No-bake coconut granola bars: a snack, not a breakfast in disguise

Most granola bars on a store shelf are a dessert wearing a health food costume, more sugar than substance. This one is honest about what it is: a snack built on real coconut granola, held together with coconut butter, with a little collagen folded in for staying power. It is not trying to be breakfast.

Coconut butter is doing the binding work here, not a syrup-and-sugar slurry. That keeps the sweetness modest and lets the coconut itself carry the flavor. Collagen is optional, but it is a fair way to add some protein to what is otherwise a fat-and-fiber snack.

This needs a batch of coconut granola made first, which you can build from any AIP-compliant grain-free granola in this bank; the bars are really about the pressing and setting technique, not the granola recipe itself.

Ingredients

• 1 batch grain-free coconut granola (about 3 cups)
• 1 1/3 cups coconut butter, melted
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil, plus 1 teaspoon for greasing
• 4 teaspoons collagen peptides (optional)

Optional drizzle:

• 2 tablespoons coconut oil, softened
• 1 tablespoon carob powder
• 1/2 teaspoon honey

Optional topping: dried blueberries

Method

• Line an 8x6-inch (or smaller) dish with parchment and lightly grease it with the extra coconut oil.
• In a large bowl, stir the granola together with the melted coconut butter, coconut oil, and collagen, if using, until evenly coated.
• Press the mixture firmly and evenly into the lined dish. Chill at least 2 hours, until fully set.
• If using the drizzle, whisk the coconut oil, carob powder, and honey together, then pipe or drizzle it over the chilled bars and scatter with dried blueberries.
• Let the pan sit out 10 to 15 minutes before slicing, so the bars do not crumble under the knife. Store chilled and eat cold.

*Adapted from unboundwellness.com by Michelle Hoover*