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Chewy, Crunchy Seed and Fruit Bars – Gluten Free and Vegan

Hi Friends!  How are you hanging with the Unclutter Your Nest Boot Camp?  I thought that the process would monopolize my January and I wasn’t wrong.  It’s been pretty much all I’ve been doing, but I have to admit that I’ve enjoyed every minute of it.  It’s invigorating to get rid of so much clutter (800 pounds so far!) and rather fun to find items that I had thought lost or had completely forgotten about.

In uncluttering my kitchen, I came across quite a stash of pumpkin and sunflower seeds and started noodling a way to use them up.  I was inspired by several recipes that I found on the internet and put together this recipe using what I had in the hopes that would use up a good bit of my stash.

An easy recipe for for a healthy snack that is also gluten free. These Chewy, Crunchy Seed and Fruit Bars are a great, no-guilt snack.

I wanted to make something a little sweeter than my gluten-free bird seed crackers using the dried fruit and I had in my mind something crunchier than a Larabar, but still made just from fruit and nuts.  I love a Kind bar, but some of them have added sugars (honey and glucose) that I wanted to see if I could avoid. In case you’re wondering why my dried apricots are not the pretty yellowish color you used to seeing it’s because I bought ‘unsulphured apricots’.

An easy recipe for for a healthy snack that is also gluten free. These Chewy, Crunchy Seed and Fruit Bars are a great, no-guilt snack.

I tried two different variations of this recipe.  In the first one I pureed the dried fruit and combined it with the liquid and nuts.  While tasty, it was rather unappealing looking.  For my next variation, I diced the fruit rather finely so that you would get a bit in every bite, but did not puree it.  The second version was much more appealing looking and tasting.  I like to get little bit of sweet to balance out the salt I added.  I am all in for the ‘sweet and salty’ thing and this recipe for chewy, crunchy seed and fruit bars fit the bill perfectly.

Not only do these help use up some of my stash, but these are perfect for healthy eating, both at home and on the go, as they are free of added sugar and fats.  When I’m going to be out running errands, I like to keep a little snack in the car so that I’m not tempted to buy a bag of the ubiquitous peanut M&Ms which seem to be present at every check out counter, whether its the grocery store, the hardware store, the drugstore or the craft store.

An easy recipe for for a healthy snack that is also gluten free. These Chewy, Crunchy Seed and Fruit Bars are a great, no-guilt snack.

Chewy, Crunchy Seed and Fruit Bars-Gluten Free

lynn
Gluten Free bars made with a variety of seeds and dried fruits.
5 from 2 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Course Appetizer Recipes
Cuisine American
Servings 2 dozen
Calories 1592 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 2 cups sunflower seeds toasted
  • 1 cup pumpkin seeds toasted
  • 1 cup cashew halves and pieces toasted
  • 1 cup diced dried apricots (or other soft dried fruit like figs or dates)
  • 1/4 cup dried unsweetened shredded coconut
  • 3/4 cups water
  • 4 Tablespoons chia seed
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp salt

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350'F
  • While oven is preheating, combine water and chia seeds and let sit for 10 minutes
  • Combine seeds, nuts and diced fruit with chia seeds and water in bowl and combine well.
  • Spread mixture evenly into a parchment lined 9 X 12 baking dish
  • Bake for 20 minutes.
  • Take baking dish out of the oven.
  • Place a lightweight cutting board on top of baking dish and flip baking dish over so that bars are on cutting board.
  • Put parchment back in baking dish and put bars back in baking dish, upside down so that the part that was on top is now on the bottom.
  • Put back in oven and back for an additional 15 minutes.
  • Cut into squares and keep in air tight container.

Notes

I toasted the seeds and nuts at 350' for 7-10 minutes.

Nutrition

Serving: 1gCalories: 1592kcalCarbohydrates: 79gProtein: 66gSaturated Fat: 16gCholesterol: 30mgSodium: 1358mgFiber: 36gSugar: 9g
Keyword bars, fruit, gluten free, nut, seed
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An easy recipe for for a healthy snack that is also gluten free. These Chewy, Crunchy Seed and Fruit Bars are a great, no-guilt snack.

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Hugs,

Lynn2

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28 Comments

  1. Lynn, I’m all in for the sweet & salty as well, I eat bars every day and have to try to make these for sure! They are so healthy and look just so yummy! How funny what you find while uncluttering, hey? Have a great day! XO

    1. Oh Katrin, I have uncovered so many lost or forgotten things during my declutter! It has been quite fun and motivating. I hope you enjoy this recipe.

      Hugs and Kisses…Lynn

    1. Hi Sarah, I hope you do enjoy these and you’re right, they will be perfect for a long walk. While I used the seeds and nuts detailed, it’s also quite flexible so you can use what you find in your cupboard.
      Happy walking!

      Lynn

  2. Hi Lynn, we love fruit, nut and seed bars, my daughter takes them to school as here snack. The ones I buy are a bit pricey and are no doubt laden with unnecessary sugars, so I keep saying I’ll have a go at making them myself, but haven’t got around to it yet.

    I stocked up on a variety of nuts and seeds just before Christmas, but I’m not sure I can get chia seeds here. I will have a look next I’m in town.

    xx

    1. Hi Debbie…you can surely get Chia seeds on Amazon.com. They are so easy to make and contain no unnecessary ingredients. Good luck finding the Chia seeds.

      Thanks for visiting today, Lynn

    1. Hi Charlotte, thanks so much for stopping by today. I agree that it’s a great after run snack…and a great anytime snack. My first batch is almost all gone. But they are quite yummy and no guilt!

      Hugs, Lynn

    1. Hi Lindsey…they are nothing but good stuff, which is why I like them so much. Very leary to put unnecessary sugars, fat and artificial stuff in our bodies so these are just perfect. I hope you enjoy them!
      Happy Thursday evening!

      Hugs, Lynn

    1. Hi sweet Mary, the seeds should be pretty easy to find. I get them in our grocery store, health food store or on Amazon. Hope you do try them and enjoy them.

      Hugs, Lynn

  3. These look delicious! I have been wanting to make something like these when I found a recipe for energy bites, which were good, just not what I was wanting. I have tried the kind bars too and really liked them because they didn’t have all that sugar like other bars. I’m going to try these, but what holds them together, the fruit?

    1. Hi Linda, they are delicious and hope you give them a try. They soaked chia seed/water is what holds them together. It gets rather ‘glutinous’ which is not a very attractive word, but best description. I guess rather egglike would be a better way to describe it. In any event, that’s the ‘glue’ that hold the whole thing together. Let me know what you think!

      Thanks for swinging by.

      Hugs, Lynn

  4. these look like the ultimate after running healthy snack! and a lot more interesting in the usual mulch I endure :p and gluten free and vegan which is perfect! xx

    1. Love you calling your snacks ‘mulch’…perfect and so descriptive!! ? I do love that they are gluten free; I always feel so much better when I don’t consume gluten. Glad you’ll be fueling you after your runs! Well done on your fitness plan, by the way! Go you!

      Thanks for stopping by to visit Charlotte and wishing you a happy Sunday, Lynn

    1. Howdy Carol…I hope you enjoy these as much as we do. So simple to make and so many possible variations. This recipe has cinnamon, but I think I’ll make the next recipe with curry powder…think the curry, cashew, coconut and dried fruit combo will be scrumptious!

      Thanks for stopping by today!

      Hugs, Lynn

    1. Hi Jessica…I’m pretty sure you family will love them, and there are so many variations you can make. Just yesterday I was thinking that I might try adding some curry the next time I make them. I bought some curried cashews a while back at Whole Foods and they were so yummy. I think the combo of curry, cashews and dried fruit will be spot on.

      Enjoy them and thanks for stopping by

      Lynn

  5. This is the best cleaning out recipe, ever! I’m gluten free and it’s so hard for me to find something to grab when I’m out of the house, there aren’t a lot of snacks that are gluten free and healthy! These are perfect, I’m going to pin so I can add to my menu list! These are perfect!

    1. These are a perfect gluten free food! I’m not diagnosed with a gluten issue, but there is no doubt in my mind that avoiding gluten makes a huge difference on how I feel. Night and Day difference. I hope you enjoy them as much as we do.

      Hugs, Lynn

  6. These looks so awesome! Sweet and salty are really popular in my house as well. I’d love to give these bars a try and have already pinned them to try later. I like to take snacks with me as well because not only do I get hungry, but so does the hubby. He tries really hard to buy food while we’re out, but I like to be prepared for that. He can go from full to starving in an instant! I think it’s great that you figured out this recipe to use up your stash. I’m going to be doing that this week too as I declutter my kitchen. My uncluttering is going fantastic! I’ve cleared out hundreds of pounds of stuff that I simply don’t need. It’s so much fun and the hubby is getting in on the fun too! I’m almost done! All I have left is the kitchen. 🙂

    1. Wow Gina…all you have left is the kitchen? You are moving along much quicker than I am! Well Done!
      Hoping that you and hubby enjoy the bars. They are perfect car food. I keep some in my car so I’m always ready when I get one of those ‘need food now!’ moments. It really has cut back on my junk food purchases.
      Wishing you a happy Sunday!

      Hugs, Lynn

    1. Good Morning Erica…I hope your husband does enjoy them. Mine did and he always gets a bit leery when there are a bunch of seeds and nuts in his food. Thanks for stopping by today.

      Hugs, Lynn

    1. Hi Angela, these are a great treat to have on hand as a healthy treat. I keep some in my car for those times when I’m out so that I don’t grab something less healthy. Looking forward to coming back to your party next week.

      Hugs, Lynn

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