Quinoa Granola Bars
Quinoa Granola Bars Recipe with steel cut oats, flaxseed, chocolate chips and small amount of brown rice syrup for kids approved homemade healthy granola bars.
Quinoa Granola Bars Recipe with steel cut oats, flaxseed, chocolate chips and small amount of brown rice syrup for kids approved homemade healthy granola bars.
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup quinoa
- cooking spray (i use misto)
- 1/2 cup coconut oil melted
- 1 cup quick oats*
- 1/2 cup steel cut oats (or sub with quick oats)*
- 1/2 cup almonds coarsely chopped**
- 1/2 cup flax seed ground
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips (i used enjoy life)
- 2 - 3 large or 1/2 cup egg whites
- 1/2 cup brown rice syrup or honey warmed up if necessary
- Carbohydrate 11.2340096483137 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Fat 11.3390080150158 g
- Fiber 2.78588852855655 g
- Protein 3.58718955357832 g
- Saturated Fat 6.28493036829576 g
- Serving Size 1 1 serving (29g)
- Sodium 2.3126748738227 mg
- Sugar 8.44812111975712 g
- Trans Fat 0.664758883147857 g
- Calories 156 calories
Step-by-step
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F and spread quick oats, quinoa, steel cuts oats and almonds on a large rimmed baking sheet. Bake for 10 -15 minutes or until lightly brown, stirring occasionally. Remove from the oven, transfer to a large mixing bowl and let cool completely.
- Stir in flax seed, chocolate chips and salt into cooled oats. In a medium bowl, lightly beat the egg whites, add brown rice syrup/honey and coconut oil. Mix well to combine, pour over the dry ingredients and mix well again.
- Line 9 x 13 baking dish with parchment paper and spray with cooking spray. Transfer mixture into the baking dish and using spatula or wet hands press it firmly. You have to press really well for the bars to hold together! Bake for 30 minutes, remove from the oven and let cool completely. I usually let the bars cool in the pan for an hour and then, holding by the parchment paper flaps, transfer on a cooling rack for another hour or so. Cut into 16 bars.
Toasted grains release nutty aromatics and turn pale gold when removed from the 325 degrees F oven at the fifteen-minute mark. Achieving structural integrity in cereal bars depends entirely on mechanical force rather than chemical leaveners.
The Compaction Technique
Pressing the warm mixture into a 9 x 13 baking dish requires significant downward pressure using a silicone spatula or damp hands to ensure the liquid binders fully contact every dry particle. Skipping this forceful compression results in loose fragments that disintegrate upon slicing instead of forming cohesive rectangles. Allowing the slab to cool completely in the pan for sixty minutes lets the coconut oil solidify and lock the structure in place.Binding and Cooling Mechanics
Egg whites supply the protein framework that coagulates during baking to bridge the gaps between oats and seeds. Pair these dense bars with tart fresh berries or unsweetened Greek yogurt to balance the rich sweetness of brown rice syrup and coconut oil. Proper storage in an airtight container preserves their crisp exterior for up to five days at room temperature.
