Superfood Granola Bars: Fresh Cranberries, Chia Seeds, Flax Powder

Ingredients:
-1/4 C Chopped fresh cranberries
-6 TB almond meal
-1 TB chia seed
-1 TB flax seed powder
-Handful of pecans, chopped (pistachios may also be an interesting choice)
-1/4 C chunky unsweetened applesauce (OR use 1 egg if you like, I think they make granola and things hold together a little better)
-1/4 C honey
-1 TB orange marmalade, or some orange zest if you prefer to not add anything with sugar
-2 shakes of ginger
-dash of vanilla

You just want to mix these in a bowl until they are well incorporated.  Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Line a baking pan with parchment paper and turn the batter out onto it.  Spread it out into a thin sheet about 1/4 inch thick.  I would say mine ended up being 3 inches wide by 6 or 7 inches long. 

Bake for 20-25 minutes until the edges start to brown, or until desired texture if you want it to be a crunchier bar.

Drizzle with white or dark chocolate, or eat as is.  This recipe is really adaptable, as all granola bars are.  Basically the general formula for granola bar is chunks of something and enough of something else to make it all hold together.  So you could easily add in more nut chunks and then adjust any honey, apple, or egg amounts if it was not holding together in your bowl.  Granola bars are, in my opinion, the simplest thing to make and one of my favorite blank canvases.  I highly recommend adjusting this to what you have on hand or what works best with your taste buds.

Cranberries are one of the newest additions to my fridge, so I will be looking forward to making some cool recipes with them.  I am a sucker for a superfood and also for snacks, so I enjoy that this way I can involve them both.  My sister gave me a big container of powdered flax seeds, and so I thought this may be a fun way to combine a whole lot of new ventures.

You may also consider adding in some cinnamon and nutmeg to give these more of a spiced fall taste. 

Happy crafting!