I have a confession. Granola bars, or any snack bars for that matter, are some of my favorite foods. I’m obsessed with Lara bars and Thunderbird but got tired of buying them all the time because all those plastic wrappers just kill my soul. So, taking matters into my own hands, I came up with this recipe instead. I shape them into balls because it’s just easier to do than shape them into rectangles, but if that’s your jam, go right ahead.

Back to my confession: I usually tell myself that I’ll make some of these to last me the whole week. HA! Fat chance. What ends up happening is I make them, snack on them while I make them, then when they’re ready I taste test them, then 5 minutes later they’re all gone. Whoops.

• oats
• maca powder
• pink himalayan salt
• almonds (and/or sunflower seeds, walnuts, pecans or whatever nuts and ya like)
• dates (3-4)
• maple syrup (1-2 tsp)
• chia seeds
• coconut flakes
• almond butter or peanut butter
• optional: chocolate chips and/or whole coffee beans

First, add the dates to the food processor and pulse it until a paste is formed. Then add the rest of the ingredients and pulse until the nuts/seeds have been chopped enough and a dough is formed.

Next, make little bite-sized balls out of the granola dough. I like to put them in a glass tubber-ware and store them in the freezer. (if they even reach that state without being devoured).

** for a version without oats, add more nuts and seeds + dried fruit such as apricots