Granola/Granola Bars

There are some staples that I try to always have on hand in the house. Flax crackers, granola or granola bars, and coconut water kefir are a few. One of the challenges of having a child with so many allergies is that often even the most simple ingredients or foods are no longer safe. Granola/granola bars is one of those things - most of the standard less expensive brands are made in facilities that also process nuts, dairy, gluten, you name it.  We have found one or two trusted brands that are made in a dedicated allergen free facility, but they are not easy to find and they are expensive - not to mention flavor choices are limited. I have made this recipe as granola and/or granola bars all winter, usually about once a week. It is so good my husband eats it out of the dehydrator before it is even ready.

Dehydrator Granola Bars

Print |

{wholly rooted}

Allergy friendly dehydrator granola bars are a yummy treat for all ages. Crumble them to make granola - great over yogurt. If you don't have a dehydrator, don't worry - use your oven on the lowest setting.

{ingredients}

• 1 1/2 cups gluten free oats

• 1/2 cup dried unsweetened coconut flakes

• 1/4 - 1/2 cup dried fruit chopped into small bits (or mix fruit and seeds)

• 3 Tbsp sunflower seed butter

• 3 Tbsp maple syrup or organic brown rice syrup

• Pinch sea salt

• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

• 1/2 vanilla bean, scraped (or use vanilla flavor/extract)

• 1/2 cup drinking coconut milk (use your favorite non-dairy milk)

Mix everything but the coconut milk together really well in a bowl. Make sure sunflower butter is fully blended - I have found using my fingers and rubbing it together with my fingers like making pie crust works great to get the sunflower butter fully blended. You can also just pulse a few times in your food processor - it will help the bars stay together but don't over whiz or you will miss the nice chunky bits.

Add the coconut milk and stir all together.

Soak all ingredients with the coconut milk for about 30 minutes.

Spread out on dehydrator sheet liner, compacting it into a block of even mix, about 8" x 8".

Using a piece of parchment paper and a rolling pin can help form a solid smooth rectangle.

Gently press a knife into the block to pre-mark 8 - 10 rectangles, not pushing all of the way through, but enough to score so that they can easily be separated when dry.

Dehydrate on medium heat for 4-6 hours and then gently remove the block from the liner so air can better circulate and continue to dry another few hours until crispy.

Break gently along the scores. Store in airtight container.

Published March 4, 2014

This makes crispy crumbly granola bars which are the kind we like. I often just break up the whole tray into bite sized pieces and use as our granola over coconut yogurt or my husband loves to just eat it out of the jar (see the blueberry sunflower granola chunks to the left there? yum!). I have one canning jar of granola pieces and one of granola bars on my counter right now. If your first batch is crumbly, use as granola and just press your mix a little more firmly next time. Delicious either way!

You can bake these in an oven if you don't have a dehydrator. Just press into a parchment lined pan so it is compact, score the mix, and bake on a low temperature until crispy…not very long, not very hot! 

Try different combinations - pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, different dried fruit - just keep your fruit/seeds to 1/2 cup or less and chop them into small bits if there are larger pieces. We like to dehydrate our own fruit all summer long so we have allergy-safe dried fruit to use. You can use blueberries, peaches, cherries, cranberries, strawberries - all delicious. Try adding a tablespoon or two of ripe mashed banana to the mix. Or a tablespoon of hemp or flax. Yum.

The possibilities are endless. Once you start making this you won't be able to stop. Delicious!

---

Tip: Don't forget to always read your packaging. Some brands of dried fruit and seeds are made in shared facilities with other allergens. Read the package or make your own! To make your own dried fruit, simply spread fresh fruit evenly on the dehydrator sheet. For berries like blueberries or raspberries use whole. For fruit like apples or bananas, remove peel, slice in 1/4 to 1/2" thick pieces and place on your dehydrator sheets. Dry in your dehydrator on fruit setting until full dry. Store in an airtight container until use!