In an effort to keep my diet clean and healthy, I’ve grown into making my own snack bars. From homemade protein bars to no bake oatmeal bars, I have a good collection of them. With this said, I can’t deny the fact that some store-bought one still taste good to me, KIND bars being one of them. Being as good as they are, these do contain added sugar and a few other ingredients I don’t want in my snacks, including soy lecithin and palm kernel oil. As an alternative to one of my favorite snack bars, I have come up with a copycat recipe that tastes better than the original.
Why this recipe works
No-baking. It takes a few minutes to prepare the mixture and a couple of hours for it to firm up in the fridge. Healthy. These homemade snack bars don’t contain refined sugar and unhealthy fats. They are also gluten-free and dairy-free. Easy to customize. You can use nuts, seeds, or mix-ins of choice.
Ingredients needed
My copycat recipe features a combination of my favorite healthy ingredients, including nuts, seeds, and dried fruits. Here’s the full list of ingredients.
Cashews and almonds. Roughly chopped raw and unsalted nuts. Seeds. I mostly use sesame seeds for these bars as they are a good source of healthy fats, protein, fiber, vitamins, and antioxidants. Pumpkin and sunflower seeds are also good to add to the seed mix. Dried fruits. Aside from adding color and flavor, dried fruits also add fiber, minerals, and vitamins to them. I like using raisins and cranberries. Chop them into smaller pieces for easy mixing. Maple syrup. Use pure maple syrup to get the best flavor and avoid adding refined sugar. Honey or brown rice syrup will also work. Vanilla extract. To add a lovely vanilla flavor. Salt. To balance out the overall sweetness. Coconut butter (optional). To drizzle over the bars. Don’t confuse this with coconut oil.
How to make kind bars
Step 1- Make the mixture. Start by mixing all the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add the maple syrup and mix well until fully incorporated. If the mixture seems to be too loose, add more maple syrup and mix. Step 2- Set. Transfer the mixture to an 8×8-inch pan lined with parchment paper. Press it into an even layer and refrigerate for a minimum of 2 hours. Drizzle withconut butter to decorate. Step 3- Slice and serve. Once set, cut into even-sized bars and enjoy.
Tips to make the best recipe
When adding the maple syrup, start with a couple of tablespoons, mix well, and add more if needed. Brown rice syrup and agave nectar are good maple syrup substitutes for this recipe so long as you don’t have any diet restrictions. Pure honey will work too. When storing these in the fridge, wrap each of them with parchment paper. This makes an easy grab-and-go snack and prevents them from sticking to each other. Spray the parchment paper with cooking spray to further prevent the bars from sticking to it.
Flavor variations
Kind bars come in a variety of flavors, including Caramel Almond & Sea Salt, Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate, Dark Chocolate Mocha Almond, etc. You can recreate some of your favorite flavors by customizing the dried fruits and nuts you use and by adding some extra ingredients if needed.
Blueberry Vanilla Cashew. Use dried blueberries for the fruit and cashews for the nuts. Don’t forget the vanilla extract. Apple Cinnamon Pecan. Use dried apples for the fruit, and roughly chopped pecans for the nuts. Add ground cinnamon. Dark Chocolate Cherry Cashew. Use dried cherries for the fruit and raw cashews for the nuts. Drizzle with sugar-free dark chocolate. Dark Chocolate Almond Coconut. Use unsweetened shredded coconut and raw unsalted almonds. Drizzle with sugar-free dark chocolate. Maple Glazed Pecan & Sea Salt. Omit the dried fruit. Use pecans and add a pinch more salt.
Storage instructions
To store. While these homemade snack bars won’t go bad at room temperature, we recommend you store them in the fridge to prevent them from falling apart. To freeze. Freeze leftovers for up to 2 months.
More no bake snacks to try
Protein balls Healthy granola bars Peanut butter oatmeal balls
Frequently asked questions
