Nutty Paleo Granola Bars

Some recipes knock your socks off and you have to make another batch that very same day.  These Nutty Paleo Granola Bars were like that!  My family and I LOVED them, so Caleb helped me make more for breakfast tomorrow.  I’m hoping the kids leave some for me!

Nutty Paleo Granola Bars are not only delicious, they’re also really good for you.  I’ve talked a lot about the health benefits of nuts, coconut, and dark chocolate in other posts, so I’d like to introduce you to my new favorite superfood: hemp hearts.  Hemp hearts are the soft inner part of the hemp seed.  They have a nutty flavor, and kind of cashew-like consistency.  They’re so full of nutrition, I like to think of them as mini-multivitamins.  Beyond supplying your body with a wide variety of vitamins and minerals, like iron, the hemp hearts work with the walnuts in these paleo granola bars to give you omega-3 fatty acids.

Before we get to the recipe for the paleo granola bars I want to invite you to join with others who are making healthy changes.  I’d love to walk alongside you in your journey towards wholeness and health! Jesus said, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full!”  Freedom from food addictions is part of having a truly full life.  

• 1 Cup Raw Cashews
• 1 Cup Raw Walnuts
• 3 Tbsp Raw Honey
• 1/2 Tsp Sea Salt
• 1 Egg
• 1/4 Cup Dried Cranberries
• 1/4 Cup Unsweetened Shredded Coconut
• 1 Tsp Vanilla
• 2 Tbsp Very Dark Chocolate or Paleo Chocolate Chips for Drizzling
• 1 Tbsp Hemp Hearts for Sprinkling

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Combine all of the ingredients in your food processor, and run it until it looks like this (mine only took a few seconds):

Spoon the mixture into a greased 8×8 glass baking dish and smash it down flat.  Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the edges are a little brown.

Melt the chocolate in a small bowl in the microwave.  Run it in 20 second intervals, stirring in between, until the chocolate is melted.  Use a fork to drizzle the chocolate over the cooked bars.  Sprinkle with the hemp seeds.  Let the bars set up in the refrigerator for a couple hours (use the freezer if you’re in a hurry), then cut them into 12 pieces.  Enjoy for breakfast, snack, or dessert.