Recipes for Free: Almond Flaxseed Granola Bark

My all things almond kick continues with this adapted homemade granola recipe. I’ve incessantly shared my love of homemade granola (here) and (here) so it’s no shock that I jumped out of my pants when I tastesportted this recipe over at The Iron You. Granola is an awesomely versatile gluten free friendly snack. There are a ton of great brands on the market but if you don’t carefully inspect the ingredients more often than not their “health food” title can be greatly misleading. It is addictive for a reason for many brands are high in sugar, natural flavorings and calories. Before you know it you can easily down a meals worth of calories in one sitting. That’s why homemade is best as you are in control of what goes into your granola. This granola “bark” is full of heart healthy fiber and nutrition including almond meal, flaxseed, and coconut. Coconut palm is the sweetener giving it a sweet but not too sweet balance that works well for those watching their sugar intake. In my version I opted against the yogurt glaze and got a lightly sweet and crunchy batch of paleo and gluten free granola.

Almond Flaxseed Granola Bark slightly adapted from The Iron You’s Almond Flaxseed Yogurt Granola Bars3 tablespoons extra virgin coconut oil
1 3/4 cup almond meal
½ cup flaxseed
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
1 cup almonds
1/2 cup gluten free chocolate chips
¼ teaspoon fine grain sea salt
⅓ cup  pure raw honey
2 tablespoon raw coconut palm sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 300°F (150°C) and place a rack in the middle.  Line a 9×9-inch baking pan with parchment paper and set aside.
2. Melt coconut oil in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add almond meal and toast, stirring constantly, for about 5 minutes until lightly darkened (being careful of not letting it burn).
3. Remove from the heat and transfer to a large bowl. Add flax seeds, almonds and salt and stir to combine. Set aside.
4. Combine honey, coconut sugar and vanilla extract in the pan in which you toasted the almond meal. Bring to a boil over medium heat, reduce to a simmer and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring constantly.Pour over the almond meal mixture and stir until it is evenly distributed over the mixture.
5. Allow to cool for a couple of minutes, then stir in chocolate chips. Scrape mixture into the pan and spread evenly.
6. Place in the oven and bake for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before cutting into bars.