Soft sourdough granola bars with mulberries, cashews, and cacao nibs
One of my favorite quick, crowd-pleasing, healthy, and kid-friendly snacks.
Granola bars are a fantastic grab-and-go snack option. Why do the ones from the store include so much sugar? Some of them are basically candy bars.
Once I discovered this recipe, there was no going back. It’s a granola bar recipe that includes sourdough discard, a touch of sweetener, peanut butter, and basically whatever mix of nuts, seeds, and dried fruit—or chocolate chips!—you want.
They’re soft and full of nuts and fruit. The texture is more like a cookie bar than a chewy, sticky thing out of a wrapper. These granola bars easily replace store bought versions. For me, they check all the boxes. They’re:
Simple to make. With one bowl, you just mix and bake. They come together in about 30 minutes.
Shelf-stable. They keep at room temperature for a couple days and even longer in the fridge. They’re great for school or office lunches, hikes, long bike rides, and traveling.
Easy to customize. These ones are full of cashews, pumpkin seeds, mulberries, goji berries, and cacao nibs. Change up the amounts or types of nuts, seeds, fruit, and rolled grains all together to make your own custom blend. A few of my favorite combinations are:
Chocolate chip + ginger + cherry (my kid’s favorite!)
Raisin + fig + walnut + fennel + rolled barley
Molasses + tahini + date + cardamom + buckwheat
Naturally sweetened. Just maple syrup and dried fruit gives these bars just the right amount of sweetness.
A different way to use up discard. As you know, sourdough bakers are always looking for new ways to use up discard. This recipe uses up a whole cup of discard and tastes great, even if your discard starter is smelling pretty sour.
Let me know if you give it a try and what flavor combination you come up with!
Happy baking,
—Kala