{greek yogurt blueberry granola bars}

 {gluten free!}

because what's better than granola bars??

granola bars with dried blueberries & vanilla greek yogurt coating!

first things first; I will forewarn you that (unless it's just me, and it very well could be) these will not turn out perfect. they are sticky and messy and I wouldn't put them on the front page of a cooking magazine, BUT they are soo delicious!!! :)

(recipe origin Half Baked Harvest) 

This was my second time making time making them and Aurora, the adorable little girl my sister, Aleks, babysits for "helped" me ;) Aleks snapped some pictures, so the credit to those pics go to her :)

Ingredients:

• 2 cups rolled oats (gluten free if needed)
• 1 1/2 cup rice krispies 
• 1/4 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
• 1/4 cup whole roasted almonds (I substituted with walnuts, really any nut would work)
• 1 tablespoon chia seeds (optional.. because I made them be optional) 
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup peanut butter (or almond butter)
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla 
• 1 cup fresh blueberries (or 3/4 cup dried)

Greek Yogurt Coating

• 1 tablespoon water
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoon gelatin 
• 1/4 cup greek yogurt
• 1 tablespoon honey
• pinch of salt
• 1 1/2-2 cups powdered sugar 

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How It's Done:

*Skip this step if you are using dried blueberries.* Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spread the blueberries on the baking sheet. Roast for 30-40 minutes, or until the berries burst and shrink. Remove from oven and let cool. 

Line an 9x13 square Pyrex pan with wax or parchment paper.

In a large bowl combine the oats, rice krispies, coconut, almonds, chia seeds and salt. Mix together.









In a small microwave safe bowl combine the peanut butter and honey. Microwave for 30 seconds to 1 minute or until the mixture is hot and pourable. Add the vanilla and mix again.


Add the honey mixture to the dry oat mixture and mix until everything is moist and combined. Gently stir in the blueberries. 

Press the mixture into the prepared pan and then using the back of a measuring cup press the mixture into the pan until it is very tightly packed. Cover and place in freezer for 1 hour.

Cut into 9-12 bars and return to freezer.

Make the greek yogurt coating. Combine the water and vanilla in a small bowl. Sprinkle the gelatin over top and whisk with a fork until gelatin is evenly distributed. Set aside for about 5 minutes or until needed. It will set into a thick paste. 

In another small bowl, whisk together the yogurt, honey, and salt. Microwave on 15 second bursts, stirring in between each burst, until the yogurt is liquidy and very warm to the touch. Don't let it start to boil or the yogurt will curdle. I microwaved mine for 45 seconds total.

Whisk the gelatin into the warm yogurt mixture until the gelatin is completely dissolved. Scrape the yogurt mixture into a medium mixing bowl. Pour the powdered sugar on top. Use a mixer or whisk until the yogurt and powdered sugar combine into a thick, but pourable, coating.

Line a baking sheet with wax paper or silpat. Working with one bar at a time, dip the bottom of the bar into the yogurt and allow and excess to drip off. Flip the bars over so the yogurt coated side faces up and place on the papered baking sheet. They will be very sticky. Repeat with remaining bars. Let the bars sit, uncovered, until dry to the touch, about 4 hours or overnight (I left mine overnight).

*Next step is optional. In my opinion the bars were sweet enough with just the bottom of the bar coated and I didn't want to wait any longer ;)* Cover the remaining yogurt coating and save for later. Once the bars are completely dry, flip them over so the yogurt coated side is now facing down. Transfer the remaining yogurt coating to a sandwich size ziplock bag and snip a small hole in the corner. Drizzle the remaining coating over the bars and allow the bars to sit at least 2 hours or overnight.

Once bars are completely dry, store in an airtight container at room temperature. (I saran wrapped mine) 

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She was soo adorable!! :)

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**Note: When making the coating; you need to decide how runny/thick you want it. The first time I made them (the right picture below) I used 2 cups of powdered sugar, which made it  a lot thicker (and sweeter). It being thicker was a little harder to work with. So the second time (left picture) I only used about 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar and, as you can see, made it a lot runnier(that picture was taken before they dried so they look even runnier) which they was fine not being as thick, it just soaked into the bars more.

It really doesn't make a big difference taste wise, just looks and texture.

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So, there you go!! They are a little time consuming but totally worth it! 
Please let me know how it goes if you try them out! :)

God bless!!

♥Emmy