Chewy Granola Bars with Hazelnuts, Cherries, and Cacao Nibs
By Andrea GearyPublished on May 14, 2018
Time
1¼ hours, plus 2 hours cooling
Yield
Makes 24 Bars
Ingredients
1 ½ cups blanched hazelnuts 2 ½ cups (7 ½ ounces) old-fashioned rolled oats 1 cup raw sunflower seeds 1 cup dried apricots 1 cup packed (7 ounces) brown sugar ¾ teaspoon salt ½ cup vegetable oil 3 tablespoons water 1 ½ cups (1 ½ ounces) Rice Krispies cereal 1 cup dried cherries, chopped½ cup cacao nibs
Before You Begin
We like the sweetness of Mediterranean or Turkish apricots in this recipe. Be sure to use apricots that are soft and moist, or the bars will not hold together well. Avoid using extra-thick rolled oats here. Light and dark brown sugar will work equally well in this recipe.
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Make foil sling for 13 by 9-inch baking pan by folding 2 long sheets of aluminum foil; first sheet should be 13 inches wide and second sheet should be 9 inches wide. Lay sheets of foil in pan perpendicular to each other, with extra foil hanging over edges of pan. Push foil into corners and up sides of pan, smoothing foil flush to pan. Lightly spray foil with vegetable oil spray.
- Pulse hazelnuts in food processor until finely chopped, 8 to 12 pulses. Spread hazelnuts, oats, and sunflower seeds on rimmed baking sheet and toast until lightly browned and fragrant, 12 to 15 minutes, stirring halfway through toasting. Reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees.
- While oat mixture is toasting, process apricots, sugar, and salt in food processor until apricots are very finely ground, about 15 seconds. With processor running, add oil and water. Continue to process until homogeneous paste forms, about 1 minute longer. Transfer paste to large, wide bowl.
- Add warm oat mixture to bowl and stir with rubber spatula until well coated. Add cereal, cherries, and cacao nibs and stir gently until ingredients are evenly mixed. Transfer mixture to prepared pan and spread into even layer. Place 14-inch sheet of parchment paper or waxed paper on top of granola and press and smooth very firmly with your hands, especially at edges and corners, until granola is level and compact. Remove parchment and bake granola until fragrant and just beginning to brown around edges, about 25 minutes. Transfer pan to wire rack and let cool for 1 hour. Using foil overhang, lift granola out of pan. Return to wire rack and let cool completely, about 1 hour.
- Discard foil and transfer granola to cutting board. Using chef's knife, cut granola in half crosswise to create two 6½ by 9-inch rectangles. Cut each rectangle in half to make four 3¼ by 9-inch strips. Cut each strip crosswise into 6 equal pieces. (Granola bars can be stored at room temperature for up to 3 weeks.)
Time
1¼ hours, plus 2 hours coolingYield
Makes 24 BarsIngredients
1 ½ cups blanched hazelnuts
2 ½ cups (7 ½ ounces) old-fashioned rolled oats
1 cup raw sunflower seeds
1 cup dried apricots
1 cup packed (7 ounces) brown sugar
¾ teaspoon salt
½ cup vegetable oil
3 tablespoons water
1 ½ cups (1 ½ ounces) Rice Krispies cereal
1 cup dried cherries, chopped
½ cup cacao nibs
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
1 ½ cups blanched hazelnuts
2 ½ cups (7 ½ ounces) old-fashioned rolled oats
1 cup raw sunflower seeds
1 cup dried apricots
1 cup packed (7 ounces) brown sugar
¾ teaspoon salt
½ cup vegetable oil
3 tablespoons water
1 ½ cups (1 ½ ounces) Rice Krispies cereal
1 cup dried cherries, chopped
½ cup cacao nibs
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
1 ½ cups blanched hazelnuts
2 ½ cups (7 ½ ounces) old-fashioned rolled oats
1 cup raw sunflower seeds
1 cup dried apricots
1 cup packed (7 ounces) brown sugar
¾ teaspoon salt
½ cup vegetable oil
3 tablespoons water
1 ½ cups (1 ½ ounces) Rice Krispies cereal
1 cup dried cherries, chopped
½ cup cacao nibs
Test Kitchen Techniques
Why This Recipe Works
Most store-bought granola bars are too sweet, contain mostly filler, and are soft, not chewy. They're also prone to falling apart. For bars that were wholesome, satisfyingly chewy, and neat to eat, we combined toasted oats, nuts, and seeds with a mixture of pureed apricots, brown sugar, oil, and water and pressed the mixture firmly into a baking pan before baking it. Small chunks of dried fruit provided pops of bright flavor and extra chew while airy rice cereal provided a crisp texture that lightened the bars. The nuts, seeds, and fruit can be swapped out to make bars that suit a variety of tastes.
Before You Begin
We like the sweetness of Mediterranean or Turkish apricots in this recipe. Be sure to use apricots that are soft and moist, or the bars will not hold together well. Avoid using extra-thick rolled oats here. Light and dark brown sugar will work equally well in this recipe.
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Make foil sling for 13 by 9-inch baking pan by folding 2 long sheets of aluminum foil; first sheet should be 13 inches wide and second sheet should be 9 inches wide. Lay sheets of foil in pan perpendicular to each other, with extra foil hanging over edges of pan. Push foil into corners and up sides of pan, smoothing foil flush to pan. Lightly spray foil with vegetable oil spray.
- Pulse hazelnuts in food processor until finely chopped, 8 to 12 pulses. Spread hazelnuts, oats, and sunflower seeds on rimmed baking sheet and toast until lightly browned and fragrant, 12 to 15 minutes, stirring halfway through toasting. Reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees.
- While oat mixture is toasting, process apricots, sugar, and salt in food processor until apricots are very finely ground, about 15 seconds. With processor running, add oil and water. Continue to process until homogeneous paste forms, about 1 minute longer. Transfer paste to large, wide bowl.
- Add warm oat mixture to bowl and stir with rubber spatula until well coated. Add cereal, cherries, and cacao nibs and stir gently until ingredients are evenly mixed. Transfer mixture to prepared pan and spread into even layer. Place 14-inch sheet of parchment paper or waxed paper on top of granola and press and smooth very firmly with your hands, especially at edges and corners, until granola is level and compact. Remove parchment and bake granola until fragrant and just beginning to brown around edges, about 25 minutes. Transfer pan to wire rack and let cool for 1 hour. Using foil overhang, lift granola out of pan. Return to wire rack and let cool completely, about 1 hour.
- Discard foil and transfer granola to cutting board. Using chef's knife, cut granola in half crosswise to create two 6½ by 9-inch rectangles. Cut each rectangle in half to make four 3¼ by 9-inch strips. Cut each strip crosswise into 6 equal pieces. (Granola bars can be stored at room temperature for up to 3 weeks.)
Gift This Recipe
Enjoyed this dish? Let others know by sharing it as a gift recipe.
Keep Exploring
My Rating
This is a members' feature.
0 Comments