On Wednesday morning, I awoke to the gentle pitter-patter of raindrops gently hitting my window. I sighed, pulling the covers up to my chin and seriously contemplating whether I could spend the entire day in bed. Less than 24 hours earlier, the sun had been shining so brightly that our outdoor thermometer read 70° and I had pulled on a pair of short for the first time this year!
Crazy California weather.
The dismal gray clouds quickly seeped into my mood, and by lunchtime, I was practically ready to move to Hawaii! (Well, slight exaggeration. But only slight.) While pouting and editing photos at my desk, I felt my cell phone vibrate next to my elbow. I glanced down at the notification, halfway expecting to see a forgotten text or Twitter alert, and did a double-take.
“MLB At Bat—OAK vs SF: Game starting.”
A smile crept across my face and I slowly began bouncing up and down in my chair like a little kid on her birthday. Spring Training had officially started… Baseball is back!!
(A short side note for those of you who may be new to my blog: I love baseball more than any other sport, and I told my dad as an 11-year-old that I wanted to visit all 30 MLB stadiums with him. We’ve been to 22 so far!)
Completely forgetting about the torrential downpours outside, I gleefully texted two of my friends—old coworkers from my previous job—the exciting news. Despite each of us going our separate ways (one to Industry, one to a Post-Doc, and me to blogging), we still stayed in touch, mainly because of our shared fanaticism for baseball.
For the next 20 minutes, messages flew back and forth: a bit of banter, a little teasing, and a lot of catching up. We’d barely talked since the Red Sox won the World Series in October! By the time the thunder threatened to start rattling the windowpanes, my cheekbones hurt a little from so much smiling.
Baseball always brightens my day!
And this sweet snack will definitely do the same for you! Full of fruity flavors, these Chewy Raspberry Apple Granola Bars taste fresh and bright, with a simple oat backdrop and comforting kiss of cinnamon. Containing just 7 healthy ingredients—most of which you stash in your kitchen already!—these wholesome, clean-eating bars are an easy and inexpensive option to the store-bought brands. (And if you’re anything like me, you’ll never go back!)
These low fat granola bars begin with old-fashioned oats. Compared to instant oats, old-fashioned oats are heartier with a little more chew, so they provide the perfect soft-baked texture. Use gluten-free oats, if necessary; they won’t affect the texture or taste.
I opted for frozen unsweetened raspberries, which means you can easily make these granola bars all year round! Try to find organic ones, if possible; with slightly better quality, they usually taste a little fresher. Some grocery stores only stock frozen sweetened raspberries, but avoid those! They contain a lot of excess sugar, so I’d recommend substituting a frozen unsweetened berry blend instead.
To create the liquid “binder,” you’ll stir together melted coconut oil, unsweetened applesauce, milk, honey, and cinnamon. Make sure the applesauce warms up to room temperature before adding it to the coconut oil! Because of its really low melting point, coconut oil will quickly re-solidify if mixed with any chilled ingredients. And while warm cinnamon and tart raspberries may sound like a strange flavor combination, it’s absolutely addictive—I had to hide these bars in the back of my fridge to stop myself from downing half the pan in one day!
To whip up these snacks, simply mix together the liquid ingredients and stir in the oats until they’re evenly coated. Because the milk and applesauce act as glue to hold everything together, it’s really important that all of the oats are covered with the mixture to prevent the granola bars from falling apart. Then fold in the raspberries, as gently as possible to minimize their bleeding, and press into the pan to bake! Mine finished with the perfect chewy texture after 17 minutes. The center may look slightly underdone, but warm pan will continue to cook it through as they cool to room temperature.
Don’t those bright splashes of pink look so pretty?
Bursting with an irresistible combination of tart raspberries, sweet applesauce, and warm cinnamon, these Chewy Raspberry Apple Granola Bars are a delicious mid-morning or late-afternoon pick-me-up. Slip one into your child’s lunchbox for school, or sneak one after dinner for a little sweet treat. With only 100 calories and NO refined sugar, you won’t feel guilty at all!
After their photo shoot, I covered each individual bar with plastic wrap and chilled them to help maintain their addictive chewy texture. At least once a day—if not more!—I’ve stuck my head in the fridge to sneak one for a snack. These definitely won’t last me through the week…
| Chewy Raspberry Apple Granola Bars | | Print |
- 1 tsp coconut oil, melted
- ½ cup (120g) unsweetened applesauce, room temperature
- ⅓ cup (80mL) skim milk
- 1 tbsp (15mL) honey
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 ½ cups (250g) old-fashioned oats (measured like this and gluten-free, if necessary)
- 1 cup (140g) frozen unsweetened raspberries, diced
- Preheat the oven to 350°F, and lightly coat an 8”-square baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, stir together the oil and applesauce until smooth. Mix in the milk, honey and cinnamon until thoroughly combined. Stir in the oats until evenly coated with the applesauce mixture. Gently fold in the raspberries.
- Press the oat mixture into the prepared pan, and bake at 350°F for 16-19 minutes. Cool completely to room temperature in the pan before slicing into 10 bars.
It’s important for the applesauce to be at room temperature to prevent the melted coconut oil from re-solidifying.
For best storage results, tightly wrap each individual bar in plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator until ready to eat.
{vegan, gluten-free, clean-eating, low fat, low calorie}
those look so good and pretty in pink. I love making my own granola bars. So easy and so much better for you when you actually know what goes into them.
Thanks Lisa! It’s true; making granola bars is pretty easy and really rewarding. Plus the flavor combinations are endless! 🙂
What a simple, yet delicious recipe! AND easily made dairy free for me!?! I might need to go buy some frozen raspberries!! I adore your love for baseball, and I am IMPRESSED by all the stadiums you’ve been to!! These bars would be a great snack to pack while you travel to your next destination!
Thank you Brittany! My dad actually asked if we could bake these while I was visiting, so your idea about bringing them on our next trip is perfect. We could even pack a few for when we go to our home games this year too! 🙂 I know you just mentioned that you don’t make many recipes that you see on blogs, but I’d love to hear what you think if you do try them!
Yum!! These look so easy and delicious! Thanks for the recipe, Amy!
Thanks Lauren! 🙂
Are these meant to be soft for some reason mine are taste yum though?
Yes, they’re meant to be chewy and soft! I’m glad you enjoyed them Jodi! 🙂
YUM! I love granola bars … but even some of the ‘healthy’ ones still have a few questionable ingredients. This, yes, this is an idea I can get behind! I love it! Sadly I will need to make a run to the store to get the frozen raspberries (I’ve only got blueberries and mixed berries here!) but considering I love 1 mile from the store I can handle it! 🙂 And you were right – I sure do have everything else here!
These would be a perfect morning snack for my littlest. She takes a snack every day to school and I love when I can provide something super healthy! Can’t wait to try!!
Thanks, Amy!
Thank you Gretchen! If you’d rather not run to the store, either bags of your frozen berries will work just fine. It all depends on your littlest’s preferences! I live really close to a grocery store too — only about a quarter of a mile away from Safeway — and it is SO handy. Some days I’ll walk there 2 or 3 times depending on how quickly I run out of ingredients for recipes! 😉 I’m excited to hear what you and your daughter think of these granola bars!
I want to do these but without the raspberries, I don’t have any on hand! I’m thinking about using the applesauce and maybe a few strawberries. They look so delicious!!!!
Strawberries would work perfectly Erica! I was tempted to use strawberries myself, but I had completely run out. Oops! 😉
I used blueberries instead, and also substituted skim milk for almond milk and honey for maple syrup. I even added 4 tablespoons of chia seeds for extra healthiness–and they taste AMAZING! Thanks so much for the recipe, I will definitely be making these for school snacks. 10 bars should last me 2 school weeks, if I have one per school day, but there are no guarantees that they will last this long! 🙂
I’m so happy you enjoyed the granola bars Luna! Your substitutions sound incredible. I really need to try your maple blueberry version — that flavor combo is one of my favorites! 🙂 I tried limiting myself to one per day too, but… They only lasted about four days. Oops!
These look delicious! How long can they be stored? Do they freeze well? I live by myself so I’m always looking for things I can make a big batch of and store so my weekly food prep isn’t as exhausting. 🙂
Thanks Kristen! They can be stored in the fridge for at least a week. I haven’t tried freezing, but I think that would work too! I like wrapping each individual bar in plastic wrap after chilling and slicing them, so I bet that’d be perfect for storing them in the freezer too. I spent a few years living by myself as well, and cooking for one was usually a challenge! (Sometimes I feel like I still do since my guy has a fairly picky palate. 😉 )
I have been making double batches and freezing half, it works great!
I’m so glad you’re enjoying these granola bars Trisha! Thanks for letting me know that freezing them works — I really appreciate it! 🙂