Recipe Yields approximately 10-12 bars

Copyright Bluebird Grain Farms

We apologize for our removal of the recipe last month! We decided to take it down to do a few edits after some kind customers gave us their opinions, and we think it is now easier and tastier. We hope y’all enjoy, and we thank you for your patience!

INGREDIENTS

1 3/4 cups Bluebird’s Old World Cereal Blend

1 cup rolled oats

1 1/2 cups boiling water

2 cups peanut or almond butter

1 cup honey

1/3 cup coconut oil

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon salt

Pinch freshly ground black pepper

3⁄4 cup dried cherries, roughly chopped

1⁄2 cup almonds, roughly chopped

1⁄2 cup pumpkin seeds

1 cup dark chocolate chips, roughly chopped, split in 1/2

Maldon salt flakes or coarsely ground sea salt for topping

Method

Preheat the oven to 325°F. Lightly grease a 9 x 11 pan and line with parchment paper. Set pan aside.

Mix the Old World Cereal Blend and oats in a large bowl. Pour boiling water over grains and mix thoroughly. Cover the bowl with a lid to allow the grains to absorb the moisture for 20 minutes.

Whisk in a medium saucepan over very low heat, nut butter, honey, coconut oil, vanilla extract, chili powder, salt, and pepper, until soft and thoroughly incorporated. Remove from the heat and combine nut butter mixture with grains. Mix thoroughly.

Add cherries, almonds, pumpkin seeds and 1/2 cup of the chocolate chips, reserving the other half for the topping. Mix thoroughly.

Oil your hands. Press the granola bar mixture into the pan, firmly. Sprinkle the remaining dark chocolate pieces on top of mixture pressing pieces gently into the bars.

Place in the oven, and bake for 12-14 minutes. Remove from the oven, sprinkle the bars with flaked salt and let bars cool (a minimum of 4 hours) before cutting. If bars are still warm, they are more likely to fall apart. Once bars are entirely cool, remove from the pan, and cut in half. Cut each half into equal pieces. Place in an airtight container for up to 5 days.