Nut and Seed Granola Bars

 I like to call these my energy power bars. They are LOADED with (healthy) fat so I treat them as a meal or substantial snack...in other words, I don't just munch on these. When I have a bar I'm full for hours, making them an ideal on-the-go meal for a busy day.

In an effort to be awake as little as possible during suhoor this Ramadan, I've prepared these for our early morning meal. I love that they're nutritious, filling, extremely satisfying and will not make us thirsty throughout the day!

I wanted to stay true to the essence of these nut bars and chose to omit any dried fruit, but you can easily customize these to your taste. Some delicious add-ins include: shredded coconut, dried fruit (chopped apricots, figs, cranberries, cherries, raisins...), and a dash of cinnamon would make these super yummy.  Try your favorite combination of nuts, anything should taste great! Of course it should go without saying that the addition of chocolate chips would be divine ;)

I made my own almond butter, but if you prefer you can use 1/2 cup of ANY nut butter in place of the 1 cup whole almonds I used below to make my nut butter.

Makes 12 bars

Ingredients
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-1 cup old fashioned oats
-1/2 cup honey roasted slivered almonds (Trader Joe's)
-1/2 cup whole almonds
-1/2 cup pepita seeds
-1/2 cup sesame seed cashews (Trader Joe's)
-4 tablespoons chia seeds
-2 tablespoons flax seeds

-1 cup whole almonds
-1/2 cup maple syrup (sub honey)
-1 tablespoon coconut oil (optional, will make the bars more moist)
-1 tablespoon vanilla
-1/4 teaspoon salt

To make
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-Turn oven on to broil setting. In a large roasting pan, combine oats, slivered almonds, whole almonds, pepita seeds, cashews, chia seeds and flax seeds. Roast on LOWER RACK of oven (to prevent burning) in 5 minute intervals, checking and tossing the mixture around to get an even roast. I roast mine for about 10-15 minutes.
-Meanwhile, combine whole almonds, maple syrup, optional coconut oil, vanilla and salt in a powerful blender or food processor and blend until smooth and creamy.
-Line a 7x11 inch pan with parchment paper and give it a light spray with non-stick spray. Add the creamy almond butter to the roasting pan with the nuts and use your hands to mix together well. The mixture will be sticky, but keep combining until everything is well coated with the almond butter. Taste your mixture and adjust maple syrup content, adding more if you feel it isn't sweet enough.
-Press the mixture tightly into the prepared parchment lined pan until you have an even layer. Cut into bars and enjoy. I keep this out of the refrigerator for about 3 days then transfer to the fridge. It will keep for weeks when refrigerated.

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