What’s better than making a healthy and nutritious bar without any processed junk in it that you and your family will enjoy? NOTHING in my humble opinion!

Yes, we all have different tastes in families, but most everyone loves the flavor of cocoa! Even if your kids or you don’t like quinoa, you won’t even know it’s in there!

My oldest picky “almost teen” loved these bars. Made especially for my boys with nut allergies so they could enjoy them. Even my daughter who doesn’t have a nut allergy likes them too. I on the other hand LOVE them! That they contain the healthy protein filled seed, QUINOA makes me super happy! Made with honey and coconut butter this recipe is amazing, even better that it’s no bake too. 🙂

Recently you’ve seen something similar to these if you follow my blog or subscribe to receiving my recipes via email. It all started when my daughter received her American Girl doll magazine and she made a no bake peanut butter granola bar that were fantastic! So I adapted them and shared them as, No Bake Chewy Cocoa Granola Bars that are nut free. Substituting the cereal I used for Quinoa, make these a winning recipe and tastes just as good.

One difference in those bars and these is that I used regular honey. I prefer using creamed honey which is thicker and will make the bars more hand-able but regular honey works here fine. Keep them refrigerated though, as once quinoa is cooked it needs refrigeration and they will be good for up to a week!

Other recipes you might like:

• Cocoa Baked Quinoa Bars: Gluten & Dairy free
• No Bake Chewy Cocoa Granola Bars: Refined Sugar, Gluten & Nut Free
• Fruity Baked Quinoa: Gluten, Sugar & Dairy Free
• Oat & Fruit Breakfast Bar: Dairy, Egg, Gluten, Grain & Nut free
• Whole Wheat Berry Crumb Bars
• Chocolate Peanut Butter Quinoa Parfait
• Fudgey Flourless Chocolate Brownies: Gluten, Sugar, Dairy free

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No Bake Cocoa Quinoa Sesame Bars [Gluten, Nut, Dairy & Refined Sugar Free]

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 10 minutes minutes

Servings 8

Calories 191kcal

Author Brenda Bennett

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup cocoa powder unsweetened
• 1 cup cooked quinoa
• 3/4 cup dry rolled oats use gluten free if needed
• 1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
• 1/4 cup ground flax seed
• 1/4 cup sesame seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon powdered stevia or 2 packets
• 1/3 cup softened coconut butter
• 1/3 cup honey or creamed honey
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

• In a large bowl stir together the first 8 ingredients until well blended.
• In a separate microwaveable bowl add the coconut butter, honey, and vanilla. Melt for 1 minute and stir completely until well incorporated.
• Pour into the dry ingredients and mix well.
• Line an 8 by 8 baking dish with parchment paper hanging over opposite sides. Spray the parchment paper with nonstick cooking spray.
• Pour the mixture into the baking dish.
• Spread to edges and press down with a spatula to even off the top.
• Refrigerate for 60 minutes.
• Lift by parchment paper onto a cutting board.
• Slice into squares or bars.
• Wrap individually to store.
• Keep refrigerated for up to a week.

Notes

Weight Watchers PointsPlus: 5*

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 191kcal | Carbohydrates: 28g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 8g | Sodium: 4mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 12g

The post No Bake Cocoa Quinoa Sesame Bars [Gluten, Nut, Dairy & Refined Sugar Free] appeared first on Sugar-Free Mom.

A NUT FREE granola bar that stays together and doesn’t need to be baked?? IT’S TRUE!!!  Soft and chewy but holds together perfectly! Cocoa flavor throughout with a nice little crunch from some brown rice crispy cereal!

Super easy to make too! All you need is a few ingredients and about 10 minutes of your time to prepare. After ingredients are melted and stirred together you pour them into a small baking dish and refrigerate for 30 minutes!

You may not have ever seen this type of honey before but I found it at Whole Foods Market right next to regular honey. I chose it for another recipe but ended up using it for these bars. It’s a bit thicker than regular honey and helps the bars stick together well. You can certainly use regular honey if that’s all you have on hand.

See?? Thicker, not so loose. This recipe is an adaption from my daughters American Girl Doll magazine if you can believe it!! It called for peanut butter and honey of course. And when my boys saw them …OH how they wanted some, but couldn’t because of their nut allergies! I had to make something they could enjoy! (By the way they absolutely love their version!) My daughters came out very tasty, but were a bit more soft then the ones I made with the creamed honey. But also what I use to replace the honey is what really holds it all together once it refrigerates a bit.

You can leave them alone to sit for an hour and gel together or refrigerate for 30 minutes then they will be much easier to cut into bars or squares.

Perfect for a snack anytime or on the go as a breakfast, it does contain fab ingredients. 🙂

 Quick Note on Substitutions:

You can easily substitute the coconut butter for any nut butter of your choice. Sunflower seeds can be replaced with chopped nuts. Be advised that if you add additional ingredients such as raisins or chocolate chips you may need to increase honey and coconut butter. If you are gluten free, make sure to purchase gluten free rolled oats.

Nutrition Info [16 Squares]

Calories per bar: 98* Fat: 6g* Cholesterol: 0mg* Sodium: 32mg* Carbs: 11g* Fiber: 3g* Sugars: 4g* Protein: 2g* Points+: 3*

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No Bake Chewy Cocoa Granola Bars {Refined Sugar, Gluten & Nut Free}

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 8

Calories 196kcal

Author Brenda Bennett

Ingredients

• 1 cup crispy brown rice cereal
• 3/4 cup rolled oats gluten free
• 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/4 cup ground flaxseed
• 1/4 cup sunflower seeds
• 2 packets powdered stevia
• 1/3 cup coconut butter melted
• 1/3 cup creamed clover honey
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

• In a large bowl stir together the first 7 ingredients until well blended.
• In a separate microwaveable bowl add the coconut butter, honey, and vanilla. Melt for 1 minute and stir completely until well incorporated.
• Pour into the dry ingredients and mix well.
• Line an 8 by 8 baking dish with parchment paper hanging over opposite sides. Spray the parchment paper with nonstick cooking spray.
• Pour the mixture into the baking dish.
• Spread to edges and press down with a spatula to even off the top.
• Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• Lift by parchment paper onto a cutting board.
• Slice into squares or bars.
• Wrap individually to store.

Notes

Weight Watchers PointsPlus: 5*

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 196kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 12g | Sodium: 64mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 8g

The post No Bake Chewy Cocoa Granola Bars {Refined Sugar, Gluten & Nut Free} appeared first on Sugar-Free Mom.