These soft granola bars are good and good for you! Unlike many commercial granola bars that have as much fat and sugar as candy bars, include artificial sweeteners and other highly processed ingredients, and are exorbitantly priced, these make-at-home bars are nutritious and easy on your wallet (well, relatively!). These also taste better. The bars are sweetened with fruit--applesauce and dates--not refined sugar, syrups, or artificial sweeteners, and the bars include nutritious seeds and whole grain. They also have a good amount of protein in the form of almonds and almond butter. In moderation (of course!) the bars are great if you're on a diabetic diet or want to "eat healthy." The bars make a great "grab and go" snack or try them for breakfast alongside--or crumbled over--a bowl of fruit and Greek yogurt. Enjoy!

Soft Almond Granola Bars -- Makes Two 8-inch Pans
2 tablespoons of milled flax seeds
2 tablespoons of chia seeds
1/2 cup of unsweetened applesauce
1 teaspoon of vanilla
1/4 cup of canola oil
1/3 cup of date puree (barely cover pitted dates with hot/boiling water, let them sit until
just warm and mash them well with a fork or process them in a food processor)
2 cups of rolled oats (old fashioned)
1/2 cup of oat flour (grind oats in food processor)
1/2 teaspoon of salt
2 teaspoons of cinnamon
1 1/2 cups of toasted almonds, processed in a food processor until some are finely
ground and some are left in larger pieces (6-12 pulses or so)
1/4 cup of almond butter
Line two 8-inch pans with aluminum foil and spritz the foil well with non-stick cooking spray. In a large bowl combine the milled flax seeds, the chia seeds, the applesauce, the vanilla, the canola oil, and the date puree. Mix them well and let the mixture sit for five minutes or so to let the seeds absorb the moisture from the applesauce. Stir the mixture again and add the oats, oat flour, salt, cinnamon, almonds, and almond butter and stir them in with a sturdy spoon. You want to make sure everything is moistened well and all the ingredients are well incorporated. Divide the mixture evenly between the prepared pans. Use a spoon or spatula to press the mixture firmly and evenly down into the pans and to smooth out the top. Air fry the mixture at 285 degrees for about 30 minutes or until golden brown. Use a sharp knife to score the baked granola into bars while warm, then let the bars cool in their pans. You'll need to cut the bars again once they've cooled a bit more. After the bars have cooled completely store them in an airtight container or bag.

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