Almond Rosemary Granola Bars {no-bake, vegan, gluten-free}

Almond and rosemary granola bars that are vegan, gluten-free, no-bake, and more savory than sweet. Made in a muffin tin, so no cutting needed!

You may have read in earlier posts that I am keen on the idea of savory energy bars; actually creating them has been more of a challenge. But I am gradually building up a small repertoire (for example these: 1, 2, 3, 4). I think my brain is finally grasping some of the broad parameters, and I am picking up momentum. In other words, be prepared for more to come!

These almond-rosemary pucks are my latest attempt, and I could not be happier t share them with you. They are naturally gluten-free and vegan,  no-bake (it’s pushing 100 in my neck of the woods, so that is a major deal),  and easy to assemble (with readily-available ingredients). I could not get my ten year-old to try them (the rosemary; he is not a fan) but my husband (who was wary when he spotted me making these) gave them an enthusiastic thumbs up once he tried (and subsequently demolished) one.

The challenge with a savory no-bake bar, in particular, is finding an alternative “glue” besides sweet syrups or dates to hold everything together. The almond butter has some “stick”, and there is still a tablespoon of syrup, but  they needed something more to make them cohesive.

My solution? First, add a combination of flaxseed meal and nondairy milk (water or another liquid would work fine, too) to make up for the liquid that would typically come from syrup. Second, pulse the oats with the sticky ingredients; the oats will still have texture (as opposed to pulsing the oats to a flour ahead of time), but the finer pieces will make the bars (or pucks) hold together perfectly.

These bars have lots of almond flavor from the butter, but I decided to add some extra crunch by sprinkling some toasted chopped almonds on top. I like to add the nuts on top for the visual appeal, but also because I don’t have to use as many when they are right on top (which saves on both $ and overall calories).

As for the rosemary? I  love it in combination with the almonds and oats, but I hope you try your own flavor combinations, too.

I actually have an exciting one that I’ll be sharing tomorrow. Happy no-baking!

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Almond Rosemary Granola Bars {no-bake, vegan, gluten-free}

Yield: 5 bars/pucks

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 1 minute

Total Time: 11 minutes

Almond and rosemary granola bars that are vegan, gluten-free, no-bake, and more savory than sweet. Made in a muffin tin, so no cutting needed!

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Ingredients

• 1/3 cup almond butter
• 2 tablespoons nondairy milk
• 1 tablespoon brown rice syrup (or maple syrup or agave nectar)
• 3/4 cup rolled oats (certified GF as needed)
• 2 tablespoons ground flaxseed meal
• 3/4 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary, divided
• 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt (optional)
• 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper (optional)
• 1-2 tablespoons chopped toasted or roasted almonds

Instructions

1. Spray or grease 5 cups of a standard size muffin tin.
2. Warm the almond butter, milk and syrup in a small saucepan on the stovetop over low heat until warm and melted but not boiling (you can also do this in the microwave).
3. Place the oats, flaxseed meal, 1/2 teaspoon rosemary and optional salt and pepper in a small food processor. Add the warm almond butter mixture; pulse until oats are chopped and mixture comes together into a cohesive dough.
4. Divide dough into 5 equal portions; roll into a ball and press each into prepared cups, flattening tops with fingertips. Sprinkle with almonds and remaining 1/4 teaspoon rosemary, pressing into dough to adhere. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour until firm before removing from tin.

Notes

Storage: Store in an airtight container at (cool) room temperature for up to 3 days, in the refrigerator for 2 weeks, or freezer for 3 months.

Nutrition Information

Serving Size 1 granola bar
Amount Per Serving Calories 159Total Fat 9.3gSaturated Fat 1gCholesterol 0mgSodium 63mgCarbohydrates 14.7gFiber 2.6gSugar 2.7gProtein 5.1g

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Additional Nutrition Highlights:
No cholesterol
Low in sodium
High in manganese
High in magnesium
Very high in vitamin B6