PEANUT BUTTER GRANOLA BARS

These homemade granola bars pack a lot of punch. In addition to peanut butter, honey, almonds and coconut, they’re loaded with the nutritional goodness of chia seeds and hemp hearts.

Yield: Makes 40.

PEANUT BUTTER GRANOLA BARS

Ingredients

  • 6 cups quick-cooking rolled oats
  • 1 cup sliced almonds, toasted
  • 1 cup sweetened shredded coconut, toasted
  • 1/2 cup chia seeds
  • 1/2 cup hemp hearts (shelled hemp seeds)
  • 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • 1 cup salted butter, softened
  • 1 cup packed golden brown sugar
  • 1 1/2 cups smooth peanut butter
  • 1 cup liquid honey
  • 2 tsp vanilla

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
  2. Combine oats, almonds, coconut, chia seeds, hemp hearts and chocolate chips in a large bowl; set aside.
  3. Using medium speed of an electric mixer, beat together butter and brown sugar until fluffy. Beat in peanut butter, honey and vanilla until blended. Fold in oats mixture.
  4. Firmly press mixture into a greased 12 1/2x17 1/2x1 inch rimmed baking sheet.
  5. Bake until golden brown, about 25 minutes. Cool completely in pan on a rack. Invert granola bar onto a cutting board and cut into bars. Store in an airtight container in refrigerator for up to 4 days. May be frozen.
Nutritional analysis per bar:

249 calories, 14.5 g fat, 5.8 g protein, 26.8 g carbohydrate, 3.4 g fibre, 94 mg sodium

Tip:

Hemp hearts contain protein, omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. They have a nutty flavour and can be added to baked goods or eaten raw. Look for them in natural food stores or the natural foods section of grocery stores.