Chewy Mayan Wonder Bars
The best gluten-free, healthy snack bar with tons of nuts and seeds, and almond butter holds it all together. Naturally sweetened and keeps you full for hours.
These bars are a wonderful and filling snack. Eating just one piece can keep me going a long time between meals. They are naturally gluten, dairy, egg and soy free. I have made them with both almond and cashew butter and love them equally. The cashew version comes out a little sweeter. My go-to is always the almond butter.
The seeds and nuts provide lots of protein and as well as a good source of fat. All of these ingredients can be found at your local health food store or Whole Foods Market. I purchased the nuts, seeds and quinoa from the bulk bins. I used red Quinoa in this recipe which adds more color to the bars and I think has a slightly stronger flavor than the white quinoa when toasted.
The recipe was inspired by a raw version in the cookbook Blossoming Lotus, Vegan World Fusion Cuisine, which was published years ago. I have tried to find a copy of the cookbook to give credit, but copies are hard to come by.
Ingredients for Mayan Wonder Bars
3 cups raw almond butter
1 cup brown rice syrup
1 cup maple syrup
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1 cup quinoa, toasted
1 cup sunflower seeds, toasted
1½ cups pumpkin seeds, toasted
1 cup pecans, toasted and then chopped
½ cup raw hemp seeds
Baking Sheet Needed for this Recipe
These mayan wonder bars fill a full size sheet pan. You will need a pan with sides because the batter is gooey and spreads as it cooks. You can also line your baking sheet with parchment paper for less clean up.
Notes about this Recipe
Nut Butters
I have made this with both almond and cashew butter and love them equally. The cashew version comes out a little sweeter.
Toasting Seeds and Nuts:
*To toast the seeds and nuts before making this recipe place each ingredient on a separate cookie sheet. Bake in the oven at 350 desgrees for 8 minutes or until the seed starts to turn golden brown. Let cool.
Toasting Quinoa
* First place the quinoa in a fine strainer and rinse under cold water. Drain and place on a cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Quinoa should be crunchy when eaten. Put a couple grains in your mouth and chew, if it doesn’t crunch a little, leave in the oven for 3 to 4 more minutes.
You can completely skip toasting the seeds and nuts and add them raw, the mayan bars will still taste good but will have a less crunchy texture. You may also find some of the nuts and seeds already toasted (unsalted) at the store as well.
Printer-Friendly Recipe
Chewy Mayan Wonder Bars
A wonderful and filling snack. Eating just one piece can keep me going a long time between meals, so they are great for hikes. They are naturally gluten, dairy, egg and soy free.
Ingredients
- 3 cups raw almond butter
- 1 cup brown rice syrup
- 1 cup maple syrup
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground cardamom
- 1 cup quinoa, toasted
- 1 cup sunflower seeds, toasted
- 1½ cups pumpkin seeds, toasted
- 1 cup pecans, toasted and then chopped
- ½ cup raw hemp seeds
Instructions
- Heat oven to 330 degrees. Lightly oil a regular cookie sheet or jelly roll pan with a little olive or coconut oil. If you have parchment paper, then also line pan with parchment. The sheet pan should have sides to it. Do not use a flat baking sheet.
- Mix almond butter, brown rice syrup and maple syrup in a large bowl. Add cinnamon and cardamom and mix well.
- In a separate smaller bowl mix the remaining ingredients.
- Add dry ingredients to wet and mix well. Spread bar mixture into prepared pan and smooth with hand or a spatula. The mix will be sticky. It helps to rub some oil or water onto your hand or spatula and then smooth out the batter.
- Place pan into preheated oven and bake for 12 minutes. Rotate pan and bake for another 8 minutes. Batter will turn a dark golden brown and may bubble slightly. Remove from oven and let cool. Cut into squares and enjoy!
Notes
Nut Butters: I have made this with both almond and cashew butter and love them equally. The cashew version comes out a little sweeter.
Toasting Seeds and Nuts:
*To toast the seeds and nuts before making this recipe place each ingredient on a separate cookie sheet. Bake in the oven at 350o for 8 minutes or until the seed starts to turn golden brown. Let cool.
Toasting Quinoa
* First place the quinoa in a fine strainer and rinse under cold water. Drain and place on a cookie sheet. Bake at 350o for 8-10 minutes. Quinoa should be crunchy when eaten. Put a couple grains in your mouth and chew, if it doesn’t crunch a little, leave in the oven for 3 to 4 more minutes.
You can completely skip toasting the seeds and nuts and add them raw, the mayan bars will still taste good but will have a less crunchy texture. You may also find some of the nuts and seeds already toasted (unsalted) at the store as well.
