Almond Granola Bars

We have been making a lot of homemade almond milk lately and so I have been searching for ways to use the almond meal that it creates. This recipe has proven a perfect vehicle. The tray of bars was nearly gone the day after I made it.

As always, there are many substitutions that you can make. For this particular batch, I used sliced almonds, chopped cashews and sunflower seeds because that is what I had in my pantry. Next time, I look forward to adding pepitas (pumpkin seeds) and peanuts. Everyone really liked the honey flavour, but you could also use maple syrup.

Ingredients:
1/3 cup honey or maple syrup
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1/3 cup almond meal - if you almond meal is wet, add 10 minutes to the baking time
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon Almond Butter
2 cups sliced/chopped nuts and seeds (almonds, cashews, peanuts, pepitas, sunflower seeds)
1/2 cup raisins or dried cherries, roughly chopped
1/3 cup mini chocolate chips

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 300°F. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper with enough overhang on the sides to easily remove the bars from the pan. Set aside.
2. Using a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, mix the honey, vanilla, almond meal, salt, and almond butter together until combined. Fold in the almonds, cherries, and chocolate chips until combined.
3. Transfer mixture to prepared baking pan and press very firmly into an even layer. You really want it packed in as tight as possible. Bake for 20 minutes (or 30 minutes if you used wet almond meal).
4. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely in the pan on a wire rack for 1 hour, then transfer to the refrigerator to chill for 1 more hour.
5. Remove bars from the pan using the overhang on the sides and cut into bars. Store at room temperature for 1 week or in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.

Enjoy!

Source: Cherry Republic Up North Blog