Fruit & Nut Bars in a Jar (GF)

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