Dark Chocolate Granola Bars


It looks like there are a lot of steps and it takes forever, but these really do come together in 30 minutes. Its the waiting for the chocolate to set and slightly harden that takes forever! (But no one says you can't cut into them when it's still all melty!). 
I store them in the fridge so the chocolate stays hard. 

 Ingredients

The Bars

1 cup whole almonds 
1 cup pecans or walnuts 
1 ½ cups old fashion oats
2 tablespoons chia seeds
½ cup coconut flakes
¼ cup honey
¼ cup coconut oil
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste (or essence)
½ teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons almond butter

The Chocolate Glaze

1 Tablespoon coconut oil
1 1/2 cups dark chocolate (chopped)
¼ cup coconut flakes (chopped)
¼ cup pecans or walnuts (chopped)

Method 

1. In a food processor add a ½ cup of the almonds, ½ cup of the pecans, and ¾ cup of the oats.  Process until it turns into a fine powder (about a minute - make sure you don't over process, you don’t want it to start sticking together.)

2. Roughly chop the remaining almonds (½ cup) and pecans (½ cup) then add them to a large bowl along with the remaining oats (¾ cup) and the processed powder.

3. Add to the chia seeds, and coconut flakes to the bowl and toss together.

4. Heat a small pan on the stove over medium heat. Add the honey, coconut oil, vanilla bean paste, cinnamon, and the almond butter. Stir constantly until everything is fully melted and begins to foam. Allow it to foam and bubble for about a minute before immediately pouring it over the nuts and oats mixture.

5. Using a rubber spatula, stir everything together until it’s evenly distributed.

 6. Preheat oven to 180℃ and line a baking dish with baking paper, enough to hang over two of the sides.
7. Pour the granola mixture into the pan and spread evenly. Using a metal spatula or spoon, begin pressing down really hard all along the edges and through the middle (if you don’t press down so that it’s very tight, then when you go to cut them later, they’ll just fall apart). 

8. Bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes, until firm. Remove and allow to cool completely.

 9. To make the chocolate glaze, melt the coconut oil in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the chocolate, and stir often while they continue to melt until it becomes a perfectly smooth glaze.

 10. Pour it over the top and using a spatula, spread it to the edges and even it out. Sprinkle the top with additional walnuts and coconut flakes if desired.

 11. Allow the top to set. (I made these in the afternoon, and it wasn’t completely firm until the next morning.) You can certainly cut into them sooner, but the chocolate will probably just melt off the edges). 

12. Once fully set, pick up both sides of the overhanging parchment paper and remove from the pan. Chop into bars. 

Enjoy x 

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