Chocolate Almond Granola Bars

When making granola the trio I regularly turn to is oats, maple syrup and nut butter (3 ingredient granola recipe). With just a few ingredients more they can be transformed into dense, chewy and decadent granola bars. Medjool dates add sweetness and help bind the other ingredients together. Puffed brown rice adds some contrast in texture and a nice light crunchiness. Almonds add some bulk and vanilla adds a subtle depth of flavor. There is no baking required but the almonds and oats have a better taste and texture if they are baked on their own before being added to the other ingredients. When I want the bars to be extra special I like to drizzle some chocolate on top. Here I used a full bar of milk chocolate but dark chocolate is even better nutritionally and half of a bar would still be enough to have an impact. The chocolate can also make the bars more appealing to people who would not normally choose a healthy option. My brothers and parents, who always go for taste over the quality and nutritional content of ingredients, love these and my mom says they’re the best granola bars she’s ever eaten.

Dates are one of the ingredients I use the most in sweet treats. They have a rich, almost caramel-like flavor, a pliable texture that holds dry ingredients together well, and like other fruits they offer a variety of nutrients. They are most notably a good source of fiber, antioxidants, several B vitamins, and the minerals potassium, calcium, iron, copper and magnesium. Dates are very easy to digest and supply fast energy, making them a great option for after working out or during mid-afternoon energy dips. They have been a staple for thousands of years in the Middle East and have been cultivated for at least six thousand years. Their widely appreciated purposes as both food and medicine earned them several mentions in both the Bible and Qur’an and a place on the Jewish list of the seven sacred fruits. Several ancient civilizations used parts of the tree on which dates are grown, knows as the date palm, in building construction. The entire plant has played a major role in sustaining some of the most remarkable ancient peoples including the Mesopotamians, Egyptians, Romans, Greeks and Israelites. The best type for baking are called Medjool (Arabic for “unknown”) dates, they are large, plump, moist and incredibly delicious. If they are a bit dry then their ideal texture can be restored by soaking them in warm water for around 20 minutes.There are many, many commercial bars available with impressive brand stories and convincing marketing strategies but most of them are created to have long shelf lives. They may have some very nutritious ingredients but all too often they contain cheap oils, syrups, chemicals and processed stabilizers and binders. Many of the widely available bars are made by companies owned by some of the largest processed food manufacturers and their ingredients and processing are not as pure as they seem. Not long ago there was a media frenzy over the fact that Kashi, a brand of cereals and bars that seemed to focus on health and purity was using GMO ingredients- a direct affront to the way they projected their products to consumers. At the end of the day, when possible, homemade is always better and with a little practice and a stocked pantry it can be easy to get into the habit of making granola bars regularly. When I am too busy there is one brand that I trust completely because I have known the owner, my cousin Dave, since I was born. He was an excellent lego builder as a child and is now building a company called Prima that makes delicious bars by hand in North Vancouver, Canada. He has used his extensive experience as an elite competitive cyclist and his degree in nutrition to formulate bars with real, whole foods and no bad stuff, I most highly recommend the Chai Spice option.