If you're looking for a quick pick-me-up, these Fruit and Nut Granola Bites are a delicious energy boosting snack made with oats, dried cranberries, dates, nuts, seeds, and dark chocolate.
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My husband had a long weekend this past weekend and the weather was gorgeous, so we spent the majority of our time outdoors. We did some spring garden cleanup, transplanted some plants, and even built a couple new birdhouses.
All of that outdoor work really zapped my energy at one point. I felt my blood sugar dip and ran into the house to grab a granola bar.
The bar had a combination of nuts with dark chocolate and an unfortunate amount of extra ingredients listed on the box. I knew the boost I got from the bar would be temporary at best.
Poppable, Energy Boosting Snack Bites
So I decided to make homemade granola with ingredients I had on hand. Specifically granola bites - a poppable, energy boosting snack that's perfect for the midday slump.
The granola bites are made with an oatmeal base, almond butter, honey, mixed nuts, dried cranberries, and pitted Medjool dates. They're rolled into a ball, dipped in dark chocolate, and finished with a sprinkle of sea salt.
While these granola bites were made with ingredients I already had on hand, you might want to customize them to your liking. Instead of dried cranberries, you could use raisins or dried cherries. Throw in some sesame seeds or cashews instead. And instead of almond butter, peanut butter or cashew butter would work well in these bites.
How to Make Fruit and Nut Granola Bites
We're going to start these granola bites by mixing the dry ingredients in a bowl. Mix the oats, dried cranberries, Medjool dates, peanuts, almonds, and chia seeds together to combine.
Now, we're going to add the almond butter to a small saucepan along with the honey, sea salt, and cinnamon. Heat over low and stir to combine the ingredients. Once the almond butter is smooth, remove from heat.
Pour the almond butter mixture into the oat mixture and stir to coat and combine the ingredients.
Spread the mixture into a 9"x9" baking pan that's been prepared with parchment paper. Press the mixture down so it's really compact and spread evenly into the pan.
Place the pan in the fridge and chill for 1-2 hours. If you're impatient like me, you could also speed up the process by sticking the pan in the freezer for about 10-15 minutes.
Once the mixture is firm, lift the parchment paper out of the pan. Then, scoop out a bit of the mixture with your hand and roll into a small ball.
Heat the dark chocolate in a small saucepan over low heat. You could also melt it in the microwave in 30 second intervals. Once melted, use a fork to roll the granola balls in the chocolate.
Place the dipped granola bites onto parchment paper or wax paper. If desired, sprinkle sea salt on top.
Allow the chocolate to set. Then, store the granola bites in an airtight container in the fridge.
Fruit and Nut Granola Bites
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 c. old fashioned oats
- 1/4 cup dried cranberries roughly chopped
- 3 heaping tbsps. pitted Medjool dates roughly chopped
- 1/4 cup almonds roughly chopped
- 1/4 cup peanuts roughly chopped
- 1 tbsp. chia seeds
- Generous 1/2 cup almond butter or creamy peanut butter
- 1 heaping tbsp. honey
- Pinch of sea salt + more for topping
- 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 5 oz. dark chocolate
Instructions
- Line a 9"x9" baking pan with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the oats, dried cranberries, dates, nuts, and chia seeds. Stir to combine.
- In a small saucepan, add the almond butter, honey, sea salt, and cinnamon. Heat over low, stirring just until the ingredients are combined and the almond butter has melted.
- Pour the almond butter mixture into the oat mixture and stir to coat and combine.
- Spoon the mixture into the prepared baking pan and press to pack the mixture evenly into the pan.
- Chill pan in the fridge for 1-2 hours, or until firm. Pan may also be chilled in freezer for about 10-15 minutes.
- Once chilled, remove from pan. Use your hands to form mixture into small balls.
- In small saucepan - or in microwave in 30 second intervals - melt chocolate over low heat until smooth.
- Use a fork to dip granola balls into chocolate. Once coated, place on parchment paper. Chill in fridge until chocolate is set.
- If desired, sprinkle sea salt on top. Place granola bites in fridge to set.
- Once chocolate is set, store granola bites in airtight container in fridge.
These granola bites are actually better a day after you make them so I suggest making them a day ahead of time. Then, when you feel that midday energy drain, grab one or two of these granola bites! They will give you the boost you need to continue to power through your day!
Did you make this Fruit and Nut Granola Bites recipe? Share it on social media using the hashtag #holokahome. Don’t forget to tag me @holokahome!
