Roasted Cherry Granola Bombs

I wonder what the most popular food item is for kids to bring to lunch? For me, I brought a granola bar every day. I’m recreating a childhood favorite with no refined sugar and the option to make them gluten free. Soft and chewy cinnamon flavored dough filled with sour & sweet roasted cherries.

I always hoped my mom would buy the chocolate chip granola bar because it was almost like eating dessert at the end of lunch. I was jealous of the kids who bought lunch because they ate dessert every lunch. Not fair at all. Although, with all the effort to have healthy lunches, do they even give kids dessert anymore?

Along with chocolate chip, I loved the Nutri-Grain granola bars. I loved all the flavors, but Apple Cinnamon or Cherry was my favorite. Do you have a favorite granola bar?

I tested this recipe using a mix of almond and coconut flour, but I bet you could swap it out for all-purpose flour as well. The dough was a little crumbly, but it was nothing unbearable. I liked the nutty flavor and texture the almond flour added to the granola bombs. I highly suggest not skipping the flaxseed meal. It also adds a good texture and reminds me of the Nutri-Grain bars. If you don’t have flaxseed, you could just coarsely ground oats too.

Originally, I wanted to make these full-size granola bars. However, the dough was hard to roll in such large pieces. So, I opted for mini granola bars, also known as, granola bombs. Don’t worry if the dough doesn’t cover all the cherry juice, they will still turn out fine.
The best part about roasting fruit is it brings out the natural sweetness. I didn’t add any honey or sugar to the cherries, just a teaspoon of cinnamon. You could use fresh or frozen cherries. Feel free to change the fruit filling, either to mimic your favorite granola bar flavor or create your own. Roasted peaches, plums, or pears all sound delicious!

Roasted Cherry Granola Bombs

From north coast eats at https://northcoasteats.com/roasted-cherry-granola-bombs/

https://northcoasteats.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/cherry.granola.bombs-0357.jpg

Yield: makes 25 bite-size granola bombs

Soft and chewy cinnamon flavored dough filled with sour & sweet roasted cherries. Free of gluten and refined sugar!

You'll Need...

Roasted Cherries:
1 1/2 cups cherries (frozen or fresh)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Granola Bombs:
3/4 cup almond flour
1/2 cup coconut flour
2 teaspoons flaxseed meal
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted and cooled
2 eggs
2 tablespoons honey (optional)

Directions

Roast the cherries: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place cherries and cinnamon in an 8x8 inch glass baking dish. Roast until wrinkled and soft, about 20 minutes.
Make the granola bombs: In a large bowl, whisk together all dry ingredients (almond flour through salt). In a small bowl, beat coconut oil, eggs, and honey. Add egg mixture to dry ingredients. Mix well. Place dough in fridge for 20 minutes.
Form the granola bombs: Preheat oven 350 degrees. Using wet hands, roll dough into about 1 tablespoon balls. Flatten ball to 1/8 inch thickness. Place 1/2 teaspoon of roasted cherries in middle of flattened dough. Pinch dough closed by bringing all sides up towards middle of the circle. Place on parchment paper lined baking sheet.
Sprinkle cherry dough balls with flaxseed. Freeze 10 minutes. Remove from freezer and bake in oven 12 - 15 minutes. Let cool, store leftovers in refrigerate.