Healthy nut free Granola Bars for Kids

These healthy homemade granola bars are perfect for kids because they taste great and they're packed with nutritious superfoods like Sprouted Quinoa, Flax powder, pumpkin seeds and cranberries from Organic Traditions.

I chose Organic Traditions ingredients for for this recipe because they offer the highest quality of ethically sourced, organic superfoods including Roasted Baru Seeds, a peanut tasting legume that is 100% peanut free. I've chopped the Baru Seeds into small piece and added them to these healthy granola bars to give them a yummy nutty flavour! 

Each ingredient I've used is completely nut free which means these healthy homemade granola bars are safe to pack in your kids lunchbox for school! They freeze like a dream too so pop half the batch into the freezer for days when you're low on snacks.

Ingredients

• 2 cups quick-cooking oats (not instant)
• 1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
• ½ cup cooked organic sprouted quinoa
• ½ cup chopped roasted baru seeds
• ½ cup chopped organic dried cranberries
• ½ cup pumpkin seeds
• ⅓ cup whole wheat flour
• ¼ cup sprouted flax powder
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 pinch salt
• ¾ cup canned pure pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
• ½ cup liquid honey (or maple syrup)
• ¼ cup coconut oil, melted

​Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9 x 13-inch baking pan with parchment paper.
2. Combine first 10 ingredients in a large bowl. Mix well. In a medium bowl, whisk together pumpkin, honey, and coconut oil. Pour wet ingredients over dry ingredients. Mix using a wooden spoon until dry ingredients are completely coated with pumpkin mixture.
3. Pour the wet granola mixture into the prepared pan and spread it evenly to the edges. Using the bottom of a cup, press down firmly on the granola so that it’s tightly packed in the pan.
4. Bake on middle oven rack for about 25 minutes, until top turns a light golden brown and feels dry to touch. Remove pan from oven and cool completely on a wire rack. Carefully transfer to a cutting board and cut the granola into 16 bars, using a super sharp knife. Wrap bars tightly in plastic wrap and store in an airtight container, either at room temperature or in the fridge.

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*Recipe slightly adapted from The Looneyspoons Collection: Janet & Greta's Greatest Recipe Hits Plus a Whole Lot More!
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