10 Minute No Bake Energy Bars
Who doesn’t love a good granola bar? Whether for an on-the-go snack, part of your lunch, or shared with yogurt and coffee in the morning you not only will enjoy these bars but will keep you nourished and satisfied. These ten-minute bars provide all of the fuel, portability, and flavor of store-bought bars without the added sugars, large ingredient list, and hefty price tag!
Summer is full of activities and not wanting to turn on the oven (my husband hates it haha). Hence why these energy bars are even more inviting! NO BAKE, QUICK and perfect for ON-THE-GO!
You all know, I am a big fan of making a recipe my own. And you can do just that with these bars as they are super customizable. We chose to use cashews, almonds, craisins, raisins, flax seed, chocolate, and peanut butter in today’s bars. However, if you have allergies or prefer a different kind of nut, seed, nut butter or fruit, go for it! You can also add hemp or chia seeds for additional nutrients.
As for the chocolate, I know it won’t do well in the car or at park this steamy summer. EASY SOLUTION: forgo the chocolate or add something else in its place (ex. dried cherries).
Looking to make this a dessert bar? Use cookie butter in the place of the peanut and drizzle top with chocolate.
Step by Step Guide
Start with 2/3c almonds and 3/4c cashews and chop!
Tip: Make sure you chop until you reach pieces that you are comfortable eating. AND Choose your best method: use a knife, food processor, smash with bowl in plastic bag etc. etc.
I personally love chunky bars, but if that’s not your thing (or your kids thing) feel free to purchase pre-chopped nuts or pulse a few more time in food processor. Just make sure they don’t completely turn to powder as they are important for the structure of the bars!
Next, throw the oats, seeds, and fix-ins of your choosing to the nuts!
Melt the nut butter and add the sea salt and honey (or maple syrup)! I melted my peanut butter for 30 seconds, stirred, and then at 20 second intervals until I was happy with the consistency (2 sets of 20 worked well for me).
Tip: Make sure you choose a peanut butter that has no added sugars, oils, and if there is salt, not too much of it! A minimal nut butter is what (nutritionally) sets these bars way above the store-bought ones!
Add the (seriously delicious) nut butter mixture to the nuts/oats and mix well.
FIRMLY pack the granola into a parchment lined 8x8 pan. These bars are pretty thick so if you prefer something a little thinner, go with a larger pan. It is SO important that you pack the mixture tightly so that the bars are solid and won’t crumble apart when you try to cut them.
Tip: If your bars do crumble a bit, take the pieces and form them into energy balls!
Chill the bars in the refrigerator for at least an hour and a half, the longer the better! Store in glass container in fridge.
I hope you enjoy these energy bars as much as we do. Please feel free to share and tag us in your energy bar creations as we love seeing our community enjoying our recipes. Any questions please comment below!
Thank you to my Dietetic Intern, Julia Langer, for heading this recipe and blog with a little of me dispersed throughout. This is one of her GO-TO recipes friends, I know you will all love it!
