{No Bake} Ginger Cherry Bars

I woke up yesterday in the mood for a fancy homemade breakfast. I wanted something that was more on the sweet side than the savory side. I rummaged through the pantry looking for baking flour; I thought muffins sounded good. Not sure which kind but something exciting.  

I was all out of flour though! So I grabbed almonds, gluten-free oats, GO RAW sprouted buckwheat groats {your pantry should always have this item stocked on hand} and dried cherries. 

I processed all of these ingredients in the food processor to make a healthy no-bake breakfast bar.  And wow, what a great combo it was...healthy, hearty and sweet! These Ginger Cherry Breakfast Bars were born! The best part of it all - I didn't even have to even bake them! 

Unfortunately, I didn't plan to blog about this recipe which resulted in not so wonderful photos. But at least you can get an idea. Right?  

These Ginger Cherry No-bake bars were devoured by the husband and kids (I only got one, darn it). 

Just to make things even more wonderful - I smothered some of them in chocolate. 

I mean why not?

I wish I had a su-chef here to help me with the dishes, but other than that, It was the perfect way to spend my morning. In fact, I was thinking "man, I could sell these bad boys"! But then I remembered I have already been-there-done-that! {wink} 

I highly recommend you try these bars. They are so wonderful to have around - just a quick snack or meal to grab on the go! BEWARE - in addition to being healthy, they are tasty and addicting. 

REMEMBER - the chocolate coating is optional. My kids thought it was the "best thing I've ever made" but I prefer it without the chocolate. 

No-Bake Ginger Cherry Bars Recipe {with chocolate coating}

yields 10-12 bars

DRY INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup gluten free oats
• 1 cup almonds, raw
• 1 cup GO RAW sprouted buckwheat/flax mix
• 1 cup dried cherries

WET INGREDIENTS

• ⅓ cup liquid sweetener {agave, honey, maple syrup - I used ginger syrup again}
• ¼ cup vegan butter {room temp}
• 1 teaspoon powdered ginger
• 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
• pinch sea salt

CHOCOLATE COATING INGREDIENTS

• 1 dark chocolate bar
• anything else you might want to see on top - coconut, seeds, nuts, goji berries, etc. 

DIRECTIONS

1. In a food processor combine the nuts and oats. Pulse for about 30 seconds on and off. Add cherries and repeat. Add the buckwheat groats and repeat.  
2. Go ahead and add the wet ingredients. Be sure butter is at room temp. You don't want it to be cold. Pulse again for a bit longer until everything is well mixed up. See my photo above to get an idea of how chunky it should be. 
3. Empty mixture onto a glass Pyrex style deep dish pan. Press it down until pan is covered. Lay wax paper over the mixture and press the mixture down using a flat, firm spatula until evenly spread. Remove the paper. 
4. Refrigerate mixture for at least and hour.  
5. Meanwhile melt the chocolate in the oven (about 250 degrees F) and while you're waiting for the bars to firm and chocolate to melt, maybe do all the dishes.  
6. When ready, evenly pour the chocolate over the top of the refrigerated dough {and sprinkle whatever toppings you'd like at this time. I used coconut.}
7. Refrigerate again for about an hour.
8. Bars can be cut into squares or long bars or even circles. 
9. Store any leftover bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Should last about 1 week.