Healthy Trail Mix Bars Recipe
Healthy Trail Mix Bars - a delicious and healthy treat or after-workout snack! Made with simple, real-food ingredients! (Gluten-Free Friendly + Plant-Based)
Ingredients
- ½ cup real maple syrup
- ½ cup creamy almond butter
- 2 tablespoons plant based butter sub regular butter
- 8 pitted dates
- ⅔ cup cashews
- ⅔ cup almonds
- 1 ⅓ cups old fashioned rolled oats use certified gluten-free, if you want
- ¼ cup ground flax
- 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup craisins
- ½ cup raisins
- ¼ - ½ dairy-free dark chocolate chips
Instructions
- Melt: Add ½ cup real maple syrup, ½ cup creamy almond butter and 2 tablespoons plant based butter into a small saucepan. Bring to medium heat. Stir occasionally (trying to break up the almond butter) and slowly melt together. Don't let it get too hot.
- Combine: Meanwhile, add 8 pitted dates, ⅔ cup cashews and ⅔ cup almonds to a food processor. Pulse several times to break down the nuts a little. The consistency should be pretty rough, but try to break up all the whole nuts so they stick together better in the bar. Set aside.
- Combine: Combine 1 ⅓ cups old fashioned rolled oats, ¼ cup ground flax, 2 tablespoons sesame seeds, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, and ½ teaspoon kosher salt in a medium mixing bowl. Stir to combine.
- Combine: Add the date/nut mixture to the oat mixture. Stir to combine.
- Let Cool: Once the maple syrup mixture has melted together. Remove from heat, add 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, and let cool bit.
- Combine: Pour maple syrup mixture into oat/nut mixture and stir to combine.
- Stir: Add in ½ cup craisins, ½ cup raisins, and ¼ - ½ dairy-free dark chocolate chips and stir to combine.
- Parchment: Place a piece of parchment inside a 8x8 or 9x9 pan (cut the parchment so it overhangs on two opposite sides which will act like handles and allow you to pull the bars out of the pan easily).
- Press: Pour the mixture into the pan and press down firmly.
- Cover: Cover with foil and place in the fridge overnight.
- Cut: Remove by pulling up on the parchment paper. Cut into 12 larger bars or 24 smaller bars.
- Store: Store in the refrigerator for up to 7-10 days.
Notes
- Gluten-Free: Feel free to use gluten-free certified oats to make these gluten-free!
- Cashews: Feel free to use either salted or unsalted. If you like that salty/sweet combo then I would recommend using salty. But I wouldn't recommend using both salty cashews and salty almonds - I would pick one or it might get too salty.
- Almonds: Feel free to use either salted or unsalted. If you like that salty/sweet combo then I would recommend using salty. But I wouldn't recommend using both salty cashews and salty almonds - I would pick one or it might get too salty.
- Creamy Almond Butter: Use a thicker almond butter. If you use a very thin, drippy almond butter the bars might not stick together quite as well.
- Melting the Almond Butter/Maple Syrup: Just a reminder to not let this get too hot - we are going for a slow, low heat melt. Once this is melted it is going to be mixed in with the remaining ingredients, including the chocolate chips, which will melt if this is too hot.
- Pressing Down: I use a 8x8 pan for the bars and then too a 7x7 pan and placed inside, on top of the bars and pressed down real hard, but your hands should work well too!
- Storage: Store in the refrigerator for up to 7-10 days. They can be left on the counter for a day or two, but they will last longer in the fridge.
- Nut Substitutions: Feel free to mix up the nuts you use instead of or in addition to the cashews and almonds; as long as you have approximately 1 1/3 cups of nuts you should be fine.
Nutrition
Calories: 311kcal | Carbohydrates: 35g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Sodium: 119mg | Potassium: 364mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 16g | Vitamin A: 1IU | Vitamin C: 0.4mg | Calcium: 107mg | Iron: 2mg
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