Today is a sad, grey Sunday here in Auckland with cloud cover and constant drizzle. One of those days when it’s good to curl up in front of the fire and read. But I am so bad at doing nothing as much as the idea appeals. But I am looking forward to my glass of wine and a few nibbles at 7pm when Adriano brings it into my study just before he starts cooking dinner. He cooks Friday to Sunday to give me a break and that’s when I do the baking for the week. And no, you can’t have him. He’s mine.
Not all granola bars have to be cooked but it can be difficult for them to stay together as a unit if they are not baked. So I figured I would make them into small balls and roll them in coconut and it worked. I used peanut butter as the binding ingredient because it does stick things together well and then added the usual rolled oats for the starch. The rest is flexible so I added raisins, almonds and chocolate chips but I can see this tasting good with cranberries and walnuts or pecans as well. Just make sure the pieces are not too big or they won’t incorporate into the balls very well.
This is not a low Fodmap recipe.
- ½ C peanut butter (no added salt or sugar)
- ¼ C honey
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 pinch of salt
- 1 C rolled oats
- ½ C shredded coconut
- ¼ cup almond slivers
- ¼ cup raisins
- ½ cup dark chocolate chips
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp nutmeg
- Extra coconut
- In a large bowl mix the peanut butter, honey, vanilla, lemon juice and salt.
- Add the remaining ingredients and mix well.
- Take out about 1 dessertspoonful of dough, squeeze it together and roll into a ball. Rub some oil on your hands so the mixture sticks less.
- Roll the finished balls in some extra coconut.
- Place the balls in the fridge.
These are great for the breakfast on the go!
You might need three or four for breakfast though, but it would be quick and easy.
Suzanne
Love the flowers in the background. Great looking balls. Love your presentation. Adriano sounds very special. I have a friend who cooks during the week and her husband does all the weekend cooking and all the dinner party cooking as well! My husband can operate the BBQ but that’s about it! xx
Adriano couldn’t cook at all when I met him – many Italian men can’t – but he learned over time. I must admit that dinner party time is my territory because that’s special cooking and quite fun. The fun has come back to day-to-day cooking though with this blog.
Suzanne
I love the idea of bite size granola bars and the inclusion of peanut butter makes them more appealing!
I love the picture too, the styling and the colors are really beautiful
Thanks, Swansan. The bite-size means that one can indulge without going overboard, which is what I need. All this baking is not good for the figure.
Suzanne
It’s grey here too, but we’re delighted! This is the first rain of more than a few drops in over a month. It’s been dry here. You have a lot of my favorite flavors working in this recipe – peanut butter, coconut, chocolate, almonds, lemon juice, cinnamon. Sounds wonderful! Thanks.
It’s sunny here at the moment. It’s crazy living on an island – we can have 4 seasons in a day.
These balls are so easy to make as well and with no baking, it’s over and done with quickly.
Suzanne
Hi Suzanne, you have a beautiful blog !
Thanks so much, Ila.
Suzanne