Nutty White Chocolate Apricot Granola Bars
The following recipe and photography was provided by recipe developer and food photographer, Ashley Durand of Plate & Pen.
I don’t know about you, but my pantry is always stocked with granola bars for those mornings when I need a quick grab-and-go breakfast or a snack to hold me over between meals. Store-bought granola bars are convenient and tasty, but if you read the ingredients, you’ll often notice that many of them are made from ingredients that are not so good for you.
Heinen’s does a great job at sourcing a selection of premade bars in their Grocery and Wellness Departments that are made from clean ingredients, but if you have a little extra time and are looking to achieve maximum flavor and nutrition, try making these homemade Nutty White Chocolate Apricot Granola Bars. They’re perfect to prep for the week ahead, especially if you have kids home on summer break or a generally busy schedule.
Just as the name of this recipe suggests, these bars are nutty! I buy my nuts from Heinen’s Produce Department, and they are truly premium! Packaged in individual containers and extremely fresh, crunchy and clean, they have a huge variety, so while I used shaved almonds, pecans, roasted cashews, pepitas and chia seeds, you could easily adjust with any selection that catches your eye or taste buds.
Tossed in a bowl with a pure organic maple syrup, vanilla extract, coconut extract and dried apricots, this nutty mixture is baked in the oven until lightly golden and then pulsed in a food processor to form a homemade, healthy fat-filled granola. Once ground, it’s then packed over a layer of melted white chocolate and flash frozen/ chilled to form a solid slab.
Now, I know white chocolate is not the healthiest, but it adds the perfect pop of sweetness and color. If you prefer milk or dark chocolate, simply follow the same instructions below and it will be just as tasty.
Once frozen, all that’s left to do is slice the slab into individual bars and store in the fridge to enjoy throughout the week!
Happy snacking!
Nutty White Chocolate Apricot Granola Bars
Servings: 10-12 Bars
Ingredients
- ½ cup – ¾ cup Heinen’s pure organic maple syrup, amount will depend on how sticky you like your granola
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- ½ tsp. coconut extract
- ¾ cup Heinen’s shaved almonds
- ¾ cup Heinen’s pecans
- ¾ cup Heinen’s roasted cashews
- ¾ cup Heinen’s pepitas
- ¾ cup dried apricots
- 3 Tbsp. Navitas chia seeds
- ½ tsp. kosher salt, plus more for topping
- 9 oz. white chocolate
- Heinen’s raw honey, for drizzling
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 320°F.
- Lightly spray a baking dish with cooking spray and line with parchment paper.
- In a small bowl, add the syrup, vanilla extract and coconut extract. Mix to combine.
- In a separate mixing bowl, toss together all of the nuts, pepitas, dried apricots, chia seeds and salt. Add the syrup mixture and mix well to combine.
- Transfer this mixture into the prepared baking dish and pat down very lightly. Bake for 30 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and transfer the baked mixture to a food processor. Pulse until the nuts and apricots are much finer in size.
- In the microwave or over a double boiler, melt the white chocolate.
- Remove the syrupy parchment paper from the baking dish and replace with a fresh sheet.
- Pour the melted white chocolate onto the parchment paper.
- Pour the finely ground nut mixture over top and, using a large spoon, push down to tightly pack.
- Sprinkle with more sea salt and drizzle with honey.
- Place in the freezer for 30 minutes, then transfer to the fridge for 2 hours to set.
- Remove the solid block from the baking dish and cut into bars.
- Store in a cool, dry place for up to one week.
