Gluten Free Chewy Granola Bars

So this weekend I set out to make some chewy granola bars to snack on around the house.  I never expected them to turn out so good!  =]

This is a versatile recipe that allows for quite a bit of customization to your own tastes.  For instance, Shawn doesn't like any type of dried fruits like raisins, craisins, blueberries, cherries, etc.  All of which would be delicious in this recipe but instead I chose to use chocolate chips, which pleased Shawn's taste buds.

As a person with Celiac Disease, you will need to be able to tolerate certified gluten-free oats to enjoy this recipe.  Shawn is super sensitive to gluten but for some reason he can tolerate certified and tested gluten-free oats.

Here is the recipe I used.

Ingredients

1 cup of gluten-free rolled oats processed in a food processor to a fine meal (measured after processing)
1 cup of gluten-free rolled oats (whole)
1/4 cup cornstarch (or arrowroot)
1/4 cup brown rice flour
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 tablespoons flax seed meal
6 tablespoons hot water
1/2 cup salted sweet cream butter (1 stick)
3/4 cup brown sugar (packed)
1/4 cup honey
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups of crushed walnuts
1 cup shelled pumpkin seeds
1 cup sunflower seeds (roasted and salted is what I used)
1 bag of your favorite gluten-free or vegan chocolate chips (6 ounces)

I began by mixing 2 tablespoons of the flax seed meal with the 6 tablespoons of hot water.  Set this aside to get "goopy".

Next I processed and measured out the gluten-free rolled oats.

Next I measured out the pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, and chocolate chips.

Next crush up the nuts.

In a separate bowl mix all the flours, starches, oats, 2 tablespoons of the flax seed meal (dry), xanthan gum, and the cinnamon together.

In your stand mixer bowl, cream together the brown sugar and the butter.

Add to this the flax seed meal/water mixture, the pure vanilla extract, and the honey.

Once that is thoroughly creamed together, add in the flour/oats mixture and blend together.  Then add the nuts.  Then the seeds and chocolate chips.  (or whatever substitutions you've made here such as dried fruits, etc.)

Now to prepare.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet that has sides to it with parchment paper that is a little bigger than the baking sheet.

Turn the mixture out onto the paper in the center of the baking sheet.

Using a spatula, press and smooth the mixture into the pan evenly.  Take your time here, the mixture was a bit sticky, but not so much as to make it difficult.

Bake for 25 minutes at 350 degrees.  Remove from oven and turn upside down (in one very quick motion) onto another sheet of parchment paper to cut and cool.

I used a sharp butcher knife to press down from the top with a little force to cut the bars evenly.  Do not saw, as it will crumble the granola.  This made 20 bars.

Once cut, I allowed them to cool where they sat.  When completely cooled down, I stacked them on end in my Anchor hocking Heritage Hill Jar.

Enjoy!