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Blueberry Lemon Granola Bars

Servings 12 bars
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Ingredients
  

  • 1/2 cup natural almond butter
  • 1/2 cup agave
  • 1/4 cup oil
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • zest of one lemon approx. 1 tsp
  • 1/2 cup white whole wheat flour
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 2 1/2 cups old fashioned oats
  • 1/2 cup dried blueberries

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 8x8 baking pan with parchment paper. Note: you want the parchment paper long enough to hang out the sides of the pan. So that you can pull up on both sides to remove the whole granola bar to cut outside the pan.
  • In a microwave safe bowl, combine almond butter, agave, and oil. Microwave for 20 seconds and whisk together.
  • Add vanilla and lemon zest. Whisk again.
  • In another bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and oats. Mix.
  • Add almond butter mixture to oat mixture and stir very well. Stir in dried blueberries.
  • Press granola bar dough into prepared 8x8 pan. Press down very well. This keeps them from crumbling when you cut them.
  • Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until brown. Remove from oven and completely cool before removing from pan.
  • Once cool, pull out entire granola bar square by lifting the parchment paper out on both sides. Cut into 12 bars or 16 squares. Store in an air tight container on the counter for a week, or longer if you don't mind stale granola bars.

Notes

Other Thoughts:
  • These bad boys are a variation of my Chocolate Peanut Butter Granola Bars.... aka the most viewed recipe on the blog. So, you know they're good!
  • I couldn't decide between blueberry-lemon and apricot almond for the first variation. So, I made them both.... apricot almond was the runner-up, but if it sounds good to you - swap sliced apricots for the blueberries. And, use almond extract instead of vanilla. They will certainly get eaten! But not nearly as flavorful as I had hoped.
  • If you want your bars to look like these, buy a granola bar pan. And, they may need a few minutes less bake time. Check at 16 or 17 minutes.
  • Easily make these gluten free with an all-purpose gluten free flour blend and gluten free oats.
 
How-to-Use Guide:
Athletes: Great snack for 1-2 hours before endurance training. Also, great starter snack post exercise. Just make sure to add a good source of protein within the hour also.
Healthy Eating: I know I'm not the only granola bar junkie out there. These are so easy to make and way better than the store bought version - both in taste AND nutrition!
Kids: Awesome after school snack! Kids in sports after school? Pack one for them to grab right after classes before getting changed and hitting the field/court/track/etc.