Sugar Free Nutty Granola Bars

These sugar free nutty granola bars are the perfect grab-on-the-go breakfast or afternoon snack. They are also great to pack in your purse or car for times when you are running late and are famished.

The original recipe came from Kim over at Low Carb Maven. The only change I made was in the sweetener quantity. I find low carb sweeteners like erythritol or stevia to be very sweet and so I routinely reduce the quantities in most low carb recipes. I can always make a recipe sweeter next time but in general I’d rather have something be only just a bit sweet rather than sickly sweet. For me this version was just perfect; a hint of sweet but not crazy sweet.

This is a really easy recipe to make. Chop up your almonds into smaller bits, throw everything together, mix well and then press firmly into a lined pan, baking for about 20 minutes.

Pressing the mixture down well is essential to having them hold together. I used a second piece of parchment paper and a flat bottomed glass, as Kim suggested, and they held together really nicely.

It is important to let the bars cool before cutting them and to cut them in a straight down motion to get a nice clean cut. In my pan I ended up with 15 average sized bars and they stayed chewy in a Tupperware container for 3-4 days. Freezing them would be a good way to store them longer term.

Because they are made almost entirely from nuts these do pack a pretty decent caloric punch, even with the use of low calorie sweeteners so don’t go crazy with them!

The trickiest part of this recipe, especially for those new to a low carb lifestyle, is the sugar substitutes. I am at a point where my pantry is well stocked with low carb staples but if you aren’t there yet Amazon or a good ‘health food’ store will be your friend. Having said that I have found Swerve, a common granular and powdered product used widely in low carb recipes, right in my local Superstore. The Sukrin Fibre Syrup is a little bit trickier. I ordered mine online. However I have seen other fibre syrups, like yacon syrup, in health food stores.

You can find stevia sweetened chocolate chips here. If they are not available in your area use the darkest chocolate you can find, ideally at least 70% cacao. You could always chop up a dark chocolate bar, it just won’t look as neat and tidy as chocolate chips. You could also leave out the goji berries, or substitute with dried blueberries, mulberries or currants. Just go easy as they will add to the sugar content and therefore the carbs.

Sugar Free Nutty Granola Bars

Author: Mia Staysko

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Ingredients

• 2 C sliced almonds
• 1/2 C chopped walnuts
• 1/2 C chopped pecans
• 1/3 C goji berries, chopped
• 1/3 C sunflower seeds
• 1/4 C ground flax seed
• 1/4 C sugar free or very dark chocolate chips
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 2 Tbsp melted butter
• 2 Tbsp Swerve or other sugar free powdered sweetener NOT aspartame!
• 1/3 C Sukrin Fiber syrup (or other inulin based syrup like Yacon syrup)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°

2. Prepare an 8" x 13" baking pan or sheet pan by lining with parchment paper. Cut another piece of parchment the same size and set aside. 

3. Chop almonds by hand or in a food processor until oatmeal sized.

4. Put almonds and next 8 ingredients in a medium sized bowl. Mix well.

5. Pour butter and syrup over nut mixture and mix very well.

6. Pour evenly into pan. Lay the second parchment over the mixture and press down firmly. Using a wide flat glass works well.

7. Bake for 15 - 20 minutes until just browning on the edges. Cool in pan for 10 minutes. Remove from pan and let cool. Cut straight down with a very sharp knife into about 15-16 bars