Paleo Bars with Nuts and Chocolate Drizzle
Paleo Bars with Nuts and Chocolate Drizzle: A healthy back to school snack that is crunchy and sweet. Plus, Gluten Free, Paleo, and Vegan!
Back to School
Let’s talk about these delicious Paleo Bars but first… Back to school.
I’d like to tell you I’m currently sad to see my kids go back to school. But I’d be lying.
Every spring, I wait with anticipation for school to be out. I’m eager to travel with the family and make the most of the beautiful scenery in our lush green mountains. I’m ready to cart my babies to the pool, make lemonade and popsicles over and over, and create summertime memories we won’t forget.
Healthy School Snacks
However, two to three weeks before school is back in session, inevitably, the kids start getting antsy. Irritable. Ready for change. Ready to be away from their sibling for some portion of the day.
The moment this altered-attitude occurs, I am ready for them to head back to school as well. I can’t stand bickering and feel we will all appreciate each other so much more after a few hours of separation.
So now my babies are off with their books. They come home each day exhausted from mental challenges and sports, and much more tolerant of each other.
Isn’t school great?!?
While they are away, of course, I miss them again. I’ve been working on tasty and healthy lunchbox treats and after-school snacks so they taste a little bit of love when they come home.
Best Paleo Bars
I’ve made healthy granola bars, energy bars, and energy balls plenty of times before. However, my latest Paleo Bar Recipe with Chocolate Drizzle is a real winner, because it’s made solely out of nuts, Wholesome!™ organic, non-GMO sweeteners, and a little spice.
That means each snack bar is:
- paleo
- gluten-free
- dairy-free
- vegan
So unless you’re dealing with a nut allergy, these bars are perfect for everyone!
Sweet and Crunchy Nut Bar
Both of my kids LOVE this Nut Bar Recipe with Chocolate Drizzle. Carson happens to be in a nut-free classroom this year, but he has been taking them to school to enjoy at lunchtime nevertheless. (Far away from the nut-free table.)
The reason they love them so much is that these Paleo Bars with Chocolate Drizzle are sweet and super crunchy.
Wholesome! Organic Products
The secret to the sticky syrup that flavors and holds the bars together is the right combination of Wholesome!™ Organic Coconut Palm Sugar and Wholesome!™ Organic Blue Agave. Both sweeteners are unprocessed, non-GMO, and paleo/vegan-friendly.
Once the coconut sugar melts into the agave, it creates a sticky base for the bars that will harden enough to form the bars, yet isn’t tough on your teeth. A touch of vanilla, salt, and cinnamon give these snack bars extra oomph, making them hard to resist.
How to Make Paleo Bars
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Preheat the oven and line a 9×13-inch baking dish with parchment paper. Set aside. In a large bowl, mix the cashews, almonds, pecans, walnuts, and pepitas.
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Pour the Wholesome!™ Coconut Palm Sugar, Agave, vanilla extract, sea salt, and cinnamon in a large sauce pot. Bring to a simmer and stir to dissolve the sugar. The moment the sugar is completely melted, and the edges are bubbling, turn off the heat and pour in the nuts. Quickly mix the nuts into the syrup with a wooden spoon, until they are completely coated. Pour the nut mixture out onto the prepared baking sheet. Use a piece of wax paper to press the mixture firmly together.
Baking
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Bake the nut bars on the center rack until the tops are golden. Then (this is the hard part) allow the nut bars to cool for at least 45 minutes in the pan.
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Lift the whole pan of nut bars out of the pan, by the edges of the parchment paper. Cut into 24 bars. Spread the bars apart.
Chocolate Drizzle
You can enjoy these nut bars as-is, or drizzle the tops with a little dark chocolate. Either way, our Paleo Bars with Nuts and a Chocolate Drizzle is a new family favorite.
- Break a bar of dark chocolate into pieces and place over a double-boiler to melt. Once melted, pour the chocolate into a plastic bag.
- Snip off a tiny portion of the corner, and pipe the chocolate over the bars. Allow the chocolate to dry before wrapping.
- Store in an air-tight container at room temperature for 1 week, or in the fridge for up to a month.
For easy lunchbox treats, wrap them individually and keep them in the freezer. That way, they’ll keep a long time and cool the rest of the lunchbox items as they thaw.
Helpful Tip for Paleo Bars
Buying nuts can be expensive, so you should buy them in bulk if possible. And remember, this recipe makes 24 bars. Compare that to the $2-3 a piece for store-bought nut bars and the recipe ingredients are a bargain!
If you don’t like a particular nut, feel free to make substitutions. Just be sure to have 3 cups whole nuts and 3 cups of small nut pieces, so they hold together well.
Why not try them out on your kids? Or make them as a healthy snack, just for you!!
See The Recipe Card Below For How To Make Paleo Bars with Chocolate Drizzle. Enjoy!
Looking for More Back to School Recipes? Check these out!
- Lunch Box Ideas
- Healthy Baked Carrot Chips
- Homemade Trail Mix Valentine Snack
- Sausage Roll Crazy Bread
- Homemade Tzatziki Sauce with Veggies
- 3-Ingredient Cracker Jack Fudge
- Perfect Tamale Pie
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies
- Cheesy Lunchbox Poppers
- Back to School Lunch Ideas from Lauren’s Latest
Paleo Bars with Nuts and Chocolate Drizzle
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups whole raw cashews
- 1 1/2 cups whole raw almonds
- 1 cup chopped raw pecans
- 1 cup chopped raw walnuts
- 1 cup raw pepitas pumpkin seeds
- 1 cup Wholesome!™ Organic Coconut Palm Sugar
- 1/3 cup Wholesome!™ Organic Blue Agave
- 1 tablespoon organic vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons sea salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 4 ounces organic 80% dark chocolate optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F, and line a 9x13-inch baking dish with parchment paper. Set aside. In a large bowl, mix the cashews, almonds, pecans, walnuts, and pepitas.
- Pour the Wholesome!™ Coconut Palm Sugar, Agave, vanilla extract, sea salt, and cinnamon in a large sauce pot. Bring to a simmer and stir to dissolve the sugar. The moment the sugar is completely melted, and the edges are bubbling, turn off the heat and pour in the nuts. Quickly mix the nuts into the syrup with a wooden spoon, until they are completely coated. Pour the nut mixture out onto the prepared baking sheet. Use a piece of wax paper to press the mixture firmly together.
- Bake the nut bars on the center rack for approximately 20 minutes until the tops are golden. Then (this is the hard part) allow the nut bars to cool for at least 45 minutes in the pan.
- Lift the whole pan of nut bars out of the pan, by the edges of the parchment paper. Cut into 24 bars. Spread the bars apart. Break one 4 ounce bar of dark chocolate into pieces and place over a double-boiler to melt. Once melted, pour the chocolate into a plastic bag. Snip off a tiny portion of the corner, and pipe the chocolate over the bars. Allow the chocolate to dry before wrapping. Store in an air-tight container at room temperature for 1 week, or in the fridge for up to a month.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Wholesome!™ Sweeteners. All sugary-sweet opinions are my own.
WOW! these are delicious. i found you on pinterest and i’m so glad i did. thanks for this recipe!!!
Have you ever tried to substitute blue agave with honey?
Hi Joyce!
Yes, you can definitely do that. :)
Is there a way to make these less sweet?
Hi Jo,
You can reduce the amount of agave and palm sugar by one-third. Just make sure you stir it extremely well so it still sticks together. It won’t coat the nuts as well, but it will still taste great!
I’ve been making these for a couple of months and can’t seem to master them. I either burn them or don’t cook them enough and they don’t stick together. Do you use a baking sheet or a baking dish like a pyrex? Any tips to get them to stick together?
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Love these bars, so easy to make.
Made one batch and OMG they are definitely the best tasting bars I’ve every had. You must have some muscles though cause I really struggled mixing the sugar mixture with the nuts. I had to ask my husband to help me. Think i can add a tablespoon or two of melted coconut oil. I moved quick like you said but it dried quickly.
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Would these work with Trail mix instead of just nuts?
Can I use organic maple syrup in place of the blue agave? I didn’t think agave was paleo approved, so I’ve never used it. But these look like my type of snack bars – almost like those Kind bars, only cleaner ?
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Mine came out a bit tacky/sticky. Although my husband says they are ” better than any bars we have ever bought,” I’m wondering if there is a way to make them more hard/crunchy so they hold together a little better/don’t stick to the teeth as much. Any tips?
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hi, my doctor is cutting my sugar intake by a lot, literally almost none, so I was wondering is there a way to make these bars to either no sugar or reduced?
I can’t believe it’s already back to my school time! This is a great snack to send in kids’ lunches!
Love these! Thanks! By any chance would you have the nutritional information for these?