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.
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.
Chewy Coconut Cranberry Granola Bars
- 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
- Line a 9-inch square pan with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl combine oats, coconut, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, flax and dried cranberries.
- 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.
- Pour molasses mixture over oats-seed mixture and stir until well combined.
- Scrape mixture into prepared pan, spread it evenly and press into pan as firmly as possible.
- Melt chocolate and spread on top. Refrigerate until firm.
- Cut into 16 bars. Store in a cool place.
Notes
Adapted from Ambitious Kitchen
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 |
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.
Crosby Molasses
Yes, you can omit the coconut -Marie from Crosby’s Kitchen
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.
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 !
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.
Adriana
I like the simplicity of this recipe. I added a lot more honey then the recipe calls for, but overall it’s fantastic!
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.
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!
Lorraine
This has as much protein as some Protein Bars and makes this a great choice.
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.
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.
Crosby Molasses
Thank you Cathy! -Marie at Crosby’s Kitchen
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.
Crosby Molasses
Hi Chelsey-May, I hope your bars worked out in the end. They were a huge hit around here. The 1/2 cup chocolate chips should have been plenty to coat the bars when made in a 9″x9″ pan. Is there a chance you used a larger pan?
Diane Cooper
Delicious treats!
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
Crosby Molasses
Thanks Janet. I have never baked with Wow Butter so it’s helpful to know that it can be substituted for nut butter.
Crosby Molasses
Hi Janet, Thanks for the Wow butter suggestion. I have never baked with it so it’s gook to know that it’s an easy substitution. Thanks also for the nutrition link.
Janet
You’re welcome. It really does work exactly the same as regular nut butters.