Apricot Cacao Superfood Granola Bars – These were inspired by my dear friend who makes chocolate chip cookies with apricots for her business. The flavor of apricot and chocolate really surprised me and I knew I had to make something with this flavor combo. The texture of these granola bars is perfect and topped with a soft chocolate ganache layer just brings it to the next level.

For myself, I like to sprout nuts, seeds and grains before consuming them. This is totally optional and a personal preference. If you have a dehydrator, soak and dehydrate the almonds, sprout and dehydrate the buckwheat. If you do not have a dehydrator just add them in their raw form.

Here are the instructions for soaked and dehydrated almonds and sprouted and dehydrated buckwheat. 

  • Almonds – Soak for 8 hours, rinse and dehydrate at 115 F for 24 hours.
  • Buckwheat – Watch my video HERE on how to sprout buckwheat, then rinse well and dehydrate at 115 F for 12 hours.

Every ingredient in these granola bars plays a key role so please try not to omit any. Orange zest balances out the flavors adding a pop of acidity. I always try to add extra flavor where possible with citrus zest, ginger or spices. We add maca for an additional superfood boost but you can also use lucuma powder. Mesquite powder is added as an extra sweetener boost and it’s also packed full of nutrients such as minerals and fiber.

These have become my favorite snack, just one bar will fill you up and give you the energy to get through the rest of your day. You will love the texture and flavors of these bars. They are a great snack for the whole family, very simple to make and store for a long time in the freezer. And, of course, they are raw, vegan and gluten-free!

I hope you enjoy these as much as I do. If you happen to make them, I would love to see your creation; please post a photo in our Facebook Group HERE.

Or tag @crystal_dawn_culinary on Instagram!

Check out another great snack recipe using buckwheat here: Goji Orange Granola

>> Interested in learning how to incorporate more foods into your day?        

START HERE with my Raw Food Foundations Masterclass! 

Apricot Cacao Superfood Granola Bars

Apricot Cacao Superfood Granola Bars

Raw, Vegan and Gluten-Free Superfood Granola Bars, super simple to make, very flavorful and nutritious.
Course Snack

Equipment

  • Food Processor
  • Blender
  • Double Boiler or pot and bowl
  • 8 x 8 square pan
  • Parchment paper

Ingredients
  

Granola Bars

  • 1 cup almonds soaked and dehydrated (or raw almonds)
  • 1 cup large flake coconut
  • ¾ cup sprouted and dehydrated buckwheat measure after they are dehydrated (or raw buckwheat groats)
  • ¼ cup coconut sugar
  • 2 tbsp ground golden flax
  • 1 tbsp maca powder
  • 1 tbsp mesquite powder
  • 1/8 tsp Himalayan salt
  • 1 cup dried un-sulphured apricots soaked for 20 minutes and chopped
  • 2/3 cup cacao nibs
  • ¼ cup almond butter roasted or raw
  • 2 tbsp coconut nectar or maple syrup
  • 2 tsp orange zest
  • 10 drops vanilla Medicine Flower flavor extract or 2 tsp vanilla extract

Chocolate Ganache

  • 2/3 cup coconut nectar (coconut nectar helps set the recipe because it thickens when it cools. If you substitute with another liquid sweetener, you need to melt 30g of cacao butter and blend into the recipe for stability.)
  • ½ cup melted virgin coconut oil
  • 1 cup cacao powder
  • 10 drops vanilla Medicine Flower flavour extract or 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/8 tsp Himalayan salt
  • ¼ cup room temperature water

Instructions
 

Granola Bars

  • Process almonds, coconut, buckwheat, coconut sugar, flax, maca powder, mesquite powder and salt in a food processor until the mixture forms a crumble. Do not process until a flour is formed, we want a lot of texture.
  • Add the apricots, cacao nibs, almond butter, coconut nectar, orange zest and vanilla and process again until well combined leaving a lot of texture.
  • Transfer the mixture to a lined 8” x 8” square pan and press the granola mixture firmly into the bottom of the pan. Even out the top with the back of a soup spoon and set aside while making ganache.
  • Do not set this in the fridge or freezer, we do not want the granola bars cold when adding the ganache layer.

Chocolate Ganache Layer

  • In a dry blender, blend the coconut nectar, coconut oil, cacao powder, vanilla and salt until well combined. You may have to stop the blender and scrape down the sides a few times.
  • Add room temperature water and blend again until on low only for a few seconds. Do not overblend this mixture.
  • Pour the chocolate ganache layer onto the granola layer and move the pan from side to side to even out the layer. Pat the pan on the counter to remove air bubbles and set in the freezer for a minimum of 2 hours.
  • Remove pan from the freezer, slice into desired shaped bars and enjoy! Store in the fridge for 1 week or freezer for months.

Video

Notes

Chocolate Ganache recipe notes: coconut nectar helps set the recipe because it thickens when it cools. If you substitute with another liquid sweetener, you need to melt 30g of cacao butter and blend it into the recipe for stability.
Keyword chocolate, gluten-free, plant-based, rawvegan, vegan