Dark Chocolate Cherry Granola bars are no-bake, gluten free, vegan, super duper simple and way tasty. The classic combo of dark chocolate and dried cherries is only enhanced by the hint of sea salt and the savory sweet combo of peanut butter and oats. They’re hearty and make a perfect, healthy snack.
My husband has been sending me pictures of flamingoes. Live ones. Outside his hotel room.
Yeah, he’s in Vegas. For work. But still.
And I’m at home, watching one of our dogs sleep while the other is trying to cover her rubber chicken with my sweatpants. Its intense.
Lately, my I’ve been baking a ton of recipes from this cookbook. I’ve gotten caught up in a whirlwind of vegan and superfood packed treats. Yum. I never thought I’d be so swept away by such things, but … ok yeah I could’ve totally predicted this.
No, I’m not becoming a vegan. Promise. I can’t do soy, mushrooms are NOT like meat, and I know what real cheese is. Enough said.
But, I love what I’ve been coming up with lately. I loved making a few recipes from Angela’s cookbook, and I’ve loved throwing together quick, meat-free meals on my own. And lots of smoothies. More on that to come.
My husband…well, he’s been humoring me. He ate my veggie burgers with a slight smile (victory), ate “mac and cheese” with a skeptical look on his face (the look of “you never make me mac and cheese…what’s going on?”, and even drank half of a breakfast smoothie I made for him (he’s more of a savory breakfast lad). And when he packed up to go on his business trip, he gladly threw a few of my homemade granola bars in his bag!
These granola bars are vegan and gluten free. They’re also no-bake. I used Angela’s recipe for her Glow Bars and tweaked the ingredients to my liking. And they turned out AHmazing! They taste like a childhood bar I loved (hint: chewy is the name of the game). I also used allergen-free dark chocolate chips to keep them vegan and gluten free. They’re so good; nutty, sweet, salty, savory, oaty, chewy, hearty…perfection.
Try them! They come together in minutes and you’ll have snacks for the week (or longer)!
- 1 ½ cups rolled oats
- 1 ½ cups rice Chex cereal, partially crushed*
- ¼ cup sunflower seeds (dry roasted or raw)
- ¼ cup hemp hearts
- 2 Tbs. chia seeds
- 2 Tbs. flax seeds
- ½ tsp. sea salt
- 1/3 cup dried cherries
- ¼ cup dark chocolate chips
- ½ cup brown rice syrup
- ¼ cup roasted creamy peanut butter
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- Line a 9x9" baking pan with parchment paper.
- Combine all of the dry ingredients (everything except for the chocolate chips, brown rice syrup, peanut butter and vanilla) in a large bowl. Stir to combine.
- In a small saucepan, over low heat, combine the brown rice syrup and peanut butter. Stir to combine as they melt together. When the mixture starts slowly bubbling, remove it from the heat. Stir in the vanilla.
- Use a silicone spatula to scrape all of the syrup mixture into your dry ingredients. Use a sturdy spoon to mix all of the ingredients together. Make sure everything is covered evenly.
- After you're done stirring it all, add the chocolate chips in two additions while still stirring. Stop
- stirring as soon as all of the chocolate chips are added and somewhat evenly distributed.
- Transfer the mixture into your prepared baking pan. Wet your hands slightly with water and press out the granola bar mixture into an even layer. Make sure you're pressing firmly so they're well-compressed.
- Freeze, uncovered, for 10 minutes to quickly set the bars.
- Remove from the freezer and use a sharp knife or a pizza cutter to cut into 12-16 bars. Wrap each bar in plastic wrap. Snack and enjoy!
- *I measured out the cereal a little at a time and crushed it with one squeeze in my hands to slightly crush it.
- Shop for gluten free versions of your ingredients to maintain the gluten free integrity of the recipe.
Yum! These bars look delicious!
Brie @ Lean, Clean, & Brie recently posted…Scenes From a Wonderful Weekend
like all your recipes…. WANT!! dark chocolate + cherry is such a good flavor combo!!
Linz @ Itz Linz recently posted…Weekend with William
yum!! I want!!!
brittany @ Delights and Delectables recently posted…Less is More
Oh wow! These look absolutely fabulous! I’m not a huge fan of cherry, but I could tooooooootally sub in some dried cranberries…or hell I could totally bastardize them with some dried blueberries and white chocolate chips! Just kidding…sort of! 😉 But yeah, wow…and those chewy bars? Oh yes…those are magical…but you know, I swear they’ve shrunk as I’ve gotten older. Is it weird that no-bake bars intimidate me? I’ve wanted to try experimenting with some but never got up the cojones (dude, did you know that’s how you spell that? I totally had to Google it!)
Side note: What the HELL is with my ADD tonight? I swear, I haven’t even had any coffee! Lol
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