Grain free, gluten free, and wholesome protein bars filled with wholesome ingredients and a hefty dose of natural protein. Perfect for on-the-go snacking!
1 and 1/2Tablespoonsnatural nut butterany works fine
2teaspoonsvanilla extract
1 and 1/4cupwhole almondsroughly chopped
2/3cupunsalted sunflower seeds2
1/3cupdried cranberriesroughly chopped
Instructions
Preheat oven to 300ºF. Line an 8" square baking pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
Pour honey and water into a large microwave safe bowl. Heat in the microwave on HIGH for 10 seconds. Stir in collagen peptides until combined. Mixture will be thick. Stir in almond meal, salt, nut butter, and vanilla. Fold in almonds, sunflower seeds, and cranberries. If at any time the mixture is too hard to stir, heat in the microwave for about 5 seconds to loosen the honey.
Press mixture firmly into prepared pan. Bake for 20-22 minutes. Honey should just be starting to brown on the edges. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely on a wire cooling rack, about 1 hour. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 additional hour before removing parchment from the baking pan and cutting into 12 bars. Wrap each bar individually in parchment paper or plastic wrap. Bars stay fresh at room temperature up to 1 week or in the refrigerator up to 2 weeks. I find them to be pretty sticky at room temperature, but they taste just fine. Bars may be frozen, wrapped individually, up to 3 months. Thaw completely before serving.
Notes
You can buy almond meal already made or make your own: pulse 1/4 cup almonds in a food processor or strong blender until texture resembles a coarse meal. You will have a little more than 1/4 cup almond meal, but that's ok. Toss it all in.
If you are using salted sunflower seeds, reduce salt to 1/8 teaspoon.
All nutritional values are approximate and provided to the reader as a courtesy. Changing ingredients and/or quantities will alter the estimated nutritional calculations.