Chewy Grain Free Granola Bars: Sweet Coconut Curry (Grain/Dairy Free, RAW & Vegan options)

Who says we have to make granola bars just for the kids? So I made these grain free granola bars, all grown up! Now, don't get too excited, they're not soaked in whisky or anything. They do however, pack a bit of  punch with just enough curry powder to leave a little tingle on your tongue. The truth is, your kids just might love these too. Mine ate them up about as fast as I could pull them out of the oven.

I made these granola bars with Crispy nuts and seeds. Soaking and drying  nuts before using them, helps with their digestibility and nutrient availability.  I have chosen to bake the granola in this recipe, which means  that the live enzymes in the nuts will be removed. Your digestive tract however, still benefits from the pre-soaking of the nuts. This recipe could easily be made raw if you have a dehydrator. Follow the link above to learn more about soaking nuts and seeds.

Sweet Coconut Curry Granola Bars (Chewy)

Ingredients:

3 cups  'crispy' nuts and seeds ( I used  1/2 cup cashews, 1/2 cup walnuts, 1 cup pecans, 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds and 1/2 cup sunflower seeds)

1/2 cup dried currants (or chopped raisins)

1/4 coconut oil

1/2 cup almond butter (raw or roasted)

6 - 8 Tbls raw honey (agave for vegan) 

1 cup dried shredded coconut.

1/4 tsp coarse sea salt (OMIT if  your curry mix already contains salt)

2-4 tsp curry powder, or more to taste (I used a coconut curry mix. Try my Curry Powder Recipe and  grind some dried coconut into the mixture)


option 1: Add 3-4 Tbls ground chia or flax seeds for extra binding power, if your diet allows ( you might be able to reduce the sweetener when using chia/flax as a binder).


option 2: Use 6-7 soaked pureed dates (add a little water if needed) and reduce the honey.

Directions:

Line a 8x8 square pan (or a brownie pan, you want at least 2 inch walls) with parchment paper. Leave flaps of parchment over the sides of the pan to use as handles late on.

Place 1 1/2 cups of the nut & seed  mixture into a blender or food processor. Pulse till the nuts are finely ground, but not so much that they turn into nut butter. It's ok if there are a number of different sized nuts in the mix. Transfer to a large bowl

Roughly chop the rest of the nuts with a knife (you can also use the food processor for this, just be sure they don't get chopped too finely). Add to the large bowl.

In a small sauce pan combine the Honey, oil and almond butter. Stir over low heat till well combined (If making raw, skip the heating). Then turn up the heat to med high and bring the mixture to a boil, leave boil for about 1 min. In the meantime, add the coconut, raisins, curry powder and (optional salt) to the nut mixture. Mix well. When the honey mixture is ready, pour it over the granola and stir well, coating the granola evenly with the honey mixture.

Scoop the granola into the prepared pan. Using parchment paper press the granola firmly into the pan.

After they have cooled slightly you can press them down again, Making them even firmer. Then you can either chill them this way and cut them, or you can bake them at 250-300 degrees for about 30-40 min or until desired crispiness is achieved. Chill completely before cutting. Keep chilled.


For RAW bars, just chill the granola or dehydrate at a very low temp for about 12 hours. Store in the fridge.

If you want to make regular granola, use only 1/4 cup almond butter and
reduce the sugar by half.  Spread the granola out on a cookie sheet and bake at 200 degrees with the oven slightly ajar until crispy. Or for RAW granola dehydrate for about 12 hours.