Snow Bites

With the endless amounts of snow upon us, I've been craving something sweet all week.  Trying not to destroy the very few work outs I've managed to squeeze in, I wanted to make the healthiest sweet treat possible.  I went digging through various blogs and websites to find the perfect thing, and stumbled upon these granola bars from Itzy's Kitchen.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cup oats
1/2 cup almond meal or ground up almonds (I couldn't find this at the grocery store near me, but I did find almond paste which I substituted)
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 package chocolate chips or chunks
1/4 cup raw sunflower seeds
1/2 cup canola oil (I used applesauce instead)
2 large eggs


Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Mix dry ingredients.

Add wet ingredients and mix well (it may seem like there isn't enough wet but keep mixing).

Spray a baking dish with non-stick spray and push mixture into the bottom of the pan with the back of a spatula/spoon.

Bake for 28 - 30 minutes until slight browned on top.  Let cool completely and cut into bars.

Now, because I used almond paste instead of meal, these came out very sweet and almond-y.  At first I didn't love the flavor, but after a bar or two, I decided I like it.  They taste similar to a macaroon with the strong almond flavor.  I think next time I may use maple syrup or honey instead of the almond paste.  But I still enjoyed each and every bar.

Happy Friday peeps!