Trail Guide Nut and Seed Bars
 
 
Reprinted with permission from Whole-Grain Mornings by Megan Gordon (Ten Speed Press, © 2013).
by:
Serves: Makes 12-15 bars
Ingredients
  • 1 tablespoon butter, for greasing the pan
  • 3 ⁄4 cup / 180 ml brown rice syrup or honey
  • 3 tablespoons maple syrup
  • 3 ⁄4 cup / 180 ml safflower or canola oil
  • 3 ⁄4 cup / 180 ml almond butter, homemade or store-bought
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 3 cups / 300 g rolled oats
  • 3 ⁄4 cup / 95 g raw pepitas
  • 1 ⁄4 cup / 30 g raw sunflower seeds
  • 1 cup / 80 g sliced raw almonds
  • 1 ⁄2 cup / 60 g raw cashews, chopped
  • 1 ⁄2 cup / 50 g pecans, coarsely chopped
  • 1 ⁄4 cup / 30 g raw sesame seeds
  • 3 ⁄4 cup / 45 g wheat bran or oat bran
  • 1 ⁄2 cup / 60 g dried cranberries
  • 1 ⁄2 cup / 70 g chopped dried apricots
  • 11 ⁄4 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Butter a 9 by 13-inch baking pan. Mix the brown rice syrup, maple syrup, and oil in a small heavy-bottomed saucepan. Bring to a low simmer over medium-low heat. Remove from the heat, add the almond butter and vanilla, and whisk to combine. Set aside while you prepare the dry ingredients.
  2. In a very large bowl, mix together the oats, pepitas, sunflower seeds, almonds, cashews, pecans, sesame seeds, bran, dried cranberries, apricots, salt, and cinnamon. Pour the warm syrup mixture over the dry ingredients and mix well; I use my hands at this point to make sure everything is fully incorporated. Press the mixture into the prepared pan using the back of a rubber spatula. Bake the bars until the edges are just turning golden brown, 30 to 35 minutes (the bars will still feel a bit soft at this point). Let cool completely in the pan before slicing, about 2 hours.
  3. Once cool, cut into squares. Wrap the bars in plastic wrap for on-the-go snacking or store, covered, at room temperature for 4 to 5 days.
Notes
Make It Your Own: As long as you keep the amount of dry ingredients the same.
Recipe by Three Many Cooks at https://threemanycooks.com/recipes/sweet-treats/trail-guide-nut-seed-bars/