Dairy free granola bars (whole grain!)

Dairy free granola bars (whole grain) 

Dairy free. The best words ever if you or someone in your family is sensitive to dairy! If that’s you, read on!

These are similar to my regular whole grain granola bars, but completely dairy free for those who need. They taste almost the same as well, and are actually slightly quicker to make.

You will need a thick bottomed pot, 9×13 pan, and some multi-tasking skills. (Or a little extra time). These chewy bars are made using a candy thermometer on the stove top. If you don’t have a candy thermometer, they are quite inexpensive and worth looking into if you enjoy home cooking. For those who are thinking to get one, here’s an little excerpt from my other granola bars recipe.

If you are looking for a candy thermometer recommendation, I tried 2 types and found that the kind with a metal probe/dial  are a bit harder to use than a straight up and down type, because it needs to be submerged a couple of inches to read properly. This meant tilting the pot every couple of minutes to test the temperature. Totally doable, just an extra step. On the other hand, the type that is rectangular, & straight up and down needs only to be submerged a little.

Onward to the recipe!

These can be made with any seeds/dried fruit (or nuts if you don’t need nut-free) that you have on hand.

Dairy-free granola bars (whole grain!)

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★★★★★

5 from 1 reviews

• Author: Kendra
• Prep Time: 5 mins
• Cook Time: 20 mins
• Total Time: 25 mins
• Yield: 2 dozen 1x

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Description

Chewy whole grain granola bars, dairy free, gluten free, and nut free!

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 3/4 cup canned full fat coconut milk
• 1/3 cup coconut oil
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 cups large flake rolled oats (not instant)**
• 1/2 cup pepitas (hulled pumpkin seeds)*
• 3/4 cup mixed dried fruit, chopped if larger than raisins
• 2 cups brown crispy rice cereal (not puffed)***
• 2 T chia seeds or ground flax seed

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Instructions

1. Spread rolled oats and pepitas on a 9×13″ parchment paper lined pan and roast at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Stir them once half way through.
2. Put coconut milk, coconut oil, honey, salt, and vanilla into a heavy bottomed pot and place over a medium-high heat. Cook over med-high heat until soft ball stage (235-240 degrees F or 118-120 degrees C). This will take about 15-20 minutes. Stir occasionally.
3. Once oats/seeds are toasted put: oats, seeds, crispy rice cereal, chia/flax, and dried fruit into a large bowl. When syrup has cooked to softball stage, pour it over the mixture and stir until well combined.
4. Press into your parchment paper lined 9×13 pan.
5. Let cool in fridge 20 minutes or until firm enough to slice easily. If you leave them too long and they seem too crispy to cut easily, just let the bars sit out at room temperature to soften.
6. Store in air-tight container in the fridge or cool area in the house. Place wax paper between the layers to prevent any slight sticking.

Notes

*pepitas can be replaced with any seeds (or nuts if you aren’t concerned with nut free)
**Ensure oats are certified gluten free if gluten is a concern
***I’ve found crispy brown rice cereal in both health food stores as well as in a regular grocery store cereal aisle.

From my kitchen to yours- enjoy!