Grain-Free Granola Balls

by ALEXA

Today the lovely and talented Hallie of Daily Bites is here to share one of her most popular snackin’ recipes. If you’ve not met Hallie, I hope you’ll head on over to her blog and get acquainted. On her site, Hallie shares gluten-free (and usually dairy-free) recipes featuring fresh, natural ingredients.

Hallie is a nutrition educator, professional recipe developer, passionate foodie and author. Her book, The Pure Kitchen, is available from Amazon.com and The Pure Kitchen e-store. This cookbook offers readers and food-lovers a unique but easy approach to fortifying their diets with whole, natural, pure foods. While eliminating gluten and dairy from your diet can be daunting in a world of packaged convenience foods and take-out, learning to cook at home is essential to adopting a healthy lifestyle. A diet rich in colorful fruits and vegetables, lean proteins, healthy fats, and gluten-free whole grains is quite possibly one of the healthiest around. From energizing breakfasts to mouthwatering desserts, The Pure Kitchen is chock-full of recipes, tips, and tricks for eating well, living pure, and maximizing good health.

 

Guest Post: Grain-Free Granola Balls by Hallie Klecker

There are few things I miss from my pre-gluten-free days. Honestly, I could care less about banana bread and carrot cake, whole grain toast or English muffins, pasta or pizza. Give me a plateful of sweet potatoes or brown rice any day. Gluten-full foods don’t mean that much to me.

With one exception. Granola.

Just a year or two before I went gluten-free, I crafted the most addictively good and ridiculously easy granola recipe. Laden with oats, nuts, seeds, dried fruits, natural sweeteners and spices, that stuff was incredible. Drizzled with just enough almond milk to coat the crunchy clusters, it was heaven in a bowl.

I was sorely disappointed when I tried the same recipe with gluten-free rolled oats only to find that my body doesn’t jive with them. A few here or there in a baked good is tolerable, but when it comes to eating straight oats in something like granola or oatmeal, it’s a no go.

So, quite miserably, I’ve given up granola for the last few years. It’s one of the very, very few “gluten foods” I actually crave from time to time. But ever since a few bad experiences with gluten-free oats, I’ve laid aside all hope of enjoying it again.

But when January 20 rolled around—National Granola Bar Day—something fluttered in my stomach. Like an old highschool crush coming back to haunt me, I recalled my love for granola with an ache in my chest. In a bar or in a bowl, it doesn’t matter. Granola is heaven in all forms.

So, armed with nothing but passion for my deepest culinary love and a pantry full of nuts, seeds and dried fruits, I set out to make what I hoped to be an oat-free granola knock-off that would satisfy even my strongest cravings.

As I mixed together my favorite combination of usual granola suspects—walnuts, pumpkin and sunflower seeds, dried blueberries, honey, cinnamon—I felt a surge of hope flood through me. Maybe this would work after all.

Pinching the mixture between my fingers as I was about to spread the granola out in an even layer on a pan, the thought occured to me: why not turn this granola—my favorite anytime snack—into a bite-sized ball?

I took the idea and ran with it. These balls, firm enough to hold their shape but not so much as to break a jaw, are a testament to the fact that even our most cherished recipes can be modified to fit a new lifestyle. Enjoy these balls alongside a cup of tea and you favorite newspaper (or, if you’re like me, food magazine). For all you winter travelers, these are exceptionally transportable, too. They’d make a healthy (and incomparably delicious) alternative to airplane peanuts.

The results of writing this recipe have confirmed my belief that granola in all forms—be it by the bowl, bar, or ball—is completely and utterly perfect.

I cannot think of any other word in the English language to describe it. So perfect will do just fine.

Grain-Free Granola Balls

Makes: 12-14 balls

Ingredients:

½ cup raw SUNFLOWER SEEDS
½ cup raw PUMPKIN SEEDS
½ cup blanched ALMOND FLOUR
1 teaspoon ground CINNAMON
½ teaspoon SEA SALT
1 cup raw WALNUTS, chopped
¼ cup dried BLUEBERRIES
¼ cup RAISINS
¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon good quality HONEY
2 tablespoons ALMOND BUTTER
1 tablespoon WATER
½ teaspoon VANILLA EXTRACT

Directions: 

  1. Preheat oven to 350˚F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. In a food processor fitted with the steel blade, combine sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, almond flour, cinnamon, and salt. Pulse for ten 1-second pulses to form a coarse meal. Transfer to medium bowl.
  3. Stir in the walnuts, blueberries, and raisins.
  4. Then add the honey, almond butter, water, and vanilla. Stir to combine with a wooden spoon. Dough will be thick and stiff.
  5. Using wet hands, form dough into tightly-packed balls about 1 ½ inches in diameter. Arrange on parchment-lined baking sheet.
  6. Bake for 20-22 minutes until golden brown. Balls will still be soft to touch. Cool completely before serving or storing. Balls will set up as they cool. (Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.)

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24 comments

katie March 27, 2012 - 4:42 pm

these look delicious! i'm so sad for your non-granola life before this! have you enjoyed the recipe just as straight granola too? or does it only really work in the granola bites?

Reply
Ellen (Gluten Free Diva) March 27, 2012 - 5:13 pm

Hallie – these look great and SO easy! I love that they're grain-free. I'm always looking for recipes to share with my daughters and coaching clients, especially when they're this delicious and healthy. Thanks for sharing!

Reply
Hallie @ Daily Bites March 27, 2012 - 10:43 pm

Katie: I actually haven't tried it as straight granola. The balls are so good! 🙂

Ellen: Great. Hope they enjoy! 🙂

Reply
Kathie March 27, 2012 - 11:29 pm

Just made these here in Australia, and it was tough leaving enough mixture behind to actually cook – so yummy! Am going to give some in a little pkt for an healthy Easter pres 🙂

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Maggie March 27, 2012 - 11:39 pm

Totally making these. They look soooo delish Hallie.

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Ricki March 28, 2012 - 12:59 am

I love the look of these! And what a great ingredient list–and they sound so easy to make, too! A perfect snack (or breakfast). 🙂

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Sharon March 28, 2012 - 6:05 am

I've been on a quest for the perfect gluten/dairy free snack…this looks like it could be it! Going to give it a try tomorrow.

BTW: What alternative could I use for the sunflower seeds? They don't agree with me at all.

thanks!

Reply
Cassidy @ Cooking Gluten (& Dairy) Free March 28, 2012 - 1:12 pm

These look great! I'll have to buy some sunflower and pumpkin seeds today 🙂 Thanks!

Reply
Cassidy @ Cooking Gluten (& Dairy) Free March 28, 2012 - 1:12 pm

These look great! I'll have to buy some sunflower and pumpkin seeds today 🙂 Thanks!

Reply
Cassidy @ Cooking Gluten (& Dairy) Free March 28, 2012 - 1:12 pm

These look great! I'll have to buy some sunflower and pumpkin seeds today 🙂 Thanks!

Reply
Cassidy @ Cooking Gluten (& Dairy) Free March 28, 2012 - 1:12 pm

These look great! I'll have to buy some sunflower and pumpkin seeds today 🙂 Thanks!

Reply
Cassidy @ Cooking Gluten (& Dairy) Free March 28, 2012 - 1:12 pm

These look great! I'll have to buy some sunflower and pumpkin seeds today 🙂 Thanks!

Reply
Cassidy @ Cooking Gluten (& Dairy) Free March 28, 2012 - 1:12 pm

These look great! I'll have to buy some sunflower and pumpkin seeds today 🙂 Thanks!

Reply
Cassidy @ Cooking Gluten (& Dairy) Free March 28, 2012 - 1:12 pm

These look great! I'll have to buy some sunflower and pumpkin seeds today 🙂 Thanks!

Reply
Cassidy @ Cooking Gluten (& Dairy) Free March 28, 2012 - 1:12 pm

These look great! I'll have to buy some sunflower and pumpkin seeds today 🙂 Thanks!

Reply
Cassidy @ Cooking Gluten (& Dairy) Free March 28, 2012 - 1:12 pm

These look great! I'll have to buy some sunflower and pumpkin seeds today 🙂 Thanks!

Reply
Cassidy @ Cooking Gluten (& Dairy) Free March 28, 2012 - 1:12 pm

These look great! I'll have to buy some sunflower and pumpkin seeds today 🙂 Thanks!

Reply
Cassidy @ Cooking Gluten (& Dairy) Free March 28, 2012 - 1:12 pm

These look great! I'll have to buy some sunflower and pumpkin seeds today 🙂 Thanks!

Reply
Alisa March 28, 2012 - 10:22 pm

Hallie is such a cutie and I LOVE her recipes! Totally my style.

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Jenilyn March 28, 2012 - 10:40 pm

I must get this book! Not only do I avoid the same foods she does, I also could not agree more about the importance of planning. I read a little of Hallie's intro on Amazon and she talks about meal planning and the importance of cooking your own foods. I have done that for years and it has helped me stay fit both physically and financially. I'm so excited to read your cookbook. Way to go goddess of the kitchen!

Reply
Hallie @ Daily Bites March 30, 2012 - 11:25 pm

Sharon: Instead of the sunflower seeds, you could just use more pumpkin seeds or any other nut/seed you like. Enjoy! 🙂

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Alta April 4, 2012 - 8:55 pm

I love the sound of these. Yum. I too can't do GF oats, so I'm all about grain-free granola!

Reply
Tina February 12, 2013 - 4:14 am

We make these weekly for my hubby (mostly). He use to devour the sunbelt granola bars till we found this recipe. Thanks!

Reply
Dianne February 15, 2013 - 5:17 pm

My husband cannot eat gluten, eggs, dairy, corn, almonds, apples, bananas, onions,coconut and its produces, sunflower oil and other products, garlic, high fructose corn syrup and many other ingredients. He basically lives on chicken, turkey , pineapple, vegetarian beans, cantaloup and a few other things. He misses baked goods terribly, do you have any recipes that he might enjoy?

Thanks for any ideas you may have.

Reply

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