Sourdough Granola Bars
This super simple and versatile granola bar recipe will convince you to say "goodbye store-bought versions"! The sourdough discard creates a soft bar as it bakes into the oats. Make a granola bar EXACTLY the way you like it using your FAVORITE flavorings. These bars are wholesome and nutritional, but you can substitute with your preferred ingredients to make them as indulgent as you want. This is a great way to use up that sourdough discard.
Servings: 9 squares
Ingredients
- 2 cups rolled oats
- 1 cup sourdough starter or any sourdough starter, 100% hydrated = 50/50- flour/liquid ratio
- 1 cup dried fruit or dried cranberries, raisins, dried blueberries, dried kiwi, dried mango, etc.
- ⅔ cup pistachios, shelled and roughly chopped or chopped almonds, pecans, walnuts, macadamia, peanuts, etc.
- ¼ cup chia seeds or sunflower, flax, or hemp seeds, etc.
- ¼ tsp almond extract &/or 1 tsp vanilla (or other extract)
- ¼ tsp salt
- ⅓ cup maple syrup or honey, agave syrup, or other liquid sweetener
Instructions
- Step 1: Preheat oven to (350˚F / 175˚C). Spread oats, pistachios, and chia seeds on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake until toasty ~15 minutes.
- Step 2: In a large bowl, combine all ingredients and mix well.
- Step 3: Pat mixture out into an 8x8 inch baking pan lined with parchment paper and press down the mixture to remove any air bubbles so the mixture will stick well together as it bakes.
- Step 4: Bake in a preheated oven (350˚F / 175˚C) for 20-30 minutes or until golden brown.
- Once completely cooled, cut into bars or squares and enjoy!
Video
Notes
*These granola bars are versatile and work well with different fruit, nuts, and extracts.
*Consider white, milk, or dark chocolate chips, dried cherries, raisins, chopped dried apricots, chopped dried dates (like medjool dates, my fav!), crystalized ginger, sunflower seeds, flax seed, etc.
*For the kiddos or kiddos at heart, throw in some M&Ms, Reese's Pieces, or other hard-shelled candy. I'm sure crumbled chunks of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups would be pretty tasty, too!
*Why not drizzle white, milk, or dark chocolate over the bars or dip them IN chocolate. YUM!
*Try different extracts like vanilla, chocolate, lemon, orange, or rose water.
*Add spices like 1 tsp of cinnamon, cardamom, pumpkin or apple pie spice for those holiday flavors.
*Store these at room temperature for a week. They store well easily in the fridge for a month or so. For much longer storage, place them in a freezer bag in the freezer for months.