Easy Family Recipes: Cherry Chocolate Cashew Granola Bars

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My teenage daughter is crazy busy with sports, and I like to have a snack available that satisfies her after school, before practice, and isn’t loaded with preservatives and words I can’t pronounce. These homemade granola bars fit the bill perfectly. They have a little bit of sweetness with the chocolate and a little tartness with the cherries to make them appealing to kids and teens, as well as grown-ups. You and I will know that they’re loaded with lots of good stuff, like antioxidant-packed tart cherries, protein-rich almonds, pumpkin seeds, and flax seeds to create a tasty, wholesome snack that will satisfy their ravenous appetites. These bars will keep for up to two weeks in the fridge, though I doubt they’ll last that long!

Cherry Chocolate Cashew Granola Bars

Total time: 25 minutes
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes
Servings: 10 bars

1 cup chopped cashews
1/2 cup chopped almonds
1/2 cup dried tart cherries
1/2 cup puffed rice cereal
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (I like the minis)
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
1 tablespoon whole golden flaxseeds
1/4 cup brown rice syrup
1 tablespoon almond butter

Directions

Preheat oven to 325-degrees F. Line 8-by-8-inch baking pan with parchment paper.
Mix all dry ingredients together in bowl.
In small bowl, stir together syrup and almond butter until combined and gently fold into nut mixture until completely incorporated.
Transfer bar mixture to prepared baking dish.
Using extra sheet of parchment paper, press down on mixture to form to pan and ensure there are no spaces in mix.
Bake for 15 minutes; allow bars to cool completely in pan on wire drying rack. Place in fridge or freezer for faster cooling.
Remove parchment paper with cooled bars from pan and using serrated knife, slice into 10 even bars. Remove parchment paper from bottom of each bar.
Wrap each bar individually with plastic wrap to store for snack time. Place wrapped bars in airtight container and store on counter up to 5 days or in fridge up to 2 weeks.