Chewy Cranberry Pecan Oat Bars

These Chewy Cranberry Pecan Oat Bars are naturally sweetened with honey and coconut palm sugar. They’re a perfect make-ahead bar as they freeze well.

Hearty oats, crunchy pecans, cranberries and honey combine to make these chewy Cranberry Pecan Oat Bars, my new favourite bar cookies! I made these recently to pack for a plane trip to Eastern Canada, but they disappeared, one by one, from the freezer before we left . . .

These oat bars are perfect for a quick and easy mid-morning or afternoon snack.

We’ve all had experiences with the dreaded airplane food. Pre-packaged, warmed-up meals served in plastic containers are often less than appetizing, but we eat them anyway because we have no choice. As airline companies strive to save costs, one of the first things to be eliminated is complimentary meals. When we discovered that there would be no meals served on our flights across Canada, I can’t say I was disappointed.

Now I had no excuse not to make some nutritious snacks for us for the long flight. These oat bars topped my list of things to pack, but they were just too good to save until flight day.

These Cranberry Pecan Oat Bars are sweet, but not too sweet. You can easily adjust the sweetener to your liking. Use this recipe as a base, and add whatever nuts or dried fruit you have on hand. Try walnuts and raisins, or almonds with dried cherries as options.

Mix the dry ingredients and wet ingredients separately, then combine and press firmly into a lined baking dish. Cool after baking, then cut into 30 small squares, or leave as larger bars. This is an easy recipe that kids could make for their school lunches, too. And if you love easy snack bars, try these Healthy Paleo Cashew Cherry Snack Bars. 

5 from 5 votes

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Cranberry Pecan Oat Bars

Prep Time

10 mins

Cook Time

25 mins

Total Time

35 mins

 

These Chewy Cranberry Pecan Oat Bars are naturally sweetened with honey and coconut palm sugar. They're a perfect make-ahead bar as they freeze well.

Course: Bars and Cookies

Cuisine: American, Canadian, Gluten-Free

Servings: 30 bars

Calories per serving: 150 kcal

Author: Flavour & Savour

Ingredients

• 4 cups quick cooking oats gluten-free, if necessary
• 1/2 cup coconut palm sugar (or brown sugar)
• 1 cup pecans, coarsely chopped
• 1 cup dried cranberries
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup honey warmed
• 1/2 cup coconut oil or butter melted

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9 x 13" baking pan with parchment paper leaving extra on two sides so you'll be able to lift out the bars after they're baked.

2. In a large bowl, combine oats, sugar, pecans, cranberries and cinnamon.

3. Combine honey, coconut oil and vanilla extract and mix with dry ingredients until well combined.

4. Transfer to the prepared pan, spreading and firmly packing it in.

5. Bake for 25 minutes or until golden. Let cool completely, then using the parchment paper as handles, lift the slab out and transfer to a cutting board. Slice into 24 - 30 small bars or 12-15 large bars.  Store in a sealed container. These bars freeze well.

Recipe Notes

Calorie count is based on cutting the pan into 30 bars.