Chocolate Cherry Almond Bars
Whether you want a decadent breakfast bar or a flavour fulled snack on the go, these chocolate cherry almond bars are a must try.
These bars are like a soft baked slice but with all of the goodness of a muesli or granola bar.
Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
Cherries have to be one for my favourite fruits.
They are so rich and tart and pair soooo well with both chocolate and almonds. This recipe blends those three flavours together perfectly. I love to use these bars as a quick grab an go breakfast option or in lunchboxes for a tasty bit of goodness.
Why you will love Chocolate Cherry Almond Bars
Simple to make – Simply place your dry ingredients into a large bowl. Mix in the wet ingredients. Press into a tray and bake.
Flavour – Not your typical basic chocolate or fruit bar. The depth of flavour that the cherries and almonds give this, cannot be beat.
Healthy – What makes a decadent soft bar even better? When its loaded with ingredients that are good for you too! With only 1/2 cup of sugar divided into 12 bars. This definitely makes it a lower sugar snack or breakfast. This feels like a treat when you are eating it but with all of the pros of a healthier muesli bar.
Versatile– So many of the ingredients in this recipe can be swapped out to suit whatever your needs may be.
- Dairy free – swap the butter for dairy free margarine or coconut oil and use a dairy free chocolate.
- Gluten free – swap the flour / baking powder for your favourite 1:1 gluten free self raising flour. Trade the oats crushed gluten free wheet-bix or other gluten free cereals that you have on hand.
- Nut free – trade the almonds and essence for rice bubbles and vanilla essence.
- Egg free – leave out the egg and add in 1/4 cup of yogurt or half of a mashed banana.
- No coconut or oats on hand – swap for more of the other or trade them in for crushed wheet-bix, cornflakes or other cereals that you have on hand.
Tips and Tricks
- When you add in your melted butter and sugar make sure that you do not pour the hot liquid directly onto your egg. I like to place the egg on one side of my bowl of dry ingredients. Pour the butter into a well on the other side. This way you can mix as normal without exposing the egg to any heat.
- To cut these into slices I like to begin by removing the shorter edge on the sides before cutting the whole slab in half lengthwise. From there you can cut in the opposite direction to make 10 – 12 even pieces. Usually I will portion out 12 slices if they are to be used as lunchbox bars or onto 10 if I am using them as breakfast bars.
- These bars freeze really well. Wrap the bars individually in cling film and place in your freezer to freeze for up to 3 months. They will only take about 2-3 hours to defrost so you can place them straight into lunchboxes in the morning or take them out the night before if you are having one as a quick breakfast bar. To eat these without the defrost time you can also microwave them unwrapped for about 30-40 seconds. They will be a bit more crumbly but it is definitely my favourite way to have chocolate cherry almond bars.
Ingredients
Method
- Preheat oven to 160 degrees fan (or 180 degrees regular)
- Line a large baking dish with baking paper and set aside (approx 30 x 18 cm)
- In a large bowl combine dry ingredients
- Let cherries defrost slightly, then roughly dice and add to the dry ingredients. Gently mix to ensure all the cherries are lightly coated in the mixture
- Place butter and sugar into a small saucepan and melt
- Add essence and egg to one side of the dry ingredients bowl. Once melted, pour the butter mixture into the dry ingredients keeping it to the other side of the bowl.
- Starting at the butter side fold the ingredients together until it is well combined. The mixture should resemble a thick dough.
- Spread dough evenly into the prepared baking tray. Cook for 25-30 minutes our until baked through
- Cool slightly and slice. For bars I like to cut off the 2 short edges then make one long cut down the centre lengthwise. Then you can cut evenly into 10-12 bars
Thank you so much for taking the time to read through my chocolate cherry almond bars recipe. I hope you enjoy trying this out for yourself. Please feel free to add any questions or comments below. I am happy to help out wherever possible and I would love to hear how this recipe worked out for you.
Crystal Rose
