Gluten Free Granola Bars

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One of the convenience foods we used to always keep on hand were packaged granola bars. Unfortunately, our favorites had gluten in them which made them off limits since late 2020. When looking for replacements, there are a number of options that are tasty, but not only are they a bit expensive they are also sometimes hard to find. 

I began working my way through the America's Test Kitchen: How Can it be Gluten Free cookbook. This is a great starter cookbook to get comfortable with gluten free cooking and baking. I appreciate the additional detail they provide on how they determined the best way to create a recipe. That being said, I've found with the recipe I''m sharing today, that I accidentally skipped a step and, when I tried it the "correct" way, I liked it better with the skipped step. 

My version has been approved by college-age rock climbers and my co-workers and it's received wonderful reviews! Honestly, it is super easy to make and you can change the types of nuts and dried fruit based on what you like or happen to have on hand.

Gluten Free Granola Bars 

Recipe Adapted from ATK's How Can it be Gluten Free 

Note: Always double check your ingredients to ensure they are free of any allergens that you need to avoid. In our house, that is gluten, dairy and eggs. 

Ingredients 

• 1/3 cup pure maple syrup 
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed 
• 1 teaspoon sea salt 
• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil 
• 2 cups rolled oats, gluten-free certified (We like Bob's Red Mill Rolled Oats) 
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts 
• 1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds 
• 1/2 cup slivered or sliced almonds (I use what I have on hand)
• 1/2 cup unsweetened dried cranberries 
• Cooking Spray 

Directions 

1. Move one rack to the lower third of the oven and preheat to 300 degrees. 
2. Prepare a 9x13 baking pan by making a foil "sling". Fold 2 sheets of aluminum foil so that they fit in the pan and can be used as "handles" to remove the bars once they are baked. Spray the prepared foil with cooking spray and set aside. 
3. Next, add maple syrup, brown sugar, and salt to a large bowl and whisk until combined. Then, add the olive oil and whisk to combine. 
4. Add the oats, walnuts, sunflower seeds, almonds and dried cranberries (making sure to separate them so the they will be evenly distributed). Using a spatula, combine until all ingredients are coated with the maple syrup mixture. 
5. Pour the oat mixture into the prepared pan and using the spatula, spread the mixture evenly and press down to ensure it's compact. 
6. Bake for 45 minutes. Once removed from the oven use a large metal spatula to cut into squares or rectangles before it cools. If you wait until it cools, you will have granola "bark", which is fine if you just want granola and not bars. 
7. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week, if they last that long. 

Please note that all photos and content belong to Patsy Kreitman, unless otherwise noted. If you want to use something please ask first.