Sunrise Bars

I have always been a fan of seeded energy bars.  You know, the ones that look like a mosaic of nuts, seeds and fruit? They are a nutritious snack and wonderful for a quick breakfast.   If you were not aware, Fresh & Natural has a delicious ready to buy seeded bar that is a known customer favorite. But when you are not 0n-the-go, it is fun to create your own bar with an unique mixture.  I recently made some using my favorite ingredients and thought that you might enjoy them as well!  I chose sunflower and pumpkin seeds, almonds, and dried cranberries.  Coconut adds extra sweetness so not as much honey is needed to sweeten the overall bars.  These are so good, I would have eaten them as a child, and I was a picky eater.

Author: Amy Lyons O’Neil

Amy has worked for Fresh and Natural Foods since 2006 contributing to the variety of healthful foods we offer. She graduated with a degree in studio art from Bethel University in 2007, but in her senior year of college, found that her passion was with the art of food. She later used her photography and culinary skills to create a vegan food and recipe blog, Fragrant Vanilla Cake. She has also written 3 cookbooks. She specializes in vegan and vegetarian recipes. Local, fresh and organic food has always been her focus in whatever she creates.

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Servings: 24 | Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 0 minutes | Ready in: 1 hour and 15 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 cup Maranatha sunflower seed butter
• 1/2 cup raw honey
• 1/4 cup Dr. Bronner's unrefined coconut oil warmed to liquid
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups of finely shredded unsweetened dried coconut
• 1 cup of pumpkin seeds (available in bulk)
• 1 cup of almonds (available in bulk)
• 1 cup dried cranberries (available in bulk)

Instructions

In a large bowl, combine the sunflower seed butter, honey, coconut oil, sea salt and vanilla extract, and whisk together until smooth. Add the coconut, pumpkin seeds, almonds, and dried cranberries and mix together with your hands until well blended.

Line a 7×11 inch pan with foil, and spray with non-stick spray. Scrape the mixture into the pan and spray your hands with the spray. Press the mixture down as well as possible and place in the freezer for an hour to harden.

Once hardened, Cut into 24 bars with a knife. Store bars in the fridge.