Sunflower Seed Granola Bars

While cooking dinner with Eileen this past week, we decided to try out this granola bar recipe that she had seen in the Boston Globe. 

They came out delicious!! A nice combination of salty and sweet. They are so hearty and filled with fiber, protein, and other nutrients. I've been enjoying them everyday thus far and they not only taste great but give me a nice mid-day uplift.

Sunflower Seed Granola Bars

1 3/4 cup of oats
1/3 cup of almonds (coarsely chopped)
1/3 cup raw sunflower seeds
1/2 cup of dried cranberries
3 Tbsp of flaxseed (whole or meal)
1/2 tsp of ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp of salt
1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp of honey
3 Tbsp of light brown sugar
1/3 cup almond butter spread

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
In a large baking pan, spread out the oats, almonds, and sunflower seeds. Bake for about 12 min or until golden (stirring once). Let cool for 5 min.
Meanwhile...

• Line an 8-in-square baking pan with foil and coat with baking spray (or butter/oil).
• Turn down oven heat to 325 degrees.
• In a large bowl, combine the cranberries, cinnamon, flaxseed, and salt. (Then stir with oat mixture once cooled.)
• In a small saucepan, heat the honey and brown sugar over medium heat and stir until the sugar dissolves. Simmer for 1 min then remove from heat and stir in the almond butter spread.

Pour the sugar mix from the saucepan over the oat and cranberry mixture. Coat all the oats by mixing with a large spoon or by hand (that's the way I find works best!)

Once well combined, pour into your greased baking pan and press down firmly with fingers to spread evenly. 

Bake at 325 degrees for 22 min or until top looks set and is mostly firm. Remove from the oven and let cool for 20 min (the bars will begin to harden once cooled). While still warm, cut the bars and place on a plate or tray to let cool completely. 

Now.. enjoy as a quick breakfast with some fruit or as a energy boosting snack!

Note:
*The original recipe called for sunflower seed spread but we didn't have any so decided to use almond butter which I think was a good choice!
*Also, we used mostly organic ingredients to keep the nutritious integrity of the bars.
*The light brown sugar can also be replaced with an organic sugar replacement like Sucanat