Chewy Oatmeal Bars with Tangy Dried Cherries
This is as good as healthy snacking gets!
What should you eat when you’re craving something sweet, but then again, you want something savory, but you don’t want to blow your healthy eating streak?
Chewy cherry walnut oatmeal bars, that’s what.
You guys, I’ve been trying to come up with grab n’ go snacks that will keep me fueled and energized. I’m training for the 2016 Chicago Marathon and I have to up my game when it comes to eating complex carbohydrates for energy, protein for muscle, and delicious flavor and texture to keep me sane.
I’m eating more than ever because I’m burning more calories, but a girl can only eat so many Buddha bowls and salads in a day. Besides, it takes time to create a meal, and there are moments when I don’t have time to tie my shoes, much less chop and toss. That’s where these lovely little chewy granola bars with walnuts and cherries swoop in to save the day.
Yep, I said it, these are chewy, not hard. They won’t break your teeth. You’re welcome.
One of the things I don’t like about most store bought granola bars is that they’re HARD. It takes serious jaw power to bite a piece off of some pre-packaged bars. Another thing that I don’t like is how they crumble and make a mess. I want the ingredients in my mouth, not on the floor or my lap. And finally, I don’t need the excessive amounts of oil and sugar that goes in to some of those processed bars. No thank you. I’ll pass.
Do you feel the same way? I’m going to guess that you do. That’s why I’m sharing this chewy cherry-walnut oatmeal energy bar recipe with you. I like you, and I want you to be able to enjoy a healthy, satisfying, and tasty snack. That’s what friends are for. ♥
These are super easy to make and they’re oil-free, gluten-free, and refined sugar-free! Yay! Yay! Yay!
If you have a food processor
and an oven, you can whip these up in about 30 minutes. Let’s do it!
How to Make Chewy Cherry-Walnut Oatmeal Bars in Just Thirty Minutes
First you’re going to put the cherries and the walnuts in the processor and pulse until they're coarsely chopped. Remove them and put in a large bowl.
Next, put one cup of oats into the processor and turn it into flour, then add the dates, flax egg, salt, vanilla, and Sunbutter Sunflower Spread
(or nut butter if you prefer) and process until it forms a ball.
Finally, transfer the mixture to the large bowl with the cherries
and walnuts
and stir in the whole oats and the water and stir with a large spoon until all of the ingredients are well combined.
Now spread the granola bar mixture into a 9-inch pan
or a granola bar pan like this
one. Bake for approximately twenty minutes or until golden brown and firm and cool.
It doesn’t get easier than this and it doesn’t get any healthier or tastier. This is the kind of snack that you can feel good about eating.
Tell me:
What’s your favorite healthy snack?
Do you like hard or chewy granola bars?
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Chewy Cherry Walnut Oatmeal Energy Bars
Ingredients
- 1 cup of rolled oats – ground into flour
- 1 cup of rolled oats
- 1 tablespoon of ground flax seed + 3 tablespoons of water – mix well and let sit for 5 minutes
- 4 medjool dates – pitted
- 1/2 teaspoon of salt
- 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup of Sun Butter or any nut or seed butter of your choice
- 2/3 of a cup of tart dried cherries
- 2/3 of a cup of walnuts
- 1/4 cup of water
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350° and line a 9x9” pan with parchment paper or lightly grease. If you use an individual bar pan lightly grease it if it’s not non-stick.
- Put the cherries and walnuts into the food processor and pulse until they’re coarsely chopped, then put them in a large bowl and set aside.
- Put one cup of rolled oats in a food processor and grind into flour.
- Add the flax egg, dates, salt, vanilla, and sun butter and process until the ingredients turn into a ball.
- Transfer the batter into the large bowl with the cherries and walnuts and add the whole oats and the water and stir until the oats are evenly combined in the mixture.
- Spread evenly in the pan and bake for approximately 20 minutes or until they’re firm to the touch and golden brown. Let cool and slice into individual pieces. If you use an individual bar pan let cool for five minutes and then transfer to a rack to cool.
- Store in an airtight container for up to a week or freeze for up to 60 days.
- Enjoy!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
The only thing I ever want is CHEWY! It's music to my ears 😉 And dried cherries are just so good! Plus with it being national walnut day this month...well 😉
Linda Meyer says
Chewy is the only way! You're so good at keeping up with all of the food holidays. I had no idea-haha!
Sarah | Well and Full says
Good luck training for the marathon!! That's so impressive to me, I can barely even do a 5k 😉 These energy bars seem like perfect fuel for your training regimen! 😀
Linda Meyer says
Thank you, Sarah! I used to feel the same way about running, it's all about working up to it.
Trish says
I've just pulled this out of the oven and of course wasn't able to help myself from taking a nibble before it had a chance to cool 😉 Firstly, I just love that this has no refined sugar or added sweetener apart from the dried, natural fruit. I changed the ingredients around because it's what I had in the kitchen. I used almond butter, pecans and a mix of raisins and cranberries. Super easy and quick to make. Can't wait to try it with the ingredients you have printed, but I just love this!! And versatile! Thank you! And I'm worried that this may be all gone before it has a chance to cool :/
Linda Meyer says
Hi Trish! WOW, you are fast! 🙂 I love that you made this your own, your version sounds delicious. Good luck with letting them cool-haha! Thanks so much for letting me know that you made them, I appreciate it.
Laura // Chronicles of Passion says
Love this combination of ingredients! Cherries are always a win in bars for me:)
Linda Meyer says
Thank you, Laura! I love cherries and I can't wait for them to be in season. 🙂
Christine @ Run Plant Based says
These look wonderful, thanks! I adore anything chocolaty and chewy and recently discovered Nature's Path Qi'a bars which are awesome and looking forward to trying these.
Linda Meyer says
Thank you, Christine! I need to try those bars, maybe they'll change my mind about packaged granola bars. 🙂
Two City Vegans says
These look so good! I also love the tray you have that you baked them in! Walnut is my favorite nut. Perfect snack!
Linda Meyer says
Thank you! I love that bar pan, it makes baking granola bars so easy.
tworaspberries says
I totally agree about the packaged bars! some of then are so hard I feel like I'm going to chip a tooth! HA ... love that these are chewy they look delicious! hope your enjoying the weather getting warm!
Linda Meyer says
Seriously! I don't know why packaged bars are so hard. YES! It was 82 yesterday and it's supposed to be 84 today. YAY!!
Toby says
I'm trying to find a recipe to make a "breakfast bar". Tart cherries & Walnuts are both high on the melatonin list so that's what brought me to your site. Interesting recipe but I'll have to substitute a few things around. Thanks.
Linda Meyer says
Hi Toby, thanks for your comment. Which ingredients will you be substituting?
Vee says
I made this but I had to make some substitutions: I used golden raisins instead of cherries and a real egg instead of flax (sorry!). They came out terrific! I baked them for 35 minutes instead of 20 because mine were very thick, probably 0.75 inches thick. That said, I could probably have gotten away with 25-30 minutes because THEY SET AS THEY WERE COOLING! Definitely chewy, which is key. Thanks so much, excited to tinker with this recipe some more :).
Also, Williams Sonoma does not appear to still stock that granola bar pan 🙁 but I'll find one somewhere I'm sure.
Linda Meyer says
Hi Vee, we're so happy you enjoyed the recipe, even with a few changes. 🙂 Amazon might have the pan.
Sheena says
Made these last night and I have to say that they were delicious. Just the right amount of sweetness and the cherries really stood out. And so healthy! Great recipe that is a definite keeper for us.
Linda Meyer says
Thank you so much, Sheena! We're so happy you enjoyed them. 🙂