Yes, it’s true! We can’t seem to get enough of these “KIND” of bars around here. So this week, I’m sharing a few of our favorite flavor combinations – like this incredible Cherry Chocolate Chip version.
The great thing about these healthy little bars is their versatility, which makes it easy to change out ingredients to fit your own personal taste preferences and food sensitivities. Speaking of which, if you’re nut-free, there’s no need to miss out on these bars, simply pop over to check out my amazing Nut-Free “KIND” Bar.
Looking for more great bars? Check out these:
• Original Everything Fruit & Nut Bar – the original bar that started my obsession
• Nut-Free “KIND” Bar – perfect for those with nut-allergies
• Apricot-Almond Crunch Bar – mildly sweet, tangy & delicious!
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup pure honey (I prefer sage honey due to its mild flavor)
- 2 tbsp coconut flour
- 1 tbsp *all-natural almond butter
- 1/8 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
- (not finely shredded coconut)
- 1 cup coarse-chopped unsalted cashews
- 1/3 cup coarse-chopped unsalted almonds
- 1/4 cup mini chocolate chips
- 1/4 cup chopped dried organic cherries or cranberries (see **note below)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Trim parchment paper to line an 8×8-inch baking dish, leaving parchment paper to hang over two sides of the dish.
- In a large bowl, add the honey, coconut flour, all-natural almond butter and salt. Use a spoon to stir until well combined.
- On a large cutting board, coarse-chop a couple of large handfuls of whole cashews and measure out 1 cup. Then, coarse chop a handful or two of whole almonds and measure out 1/3 cup. Add the chopped nuts to the honey mixture.
- Next, chop the dried cherries (or cranberries) and measure out 1/4 cup; add to the honey mixture.
- Then add 1/4 cup of mini-chocolate chips.
- Finally, measure 1 cup of coconut flakes (not shredded coconut). Place coconut flakes on the cutting board and coarse-chop. Add chopped coconut flakes to honey mixture.
- Using a spoon, mix ingredients together making sure they are thoroughly combined.
- 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. (Do not trim, as the flaps make it easier to remove the bars after baking.)
- Bake for 20 minutes. Then remove from oven and allow to completely cool on stovetop for approximately one hour (or until bottom of baking dish is room temp).
- Place in fridge to continue cooling. (Do not freeze as it makes it impossible to cut the bars without them crumbling.) Once cold, remove dish from refrigerator. 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.
- Cut into 8 bars and individually wrap and store in the fridge or freezer. Then you can easily take out what you need and place directly into your child’s lunchbox (or yours) – no need to thaw. However, for best results, bars should be kept cold so they do not become over-sticky. Simply include an ice pack, if placing them in a lunchbox, or taking them on the go.
Notes
*You can use any all-natural nut butter you choose, just be sure it’s simply ground nuts without additives for best results and nutrition.
**Most dried fruits are treated with sulfur dioxide, so if you wish to avoid this preservative, be sure to purchase unsulfured organic dried fruits, or conventional dried fruits specifically labeled as sulfur dioxide free.