Strawberry Paleo Granola Bars

How about some adult paleo candy? These strawberry paleo snack bars, also known as Paleo Granola Bars, make a nice little strawberry treat.

During one of my Not-A-CrossFit classes, Tim mentioned that he had ordered a Paleo Care Pack. He really enjoyed the Mrs. May’s Strawberry Trio Bars and decided he wanted to order an entire package of them. When he found out they were coming from China he decided against it. He mentioned all this during class one day and I told him to leave me a link on my Facebook page so I could see what ingredients were in them.

I had previously made Primal granola bars (of course without granola) and thought it would be fun to see how close I could come to the original recipe, especially without having tried them. During my mini cooking marathon on Halloween I decided there was no better time to play around.

I dressed the bars up like little Paleo candies and brought them in for everyone in my Not-A-CrossFit class to try on the day after Halloween. Tim said they tasted right on track (Yay!) aside from the fact that these were chewy and the original were more solid. Jason liked the fact that they were cold. I bet if I put these bad boys in a dehydrator they’d come out closer to the actual texture Tim was used to. Maybe I’ll try that with the next batch.

When I told Tim I’d post the recipe to my blog so he could make them himself he said he’d rather me make them and he’d buy them from me…lol…hmmmm…food for thought! :)

Yield: 18-24 small size bars

Ingredients

1 cup raw cashews
1 cup raw almonds
1 cup mixture of raw sunflower seeds, sesame seeds and pepitas
10-12 medjool dates
1/2 cup raisins
1 1/2 cups strawberries, finely chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons raw honey
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon coconut oil
1 tablespoon coconut butter

Directions

Line a 9x13in baking dish with parchment paper, so it comes out both sides.
Add cashews, almonds, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds and pepitas to a medium size mixing bowl. Using your hands blend the mixture.
Remove the pits from the medjool dates.
Add the dates and raisins to a food processor and let it run until you get one large mooshy ball of yum. Transfer the date ball to a plate.
Scoop 2 cups of nut mixture into the food processor and blend until you have a medium to small finely chopped mixture, only a few pulses should do it. Don't let it run too long otherwise you'll have nut meal.
Add the finely chopped nut mixture and the date ball to the 1 cup of whole nuts in the mixing bowl.
Add the strawberries, honey, cinnamon, coconut oil and coconut butter to a small pot and stir over medium-low heat until the strawberries have softened and everything has combined.
Pour the strawberry mixture over the nut mixture. Using a spoon mix well to combine.
Pour the mixture into the baking dish and using your hands press everything down evenly.
Add the lid to the baking dish and let it sit in the freezer overnight.
Use the parchment paper to remove the entire rectangle to a cutting board. Using a sharp knife cut into rectangular, square, bite size pieces or whatever shape you prefer.
Return the pre-cut pieces to the parchment lined baking dish and store in the freezer.
Enjoy! :)

Strawberry Paleo Granola Bars