If you’ve got kids home for the Summer, you’ll want to keep these Paleo Chewy Trail Mix Bars on hand for a great snack option!
We are a road trip family, plain and simple. Every year we try to take at least one trip either to the beach, to visit family, or to the mountains. Some of these trips, depending on where we are stationed as a military family, can mean 2 long days in the car and 3 starving children naturally.
I have an irrational fear of just how supposedly underfed they become and so I prepare at great lengths to outsmart the famine that lies ahead. I’m not joking when I say I am willing to sacrifice all leg room in our full sized SUV to make darn certain the snack bag is fully stocked.
I typically load up on jerky, trail mix, bars of several varieties, meat sticks, potato chips, fruit, and the list goes on. It never fails, there is no crumb left behind, even when they turn their noses up at the dregs of the bag.
I’ve made my old favorite, Lala Truffles many years and decided to try my hand at a chewy trail mix type bar we could take down on our beach trip this Summer. This recipe took me 3 rounds to figure out but I finally nailed it! I had trouble with the bars falling apart into granola (not that I’m complaining) but I really wanted a bar that would stay together.
Third time is a charm as they say as I raced out the door with a bowl filled of the “flops” for each of my kids to snack on for their afternoon commute to extracurricular activities or as I like to call it, my own personal hell. (kidding, sorta)
These do have egg in them and I recommend keeping the egg. I tried making them egg free the other two times and when I did, even with the chia and gelatin, they still crumbled. If you’d like to experiment, all the better, just bear in mind you may end up with really tasty granola instead of bars.
In any event, they are delicious and the perfect road trip food so stock up and just say no to hungry children!
Paleo Chewy Trail Mix Bars
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup sun butter unsweetened
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1/4 cup ghee or coconut oil (melted)
- 1/4 cup chia seeds
- 1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
- 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds/pepitas
- 1/2 cup sunflower seeds
- 1/2 cup dairy free chocolate chips, free trade when able
- 1/8 teaspoon or more ground cinnamon
- 3–4 tablespoons grass fed gelatin (not collagen)
- 1 egg
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350
- Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl and stir to combine
- Line a baking pan/casserole dish with a piece of parchment paper
- Spoon the mixture into the baking dish (mine was 9×7)
- Bake for 30 minutes then remove carefully
- Allow the bars to cool and then carefully lift the parchment paper (and bars) out of the pan and slice into bars with a knife
How do you recommend storing these bars? Should they stay in the fridge? How long do you think they last? Thanks so much!
They last a few days at room temperature but unless warmed will start to get pretty firm.
What is the quantity of oats you use in them? I don’t see any thing besides sunbutternand seeds
Hi Emily, I don’t use oats in this recipe since it’s paleo friendly.
Any ideas on making it egg free? We have all the allergies over here.
They look delish!
Hey Joelle, I actually included this note in the recipe text…” These do have egg in them and I recommend keeping the egg. I tried making them egg free the other two times and when I did, even with the chia and gelatin, they still crumbled. If you’d like to experiment, all the better, just bear in mind you may end up with really tasty granola instead of bars. ” Hope that helps!
These bars look delicious! Is there a sub I can use for gelatin? I don’t know what it’s purpose is, but I don’t have it on hand.
It’s a binder so it helps hold them together!
These looks delish! I’m not a huge fan of sunflower seed butter though; could I sub almond butter?
Thanks!
Yep! Go for it!
I subbed hemp seeds for shredded coconut (my daughter dislikes coconut) and they turned out great!
Where can I get Grass Fed gelatin? I’ve never heard of that one.
Amazon and just about any natural food store.
I love this recipe. I’ve subbed a flax egg for the egg once, when making these for a friend who cannot have eggs, and it worked great!
Fantastic! Thanks!
These were a bit too tasty. Made them with almond butter and 4 tbsp of gelatin, but will prob reduce it to 2.5/3 next time – they firmed up a bit too well.
Will also try them without the chocolate chip as we’re trying to go lower sugar. We got through these in two days!
Can you make these without gelatin?
The gelatin acts as a binder so without it they will either be eggier or more cake like.
These are so good. I loved the texture of the bars!! Made these as part of my freezer stash for postpartum and they have been great. Just take a few out of the freezer, store in the fridge and either eat from the fridge or let sit overnight and have as a quick bite first thing in the morning.
Wonderful! Thanks Erika!!
I was missing so many of the ingredients, but came on here to say that this recipe works great with substitutions! I used hemp seeds, pecan butter, cashew flour, crushed almonds, cacao nibs, choc chips, and cranberries (in addition to the gelatin, eggs, and maple syrup). They are fabulous! Just in time for a road trip of our own 🙂