Gluten-Free Granola Bars
By Sara MayerPublished on May 24, 2019
Time
1¼ hours, plus 1¼ cooling
Yield
Makes 16 bars
Ingredients
Before You Begin
You can substitute 1/4 teaspoon table salt for the sea salt, if desired. Do not use quick oats; they have a dusty texture that doesn't work in this recipe. Make sure to buy old-fashioned rolled oats that have been processed in a gluten-free facility.
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 300 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; spray with vegetable oil spray.
- Whisk maple syrup, sugar, and salt together in large bowl. Whisk in oil.
- Process 1/2 cup oats in food processor until finely ground, 30 to 40 seconds. Transfer to bowl with maple syrup mixture and stir in remaining 1½ cups oats, pecans, pepitas, sunflower seeds, and coconut until all dry ingredients are thoroughly coated.
- Transfer oat mixture to prepared pan and spread into thin, even layer. Generously spray large metal spatula with oil spray, then firmly compress oat mixture with spatula until very compact. Bake granola bars until deeply golden, about 45 minutes, rotating pan halfway through baking.
- Let bars cool in pan on wire rack for 15 minutes, then cut, still in pan, into 16 bars. Let cool to room temperature, about 1 hour. Using foil overhang, lift bars out of pan and transfer to cutting board. Using sharp knife, carefully recut bars following original cuts. (Granola bars can be stored at room temperature in airtight container for up to 1 week.)
Time
1¼ hours, plus 1¼ coolingYield
Makes 16 barsIngredients
Ingredients
Ingredients
Why This Recipe Works
For plenty of flavor and texture in our granola bars, we started by adding sunflower seeds, pepitas, pecans, and coconut flakes to the usual oat base. For our sweetener (as well as some binding power), a combination of brown sugar and maple syrup provided a more complex flavor than granulated sugar alone, and they weren’t as cloying as honey. To temper the sweetness further and also help create a crisp texture, we found that stirring in a surprising ingredient—extra-virgin olive oil—was the secret. The flavor and texture in our granola bars were great at this point, but they weren’t holding together well enough. We didn’t want to add any more sugar or syrup, so we had to consider more creative options. We eventually discovered that we could process some of the oats into a flour, then combine it with the oil and sugars to create a sticky paste that held our bars together. A little flake sea salt elevated the flavors of our bars to the next level. We discovered the granola mixture shattered if we waited until it was cool before cutting the bars. So we cut the bars, still in the pan, shortly after they came out of the oven. They fused back together a bit and required a second cut once cool, but this time they cut cleanly and neatly.
Before You Begin
You can substitute 1/4 teaspoon table salt for the sea salt, if desired. Do not use quick oats; they have a dusty texture that doesn't work in this recipe. Make sure to buy old-fashioned rolled oats that have been processed in a gluten-free facility.
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 300 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; spray with vegetable oil spray.
- Whisk maple syrup, sugar, and salt together in large bowl. Whisk in oil.
- Process 1/2 cup oats in food processor until finely ground, 30 to 40 seconds. Transfer to bowl with maple syrup mixture and stir in remaining 1½ cups oats, pecans, pepitas, sunflower seeds, and coconut until all dry ingredients are thoroughly coated.
- Transfer oat mixture to prepared pan and spread into thin, even layer. Generously spray large metal spatula with oil spray, then firmly compress oat mixture with spatula until very compact. Bake granola bars until deeply golden, about 45 minutes, rotating pan halfway through baking.
- Let bars cool in pan on wire rack for 15 minutes, then cut, still in pan, into 16 bars. Let cool to room temperature, about 1 hour. Using foil overhang, lift bars out of pan and transfer to cutting board. Using sharp knife, carefully recut bars following original cuts. (Granola bars can be stored at room temperature in airtight container for up to 1 week.)
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