Cranberry-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 1x
Ingredients
Scale
- 7 1/8 ounces (2 1/2 cups) rolled oats*
- 5 ounces (1 cup) whole almonds, toasted
- 3 3/4 ounces (3/4 cup) dried apricots, chopped** (use unsweetened for sugar free)
- 3 1/8 ounces (3/4 cup) dried cranberries** (use unsweetened for sugar free)
- 1/4 teaspoon semi-coarse sea salt
- 4 1/2 ounces (3/8 cup) agave syrup
- 3/4 teaspoon almond extract
- 6 3/4 ounces (3/4 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.