As much as I loooove a good sandwich, one that's warm and toasty and packed with yummy fillings, I rarely ever have one because I'm just not a big lunch eater. My list of meal priorities goes something like: breakfast, dinner/dessert (actually dessert might come before dinner), and then... lunch. At best, lunch for me usually means some granola or a smoothie. If I'm not armed with some enticing & healthy snack foods around the house, I find myself opening cabinet, refrigerator, and freezer doors and staring at the shelves before resigning myself to the fact that there's nothing I want to eat.
I've been trying to eat a little healthier lately, so I made these bars with breakfast in mind, but they were just SO FREAKIN' GOOD that I couldn't help snack on a bite or two (or more) throughout the day. I loved opening the fridge and knowing that there was something healthy, filling, and worthy of my cravings waiting for me inside. Even after making three batches of these bars for recipe testing, I wasn't even close to being bored of them. In fact, it was one of the rare times when everyone in our house was devouring the same thing, and they're healthy. BAM.
The bars are somewhere in the middle of crunchy and chewy, and they're like a texture nirvana with the combination of toasted whole almonds, little oat bits, and lots of dried fruit. The tangy-sweet apricots and tart-but-sweet cranberries make every bite explode with flavor, and just a small amount of agave syrup makes the bars perfectly sweet. The homemade almond butter mixed with all those extra almonds and a touch of almond extract adds richness and nuttiness to the taste, and just like in these scones, the apricots and almonds make a dream team.
I could not get enough of how good these bars were, and the fact that they're way healthier than any packaged granola bars you can buy and about 1,000 times more delicious is just the icing on the cake. They're even no-nuts picky-eater approved - definitely can't go wrong!
PrintCranberry-Apricot Almond Butter Granola Bars
These healthy, no-bake granola bars are bursting with flavor from tart dried cranberries and tangy dried apricots. Toasted almonds and subtly sweet almond butter and a rich, nutty taste.
- Yield: 12 bars
Ingredients
- 7 ⅛ ounces (2 ½ cups) rolled oats*
- 5 ounces (1 cup) whole almonds, toasted
- 3 ¾ ounces (¾ cup) dried apricots, chopped** (use unsweetened for sugar free)
- 3 ⅛ ounces (¾ cup) dried cranberries** (use unsweetened for sugar free)
- ¼ teaspoon semi-coarse sea salt
- 4 ½ ounces (⅜ cup) agave syrup
- ¾ teaspoon almond extract
- 6 ¾ ounces (¾ cup) almond butter*** (use unsweetened for sugar free)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and an 8" square pan with foil. Spray foil-lined pan with nonstick spray.
- Spread oats and almonds out on the prepared baking sheet, without letting them get mixed together. Toast in the preheated oven for 10-15 minutes, until fragrant.
- Transfer oats to a food processor and pulse until finer in texture, similar to quick-cooking oats.
- Combine oats, almonds, apricots, cranberries, and salt in a large bowl and toss together to evenly combine.
- Place agave syrup in a small saucepan and cook over medium heat, monitoring temperature with a reliable thermometer, until the temperature reaches 255ºF. Remove from heat and stir in almond extract.
- Spoon almond butter by dollops over the oat mixture and drizzle the agave evenly on top. Stir everything together well until all of the dry ingredients are evenly coated by the almond butter and agave.
- Press mixture into the prepared square pan, compacting in very well so the mixture reaches all corners and sides in a tight, flat layer. (A wide, flat spatula works well for this.) Cover the pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate bars until firm, at least a few hours but preferably overnight.
- Slices into bars with a strong, sharp serrated knife. Store in an airtight container in the fridge to ensure the bars stay intact. Bars can also be wrapped individually in plastic wrap to make for easy grab-and-go access.
Notes
*While I haven't used quick-cooking oats in this recipe, they should work as well. If using them, skip the step of processing them in the food processor. Use gluten-free oats to make this recipe gluten-free.
**Using dried fruit with no sugar added will make these bars as healthy as possible.
***Almond butter may vary in consistency between homemade and store-bought. If using store-bought, you may need to microwave the almond butter slightly to thin out before adding to the other ingredients.
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Holly
Hi I was wondering if you could swap out the Almond Butter and the Almonds to something else, say the Almond butter to normal butter and the almonds to peanuts?
alexandra
You should be able to swap the almond butter with a different type of nut butter (like peanut butter), and you could easily swap the almonds for a different nut as well.
Alyssa @ My Sequined Life
Anything with triple almond ingredients (whole ones, butter, extract) is a MUST for me. What a perfectly satisfying and healthy snack - they look great!
alexandra
Agreed! I'm a huge sucker for almond extract especially. :) These bars are one of my favorite almond-involved recipes for sure!
Trisha
Love the styling in this photo - so cute with the string! x
alexandra
Thanks so much Trisha! As I was styling these photos I was thinking I need to get my hands on some baker's twine. :)
Jess
Wow, these look delicious! Love granola bars- these look super healthy :)
alexandra
Thanks Jess!
Helen @ Scrummy Lane
I'm always looking for healthy work-time snacks and these look so tasty and healthy! Pinning it for later!
alexandra
Thanks Helen! Hope you give them a try; they're awesome!
Katy
These look like a healthy snack with the apricots, cranberries, and oats. I love oats so anything with oats in it is definitely making it into my recipe box. :) Thank you!
alexandra
They're so good and considering all the healthy ingredients packed in, it's almost too good to be true!
Tieghan Gerard
These look amazingly perfect in every single way! I love homemade snacks!
alexandra
Thank you so much Tieghan!
Amy
I'm right there with you -- breakfast is my top priority, although dessert is usually tied with it... Not dinner. ;) I've been on a HUGE dried apricot kick lately (the ones at TJ's are just so good!) that your granola bars would disappear in a single day with me around. No joke. They look fabulous!
alexandra
Very true. I think I just didn't want to sound like a crazy person... breakfast IS tied with dessert. And dried apricots - always so yummy!
Thanks Amy!
Anna @ Bashful Bao
Ooooh, I love homemade granola bars, and your version sounds awesome! Yay for healthy snackage!!!
alexandra
Thanks Anna! Yes - healthy snackage is a must. :D