Baked Paleo Energy Bars

These one bowl baked paleo energy bars are the perfect snack! A mixture of ground nuts, seeds and a touch of maple syrup for a healthy portable bar on the go. 

There are a lot of snack bars out there in the market, but many are loaded with empty calories. Did you know that it’s super simple to create bars right at home so you can control ingredients?

These baked Paleo snack bars are packed with nuts and seeds for protein and fiber to keep you sustained and energized whenever you need a boost. You can wrap these chewy bars and just grab and go as you head out the door. Fire up your oven and get ready to learn how to make these nutritious snacks!

Traditional granola bars can get a bad rap because they can be overloaded with refined sugars. You can change it up and create a healthier paleo-friendly option to nibble on as you need. These baked paleo bars have a tasty selection of ingredients for just the right fuel for extra energy.

How to Make Paleo Snacks

• Wholesome Ingredients: Minimally processed foods are essential to paleo eating. In moderation nuts like cashews, almonds, walnuts, pecans, macadamia nuts, and pine nuts can be enjoyed. Seeds like sesame seeds, poppy seeds, flax and sunflower seeds are also allowed.
• Natural Sweeteners: Honey, coconut sugar, maple syrup, maple sugar, dried and fresh fruits are acceptable sweeteners in moderation. If using dried fruit look for no sugar added products. Buy organic fruit when possible.
• Healthy Fats: If you need to add some oils to your recipes, olive oil, coconut oil, nut oils, and avocado oil, are okay.

Since grains and cereals (wheat, corn, rice, and oats) are NOT allowed in the paleo diet, I use nuts and seeds as the base for these energy bars. Raw nuts (almonds and cashews) are utilized in this recipe because you roast them before making the bars for extra flavor in a 300-degree oven.

The sesame seeds, pepitas (pumpkin seeds), and flaxseed are cooked together with the nuts until fragrant. The mixture is chopped in a food processor until the nuts are smaller and coarsely chopped for the bar base.

The dates and maple syrup add a light natural sweetness to the energy bars. They are blended with egg whites to bind the bar together. A few large pieces of chopped dates are added in for a nice subtle burst of sweetness in each bite. I used the bottom of a greased measuring cup to evenly spread and flatten the energy bar mixture in the baking pan.

The bars are half-way baked, so it’s easier to cut them into individual servings. They are a little fragile at this stage, so I used the side of a chef knife or dough scraper to reform them into nice rectangles are cutting.

These freshly baked bars take on a beautiful golden color, firm up, and are very nice and crisp the first day. This is because the ingredients are very dry after baking. Once the bars are stored, the texture gets chewy yet still delicious.

These baked Paleo energy bars are ready to be devoured. You can wrap them up individually and store them in an airtight container for an instant snack for the week. Days can be hectic, long and crazy, but make sure that you always have a nutritious snack to keep your engine fired up! After marathon test kitchen days I’ve found a small piece of these energy bars gives me that second wind.

Whether you need a quick snack before or after the gym, breakfast on your work commute, or that unavoidable midday slump, just grab a bite of these baked Paleo bars, and you’ll be ready to rock. I can’t wait to hear about your homemade snack bar adventures and how you customize the flavors!

Baked Paleo Energy Bars

These one-bowl baked paleo energy bars are the perfect snack! A mixture of ground nuts, seeds and a touch of maple syrup for a healthy portable snack bar.

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4.65 from 17 votes

Prep Time45 minutes mins

Cook Time45 minutes mins

Total Time1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Servings 10 bars

Course Snack

Cuisine American

Ingredients  

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• ▢ ½ cup whole raw almonds
• ▢ ½ cup raw cashews
• ▢ ⅓ cup pepitas, pumpkin seeds
• ▢ ¼ cup sunflower seeds
• ▢ 2 tablespoons whole flax seeds
• ▢ 1 tablespoon white sesame seeds
• ▢ 3 ounces dates, pitted (about 5 dates)
• ▢ 2 tablespoons warm water
• ▢ 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
• ▢ 1 large egg white
• ▢ ¾ teaspoon kosher salt

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Instructions 

• Set oven rack to the middle position. Pre-heat to 300°F.
• Line a baking sheet with foil. Add almonds, cashews pepitas, sunflower seeds, flax seeds, and sesame seeds.
• Bake 15 minutes, stirring after 10 minutes. Roast ingredients until pale golden and fragrant.
• Transfer to a food processor, allow it to cool slightly. Pulse until coarsely chopped, about 5 pulses. Transfer to a medium-sized bowl.
• Process 3 pitted dates, warm water, maple syrup, egg white, and salt in the empty food processor until smooth. Scrape down the sides of bowl as needed.
• Chop the remaining 2 pitted dates into small pieces, about ⅛-inch cubes. Add processed date mixture and chopped dates to the bowl with the nut mixture. Stir until well combined.
• Make a foil sling for an 8-inch square baking pan by folding 2 long sheets of aluminum foil, so each is 8-inches wide. Lay sheets of foil in the pan perpendicular to each other, with extra edges hanging over the pan.
• Push foil into corners and up the sides of the pan, smoothing the foil flush to the pan. Lightly greasel (I use melted coconut oil).
• Spread energy bar mixture into prepared pan. Press firmly into an even layer using the bottom of a greased measuring cup.
• Bake bars at 300°F for 20 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through baking. Remove pan from the oven. Do not turn off oven. Space bars evenly on a parchment paper lined sheet pan.
• Allow bars to cool in pan for 15 minutes. Using the foil sling, remove bars from pan, transfer to cutting board and cut into 10 bars.
• Bake until bars are a deep golden brown about 10 to 15 minutes. Let bars cool on a wire rack to room temperature, about 1 hour.

Equipment

• Food Processor
• Cooling Rack

Notes

• Energy bars will be crisp the first day, then get chewy when stored the next day. Bars can be stored at room temperature for up to 1 week.

Nutrition Facts

Serves: 10 bars

Calories 133kcal (7%)Carbohydrates 15g (5%)Protein 4g (8%)Fat 7g (11%)Saturated Fat 1g (5%)Polyunsaturated Fat 2gMonounsaturated Fat 3gSodium 17mg (1%)Potassium 95mg (3%)Fiber 2g (8%)Sugar 11g (12%)Vitamin A 50IU (1%)Vitamin C 0.4mgCalcium 20mg (2%)Iron 1.3mg (7%)

Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000-calorie diet. All nutritional information is based on estimated third-party calculations. Each recipe and nutritional value will vary depending on the brands you use, measuring methods, and portion sizes per household.