 28, 2015
    reply

    Diane Cooper

    Delicious treats!

  • February 24, 2015
    reply

    Janet

    These look delicious, I will definitely be trying them. You could make these school friendly by using WOWBUTTER. My niece has a peanut allergy and my brother and nephew LOVE peanut butter so they were very happy when they discovered Wowbutter. My sister-in-law and I have both used it in baking with no problems. It has the texture of peanut butter and the taste is pretty close AND it is safe for school.

    http://www.soybutter.com/nutrition-facts-soybutter.html

      • March 23, 2015
        reply

        Janet

        You’re welcome. It really does work exactly the same as regular nut butters.

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