What new snacks are you trying in quarantine? I baked homemade granola bars for the first time and they were a hit! Granola bars are some of my favorite snacks but since lockdown I haven’t been getting to the store as often to buy them. I decided to make my own as a fun weekend activity and ate them throughout the week for breakfast.

One thing to be mindful of with store-bought granola bars is they pack a lot of added sugars. One bar can have 15+ grams of sugar hidden in a small snack. By making your own, you can control how much sugar goes into your granola bars and have a better sense of your sugar intake. Although this recipe calls for a touch of brown sugar, it also relies on the natural sweetness of honey, cinnamon and nutmeg – something you can feel good about!

Timing:

• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 30 Minutes
• Total Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients: makes 9-12 bars

• 4 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 2 Tbsp almond butter
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 3 Tbsp honey or agave syrup
• 1 medium apple, grated
• 2 1/4 cup instant oats
• 1/4 cup granola
• 1 Tsp vanilla extract
• 2 Tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 Tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 Tsp salt
• 1/4 Tsp cardamom
• 1/2 apple, thinly sliced for topping

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350F. Line an 8×8 baking dish with parchment paper, allowing excess to fold over the sides.

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter, almond butter, brown sugar, honey and vanilla extract. Stir until the butter has melted.

Add in the oats, grated apple, granola, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom and salt. Make sure to squeeze the grated apple in a paper towel so the water is removed. Mix until well-combined. If the mixture is too dry you can add 1/3 cup of water to help moisten.

Use a wooden spoon to press the mixture into the dish on the parchment paper. Try to distribute evenly around the dish.

If desired, add the sliced apples on top for extra flair.

Bake for 30 minutes, until the sides are golden brown. Let the dish cool for 15 minutes before cutting into bars. Once cut, store for up to 5 days in an airtight container.