One of my most popular recipes this year, these mock-KIND fruit & nut bars are not only healthy and delicious, they also make a beautiful, thoughtful homemade gift-in-a-jar! I simply modified the recipe a bit so the ingredients fit nicely into a one pint mason jar.
So delicious – and chock-full of protein and healthy nutrients – this beautiful gift will most certainly be appreciated (and devoured) by your favorite health nuts. (silly pun intended)
For another great grain-free gift idea, check out “Grain-Free Cookie Dough Bites in a Jar.”
Grain-Free Fruit & Nut Bars-in-a-Jar Gift
Simply layer the ingredients in a wide-mouth one-pint (2 cup) mason jar in the following order:
• 1/2 cup rough-chopped unsweetened coconut flakes
• 1/3 cup chopped dried cranberries (or cherries)
• 1 cup rough-chopped unsalted whole nuts of your choice
(I use: 1/2 cup almonds, 1/4 cup cashews and 1/4 cup pistachios)
As shown in photo at right, rough-chop the whole unsalted nuts first (as well as the dried fruit and coconut flakes). Then measure out the ingredients as noted above.
Note: If substituting any or all of the nuts with seeds (such as pepitas shown in photo above), there’s no need to rough chop them first.
In a small snack-size ziplock baggie, add:
• 1 tbsp, plus 1 tsp coconut flour (or ground flaxseed)
• Pinch of sea salt
The ziplock baggie should be sealed and folded. Then placed on top of the nut mix before sealing the jar.
Finishing the gift:
Cut out festive paper in circles the same size as the jar top; place paper on top of the circle seal and then screw the lid over the paper. Add decorative ribbon and a gift tag.
Be sure to include the baking instructions (see below).
I like to print the directions out and place them into the Christmas card we give along with the gift jar. To make it extra festive, I place both the card and gift jar in a recycled gift bag.
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Instructions for Making Fruit & Nut Bars
You will need the following ingredients to make these delicious & healthy grain-free Fruit & Nut Bars:
• 1/4 cup pure honey (mild honey such as sage or clover are best)
• 2 tsp all-natural nut butter (mild nut butters like almond or cashew are best)
1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Trim parchment paper to line a 9×5-inch loaf pan, leaving parchment paper to hang over the two shorter sides of the pan.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the honey and all-natural nut butter until smooth and creamy.
3. Next, dump the contents of the small packet inside the jar into the bowl and use a spoon to mix together until well blended. Then, dump the remainder of the jar’s contents into the bowl. Stir well until thoroughly combined.
4. Place the bar mixture into the parchment-lined baking dish. Fold overlapping flaps down and evenly press the top of the bar mixture firmly to pack-in the ingredients so they hold together better after baking. Then, peel back the parchments flaps from top of bars.
5. Bake for 18-20 minutes. Then remove from oven and allow to cool on stovetop for approximately one hour (or until bottom of baking dish should is room temp).
6. Place in freezer to continue cooling. Once cold, but not frozen (about 20-30 minutes), remove dish from freezer. Then, run a knife along the two edges without parchment. Using the parchment paper ends, lift the bars from the baking dish and place on a cutting board.
7. Cut into 5 bars and individually wrap and store in the fridge or freezer. (Bars are best kept cold in order to hold the bars shape.) Enjoy!
Storage: This gift-in-a-jar can be stored in the pantry for 3-4 weeks. Yield: 5 bars
Wonderful! I love KIND Bars so this is going to be a treat to make (pun intended) Have a beautiful day and thanks for this recipe!!
you are welcome, Janet! thanks for taking the time to be a blessing! 🙂
Just finished making these. They are delicious! I’m always looking for healthy, gluten-free snacks. Thanks so much.
Thanks for your kind words, Jennifer. I appreciate you taking time to be encouraging. So glad you all enjoyed these too. Blessings to you and your family for a Merry Christmas, Kelly 🙂
Could these be made in a dehydrator?
I am sure they could, although I have not tried this, so I cannot give a specific temp and timeframe. If you do it via dehydrator, please let me know the results. Would love to share. Thank you, Haley! Blessings, Kelly 🙂
I’m making these for my children’s teachers and I’m labeling the jars: “You are one of a KIND” bars. Thanks for the idea and recipe!
That is AWESOME! Thank you for sharing. I hope you don’t mind, but I am totally sharing your idea on FB today! You are so KIND to take the time to share it. Merry Christmas to you and your family, Kelly 🙂
Hi Kelly! Love your site and am eager to start meal planning utilizing your menu after the holidays. My family will be grateful! Thanks for blessing us with your passion and insight into how to nourish our families!
I wanted to make these bars for a vegan family for Christmas but remembered they aren’t coconut lovers. Can these be made without the coconut? Is there another substitute for that?
Thank you Kelly!
Yes, I recommend replacing with half dried fruit, half nuts. Or you can use puffed millet or rice in place of the coconut (which is what is used in actual KIND bars). So glad the Lord has led you here and I look forward to getting to know you better! Blessings, Kelly 🙂
Thank You Kelly for sharing your healthy and delicious recipes! We really appreciate your amazing talent to help others by teaching them the many ways to eat clean with homemade options vs. Store bought products that contain so many additives. You are a true blessing to so many. Thank you!
Thank you, Kimberly! I appreciate your kind words of encouragement! And so glad the Lord has made us neighbors! 🙂
Hi Kelly, this recipe looks great! I love Kind bars so I’m excited to try this. One question I had- could I play around with the nut and fruit amounts a little? Maybe increase the amount of nuts and decrease the amount of dried fruit so I get a nuttier bar?
Absolutely, Stephanie. Depending on how much you change the ratio of nuts to fruit, you may find you need to increase the glue (honey-coconut flour combo). Nuts, being larger and not as binding as fruit, may mean a little more glue is needed if the ratio changes too much. 🙂 Enjoy!
Okay, these are the BEST!! I have already made three varieties and they are all way better than KIND bars. Not too sweet and wonderfully chewy. Thank you so much! I have used your site multiple times and have always been delighted with my results.
Thanks, Lacy! So glad you’re enjoying the recipes. Thanks for taking the time to leave a kind note 🙂 (get it, kind note – hee hee!)