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overhead view of paleo kind bars, some with chocolate drizzle
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Paleo Kind Bars (GAPS, Ancestral, GF, Keto)

Paleo Kind Bars are a healthy trail mix-style "granola" bar you can tailor to your diet. Nutrient-dense with a yummy goo that holds them together, this nut & seed bar copies a store-bought favorite, but is much better — and healthier. Paleo Kind Bars are also GAPS diet-friendly, Ancestral and Gluten-free. You won't want to stop eating this no-bake treat.
Course Breakfast, Dessert, lunch, Snack
Cuisine American, middle eastern
Keyword activated, ancestral, gaps diet, gluten-free, granola bar, no bake, nut, paleo, seed, sprouted
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Servings 12 granola bars
Calories 347kcal
Author Megan
Cost $8

Equipment

  • 2 loaf pans (for slightly thicker bars), a 9"x9" casserole dish, or 1 quarter size sheet pan (for thinner bars)
  • saucepan

Ingredients

  • 3 cups nuts of choice, preferably sprouted/activated for best digestion, or a combination of several kinds, also okay to use peanuts for non-Paleo
  • 1 cup seeds of choice: hemp, pumpkin or sunflower, or a combination
  • 1/2 cup dried berries , raisins, chocolate chips or freeze-dried fruit, or a combination of several (omit fruit for Keto version, or use freeze-dried raspberries)
  • 1/3 cup honey or pure maple syrup (for Keto, use a low carb liquid sweetener, like this)
  • 1/4 cup COCOA butter melted to measure, from a slightly heaping 1/4 cup of cocoa butter wafers (like these)
  • 2 Tablespoons gelatin
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla optional
  • 1/8 teaspoon sea salt optional

Instructions

  • Grease two loaf pans or a 9"x 9" casserole dish. Set aside. (I like using loaf pans for making these granola bars. Cut one direction, parallel to the width of the loaf pan, it is easy to get 6 bars. Two loaf pans work perfectly with this recipe, for a total of 12 bars.) (The day I photographed this recipe, I used a 1/4-size sheet pan, and that works well, too, and produces 16 thinner bars.)
  • Place honey or maple syrup and cocoa butter into medium-large size saucepan and whisk over medium heat until fully melted. While whisking constantly, over very low heat, sprinkle gelatin in slowly, to avoid clumping, until it's all fully incorporated. (The simmering mixture will caramelize a bit while you're whisking in the gelatin.)
    making the caramel in a saucepan for the bars
  • Add the sprouted nuts, seeds or peanuts, vanilla and sea salt. If you're adding dried fruit, add this now, too. Stir to completely coat the nuts with syrup. The mixture will become very sticky and thick.
  • Working quickly, loosely spread 1/3 of mixture out into each greased dish, if using loaf pans; (otherwise, spread 1/2 the mixture into 1 larger dish). If using chocolate chips or freeze-dried fruit that's fragile, sprinkle 2/3 of them evenly over the surface(s). Pour/scoop remaining sticky mixture over the surface(s). Sprinkle final 1/3 of chips and/or fruit. Press mixture flat, firmly. (I like to use my whole hand.)
    pressing kind bars into pan process
  • Refrigerate one hour or longer. Cut into desired shape (I do long rectangles to imitate granola bars) and serve.
    overhead view of cut kind bars
  • If you wish to drizzle chocolate or dip the bottom halves of your bars in chocolate, see recipe Notes below.

Notes

Notes on using freeze-dried fruit

Some freeze dried fruits will stand up to stirring, such as apples or mangoes. Other freeze-dried fruits, such as raspberries, are very brittle and will crush or crumble. Layer the more brittle fruits with the chocolate chip step instead of stirring them in, to prevent crushing them.

Chocolate recipe for drizzle or dipping

ingredients in pitcher for chocolate drizzle
Ingredients
  • 1/4 cup melted cocoa butter, still warm
  • 2 Tablespoons cacao powder
  • 2 Tablespoons honey or maple syrup (or low carb liquid sweetener for Keto)
Instructions
  1. Freeze bars, for 10 minutes, on parchment lined cookie sheet, to assist/expedite drizzling/dipping process.
  2. Whisk ingredients together in: 1) pitcher with pour spout for drizzling or 2) broad bowl if you plan to dip the bars. (Be sure no water touches your whisk or gets into the mixing vessel.)
  3. Remove bars from freezer and 1) drizzle with chocolate OR for dipping: 2) dip each into chocolate, shaking off any excess. Replace onto cold cookie sheet and repeat until all bars are dipped. Place cookie sheet into freezer or fridge briefly to allow chocolate to harden off completely. Dip each a second time for a thicker coating, if desired.
chocolate drizzle in pitcher with ingredients

Find fair trade cocoa butter HERE.

Find the best grass-fed, pesticide-free gelatin HERE. (Use my code BEAUTIFUL10 at checkout to get 10% off your entire order.)

The Keto version of this recipe has 2 grams net carbs per bar.

The non-Keto Paleo version has 17 grams of carbs.

Nutrition

Calories: 347kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Sodium: 7mg | Potassium: 216mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 92IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 49mg | Iron: 4mg