As a kid I was a fan of two things, bran muffins and carrot cake. Not what you'd expect from a young child. But I was obsessed. I think for both it was the fact that they were dense, filled me up and tasted hearty. However, when coming up with this recipe, I didn't want to create another muffin or cake, so I decided to form these into bars.

Let me say now, if you like super sweet and light energy bars, these probably are not for you. My Carrot & Raisin Bran Energy Bars are hearty and super dense. Plus, they're mildly sweet from maple syrup, but a lot of their sweetness comes from the raisins. Added bonus! They are gluten free and vegan!! These are so delicious on their own, or smothered with peanut or nut butter. I have been eating them as an afternoon snack when my energy starts to get low around 2-3pm. I hope you enjoy these as much as I have, and as always tag me in your creations!!

Ingredients:

2 cups gluten free rolled oats (mine are from Trader Joe's)
1/2 cup pecans (walnuts would work as well)
2 tablespoons flaxseed meal (ground flaxseed)
4 tablespoons filtered water
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup almond butter
3/4 cup grated carrot
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup raisins
Pinch of salt

Prep:

Preheat your oven to 350F. In your food processor, add your oats and pecans and pulse until a crumbly consistency has formed.
In a small bowl, add your flaxseed meal and water, stirring for a minute or so and allow it to sit until a "flax egg" has formed. The water and flax mixture will gel together creating a wet binding agent. Add the flax egg to the pecan and oat mixture and pulse.
Add the remaining ingredients to the food processor, adding the carrots and raisins in the end. This will allow them to maintain some of their shape. If you need to add a few whole raisins into the mixture after you've processed, feel free to stir some in.
Place your mixture into a parchment-lined baking dish. I use a 2 QT glass Pyrex, and enjoy how thick the bars are. Be sure to press the mixture as flat into the dish as you can. I find it is helpful to use the back of a spatula to smooth and push the mixture together.
Bake your bars for 30-35 minutes, and allow to cool completely before cutting into bars or squares.
Store in an air-tight container for a week in the fridge.