Over the past year or so I have gotten really into coffee. Years ago as a tween, I loved it. But the drinks I loved were probably less coffee and more milk, sugar, and syrupy flavorings. Should I have been drinking them as a ten or twelve year old? Maybe not, but I liked them and they made me happy, so who was I really hurting?
I stopped drinking coffee in high school and didn’t pick it back up until a couple years ago when I did some work for an iced coffee brand and fell in love. Now the coffee concoctions I drink are more coffee and less all the bad stuff.
But here’s the thing. Coffee makes me kind of crazy.
I love it. Seriously love it. I had nitro cold brew last week and it was pretty much life changing. So smooth and almost creamy without any milk or cream or sugar. It was a revelation.
And at first, I felt nothing, just enjoying my cold coffee on a beautiful day. And then as time wore on, the energy and jitters began. It was like I couldn’t stop moving and would never need sleep again.
This has been happening to me, and it makes me try to walk the fine line between loving and enjoying coffee and making sure I don’t bounce off the walls or lie awake all night long.
I did sleep that night and felt refreshed the next day, so my addiction to coffee will continue, and I suppose I should be glad I get a fun boost of energy so I can make great recipes like these Baklava Granola Bars.
These are gluten free breakfast or snack time treats are super easy to make, no bake, and full of that awesome baklava flavor we all love. I used a honey and nut mixture, but if you don’t have something like that, just use a mix of nuts and a bunch of honey and you will be good to go! I think these go perfectly with a cup of coffee!
Baklava Granola Bars
- Total Time: 12 minutes
- Yield: 12 bars 1x
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups quick cooking oats (gluten free if necessary)
- 1 ½ cups Honey Nut Cheerios
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¾ cup creamy peanut butter
- ¾ cups honey and nut mixture or ¼ cup honey and ½ cup chopped nuts
- ¼ cup plain honey
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Line an 8 inch square pan with parchment paper leaving overhang for easy removal later.
- Place peanut butter and honey and nut mixture, as well as additional honey in a large microwave safe bowl. Microwave for 1 minute. Stir and microwave for an additional minute until bubbling. Stir in vanilla and cinnamon.
- Add the oats and Cheerios and stir until a uniform mixture is formed. Pour into the prepared pan and press firmly into the pan. Cool completely (you can stick the pan in the refrigerator to expedite this process. Cut into bars and serve.
- Bars may be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days or frozen, wrapped in parchment and foil and placed in a zipper bag, for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature about an hour.
Notes
Additional cooling time is necessary
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 2 minutes
This is a totally new idea for me but somehow I feel I know exactly how it tastes! I would love to try just to know if I’m right. 🙂 And I love coffee, I started drinking it quite late in my life (I was about 25-26) but I would not consider it giving it up. And I mostly like plain freshly ground filter coffee, strong with just a hint of milk, nothing else. Mmm and a piece of this granola on the side.
Oh, I so hope you try this recipe, Adina. I want to know if it lives up to your expectations 🙂
Tea for me and decaffeinated to boot! Once in a while, I will drink a coffee when the breakfast restaurant doesn’t have my kind of tea and I forgot to bring one. But I need cream with it and would love one of these bars with it! They look super and baklava is one of Scott favorite desserts so he would love it also!
I wouldn’t mind drinking decaffeinated tea or coffee, but I don’t like the process and chemicals that it takes to remove that caffeine, so I drink it in moderation, knowing that it is good for me.
Baklava is one of my favorite dessert!!!! Those bars look so delicious and pretty easy to make. Have to try making it this weekend.
Yay! I hope you love them, Jessi!
Love coffee, too (and need to be mindful also!) Bravo to your brilliant Baklava Granola Bars. They look and sound delicious!
This recipes is easy – I can make it low sodium – and the entire family likes all of the ingredients. I think it’s a winner and I’m going to make them tomorrow morning! Kelli at YG!
Awww, thanks for checking them out, Kelli! I hope you love them. I am not into salt at all, so I also love low sodium recipes.