These Quinoa Breakfast Bars are perfect for busy mornings. They are made with a hearty blend of quinoa, oats, and an assortment of seeds and nuts such as pecans, pumpkin, and sunflower, all brought together with coconut and maple syrup. The bars are deliciously indulgent yet surprisingly light, providing a day's worth of sunshine and energy in every bite. They will keep you fueled and ready to tackle whatever the day throws at you.
Place oven rack in the middle position and preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Line a 13 x 9 inch pan with parchment, allowing the parchment to hang over the edges of the pan. Spray with cooking spray.
In a bowl, combine maple syrup, sugar and sea salt. Whisk in coconut oil.
In a food processor, process ½ cup of the quinoa until finely ground, about 45 seconds. Transfer to the bowl with the maple syrup and add in remaining quinoa, oats, pecans, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds and coconut.
Transfer mixture to prepared pan and spread in an even layer. Spray a large metal spatula with oil and compress the mixture. Bake for 25 minutes and then rotate the pan. Bake for an additional 20 minutes, until golden brown.
Let bars cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes, then cut into 16 bars. (While still in the pan.) Let cool for 1 hour and using parchment, life bars from a pan onto a cutting board. Use a sharp knife to re-cut bars following original cuts.
Notes
Variations for this Quinoa Granola Bar Recipe
You can use any liquid sweetener you like in place of the maple syrup. Honey, brown rice syrup and Agave Nectar all work.
In place of the pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds, used ½ cup of broken gluten-free pretzels and ½ cup chocolate chips.
Add 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon and ¼ teaspoon red pepper for a fun twist.