Healthy Trail Mix Granola Bars

Trail Mix Granola Bars have everything you could want in a healthy snack. They're homemade with wholesome ingredients, no processed sugar and contain plenty of nutritious nuts, sunflower kernels and dried fruit. Plus they're finished with a topping of chocolate that puts them over the top! Great for hikes or an afternoon snack and gluten-free too!

Have you ever tried making homemade granola bars? They are really easy and, when you make them yourself, you can be sure exactly what's going into them. I like to avoid processed sugar, preservatives and other unknown ingredients that are listed on most packages, so my solution is to make my own. It's a delicious and healthy snack to have on hand. I grab one after a workout, pack it to munch on while hiking or just nibble on it as a "get over the hump" mid-afternoon snack.

This recipe has only 5 ingredients including gluten-free oats and is held together with almond butter and maple syrup or honey. It was inspired by a trail mix made by Second Nature that I found in our organic food store. The mix contains nothing artificial and has raw almonds and cashews, sunflower kernels and dried blueberries and cranberries. Of course, I just had to add a little indulgence - a topping of dark chocolate chips!  I know, I know, I couldn't help myself. And it doesn't involve any baking! Just mix, pat into pan, then chill in the refrigerator.

How to make Trail Mix Granola Bars

1. Pour oats, trail mix and additional seeds or chocolate chips into a large bowl.
2. Melt almond butter and maple syrup or honey in a large microwave-safe cup or bowl.
3. Stir into oat-nut mixture.
4. Make sure everything is well coated and the mixture holds together when you pinch it with your fingers.

5. Pat the trail mix-granola mixture into a pan that has been lined with parchment paper and sprayed with non-stick spray. Chill for 2 hours.

6. Melt chocolate in a microwave safe container and pour on top of chilled granola bars.

7. Spread chocolate evenly on granola bars.
8. Chill again until chocolate is set, about 30 minutes.

8. Cut into bars. I like to cut them into 16 bars for adults but smaller when serving children.

These are a great way to get a healthy snack without blowing your diet and they're a lot less expensive than buying the packaged ones. It passed the taste test when I sent them into my husband's office, so that's a win for these tasty granola bars!

Ways to change up Trail Mix Granola Bars

• Exchange the trail mix for a combination of your favorite nuts, dried fruit, chia seeds, flax seeds and coconut
• Add a little spice like cinnamon or nutmeg to the mix
• Add a teaspoon of vanilla extract
• Supplement it with a protein powder for more on the go energy

How long will these last?

I've kept mine in the refrigerator for 2 weeks and they're still fine. 

So, what are you waiting for? Grab the ingredients and whip up these granola bars in time for an after-school treat for the kids. Enjoy!

HEALTHY TRAIL MIX GRANOLA BARS

Trail Mix Granola Bars are a delicious, homemade & healthy snack. A combination of oats, almond butter and your favorite trail mix, sweetened with maple syrup or honey then finished with a layer of chocolate. Great for hikes and an afternoon snack. 

5 from 2 votes

Print Rate

Course: Snack

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Chill: 4 hours 30 minutes

Total Time: 4 hours 40 minutes

Servings: 16 bars

Calories: 436kcal

Author: Linda Warren

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cup almond butter
• ¾ cup maple syrup or honey
• 2 ¼ cups oats (gluten-free oats if needed)
• 3 cups healthy trail mix (mine contained sodium-free dried cranberries, whole almonds, whole cashews, sunflower kernels & dried blueberries)
• ½ cup favorite seeds or chocolate chips
• 1 cup dark chocolate chips
• Sea salt (optional)

Instructions

• Line a 9x13-inch pan with aluminum foil and spray with non-stick spray.
• In a microwave-safe bowl, melt almond butter and honey or maple syrup. It takes about 1 minute on high power.
• In a large bowl, combine oats, trail mix and extra seeds or chocolate chips.
• Pour melted almond butter-honey mixture over oats-trail mix & stir until well combined and sticks together.
• Spoon into prepared pan and press evenly into bottom of pan. 
• Chill for about 2 hours.
• Melt chocolate in microwave safe cup or bowl in 30-second increments, stirring in-between, until melted. Usually about 1 to 1-½ minutes.
• Remove chilled granola bars from refrigerator and spread with melted chocolate. Return to refrigerator until set.
• Cut into desired sized bars. I cut mine into 16 bars.
• To store, wrap each bar separately and store in refrigerator. They can be stored at room temperature as well but may tend to be a little messier to eat.

Notes

To change up the recipe, you can leave out the chocolate chips from the mix. Instead, after pressing mixture in pan, melt the chips and pour over top of oat honey mixture then salt & chill.

Nutrition

Calories: 436kcal | Carbohydrates: 41g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 27g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Sodium: 46mg | Potassium: 455mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 22g | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 143mg | Iron: 1.7mg

This post was first published on March 15, 2017. Photos and recipe have been updated to make it even more delicious for you.

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