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Roasted Hazelnut-Orange & Chocolate Granola Bar Recipe

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Roasted Hazelnut-Orange & Chocolate Granola Bar RecipeThere are granola bars, and there are Roasted Hazelnut-Orange Chocolate Granola Bars.

Roasted Hazelnut-Orange & Chocolate Granola BarsSince tasting Nutella for the first time as a little kid, hazelnuts have been one of my favorite things in the world.  Their rich, buttery flavor is matched by no other nut.  And when you cook good , your house will be filled with their incredibly delicious and alluring aroma.  (They smell so good, you might just bring people in off the streets.)

Roasted Hazelnut-Orange & Chocolate Granola BarsSometimes I want the crunch of whole or chopped hazelnuts, sometimes I  just want to add the hazelnut flavor with finely ground nuts, and of course sometimes I want both.

And that’s exactly what going on in this recipe.

Hazelnut Meal Flour Bob’s Red Mill Hazelnut Meal/Flour has become a staple in my pantry.

I’ve been using it in everything from these mouthwatering granola bars, to pie crusts, waffles and even as a crust for chicken.  Not only will it bring its wonderful flavors to everything it’s added to, but it can also be a fantastic gluten-free alternative to other flours.

Whether you want to try these amazing granola bars, or something else, enter the giveaway to win a 1-pound bag of Bob’s Red Mill Finely Ground Hazelnut Meal.  (I hope you will try these bars!)
Details for entering are below the recipe.

4 from 1 vote
Roasted Hazelnut-Orange & Chocolate Granola Bar Recipe
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Roasted Hazelnut-Orange & Chocolate Granola Bar Recipe
Prep Time
30 mins
Cook Time
30 mins
Total Time
1 hr
 
Ingredients
  • 1 cup hazelnuts
  • 2 cups oats
  • 1-1/2 cups Bob's Red Mill Hazelnut Meal/Flour
  • 1 cup cacao nibs see notes
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter softened to room temperature
  • 1 cup dark brown sugar
  • Zest from 2 medium-sized Naval oranges about 1-1/2 tablespoons
  • Juice from 2 medium-sized Naval oranges about 1/2 cup
  • 3 tablespoons honey
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 cups finely chopped semisweet chocolate melted
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 375 F, and place the hazelnuts in a single layer on a baking sheet. When the oven is preheated, roast them until they are very aromatic and the skins are cracking, about 5 minutes. Let them cool for at least 5 minutes, and then they can be rubbed together in your hands, or in a dish towel, and the skins should flake away. (Some tiny bits of skin will remain, and that's okay.) Roughly chop the nuts and set them aside.
  2. Turn the oven down to 350 degrees F, and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
  3. In a medium-sized mixing bowl combine the oats, hazelnut meal, cocoa nibs, the chopped hazelnuts and salt. Mix and set aside.
  4. In a large mixing bowl, combine the softened butter, sugar, orange zest and juice, honey, and vanilla. Mix until smooth.
  5. Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and mix it until everything is evenly blended -- it will resemble cookie dough.
  6. Use a spatula to "pour" the granola mixture onto one of the parchment-lined baking sheets. Use a flat-bottomed metal spatula to flatten out the mixture. It should be about 1/2-inch thick and cover the sheet. Go around the edges with the metal spatula to make them straight.
  7. Roast in the preheated 350 degree F oven until it's a dark golden brown, about 30 minutes.
  8. Let it cool on the baking sheet until it's hard, but still soft enough to cut through without it cracking, about 10 minutes.
  9. With a large Chef's knife, cut the cooked granola into about 27 evenly sized, rectangular bars.
  10. Place the cut granola bars on the second, parchment-lined baking sheet, with 1 to 2 inches between them. Now use a small spoon to drizzle the melted chocolate over the bars. (This will work the best if your chocolate has just been melted and is still very warm.)
  11. Place the chocolate-drizzled bars on a large plate or platter to let the chocolate cool and harden completely. This might take an hour or so at room temperature. To speed it up, you can place the baking sheet in the refrigerator for about 10 minutes. (You will need to add the melted chocolate to the bars in two separate batches.)
Recipe Notes

Cacao nibs are tiny bits of fermented, dried, roasted and crushed cacao beans. That's all they are -- no sugar, no milk, just the bean. You can find them at most health food stores.

This Giveaway is now closed — congratulations to the 3 winners: Becca, Donna, and Zenetta!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This is not a sponsored post.  Bob’s Red Mill sent me hazelnut meal for recipe testing, and will provide the giveaway winners with their samples.  And as always, I only cook with products I love and all opinions are my own.

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Comments

    • Vicki, I’ve been wanted to try it with fish, too. I have a chicken recipe coming later in the week that uses it as a “crust.” Fish will be next. 🙂

      Reply

  11. I’ve been very into nut flour lately. It’s great stuff for making tart shells. I haven’t had (or even seen) hazelnut before though.

    Reply

  13. To be honest, I have never tried cooking or baking with hazelnuts, although I do love making hazelnut crescent rolls for breakfast.

    Reply

  21. I love hazelnuts for crusts, hazelnut spread on anything, and Hazelwood oil for skin care (esp eczema)

    Reply

    • I didn’t know about their use in skin care. Good to know! I’ve used avocados in my hair, so why not? 😉

      Reply

  25. My most common use is eating nutella right off the spoon…. But fave is probably in granola bars with quinoa and brown butter.

    Reply

  26. These look amazing! I never thought of using hazelnut flour, but that’s genius. Also the little touch of orange juice and zest is a nice touch to balance out all those earthy flavors.

    Reply

  29. Hi, there,
    Your recipe looks fabulous! Can’t wait to try it! I mainly use nut flours to make gluten-free pie crusts my daughter who is following “The 100 Diet.” I fill them with a tofu cheesecakes filling. I think I can even adapt your recipe flavors to my basic recipe (which is lemon-based) and change it up a bit. Thanks for this terrific giveaway. Hope I win!

    Reply

    • Thanks so much Marilyn. Yes, it’s perfect for GF pie crusts, and lemon is so delicious with hazelnuts!

      Reply

    • Brandy, try these — I don’t think you’ll fail. Email me with questions if you have them while you’re cooking. Really.

      Reply

  45. I’ve actually never tried the hazelnut meal, but I’m thinking it would be fabulous in my favorite brownie recipe!

    Reply

  51. I actually have not tried any recipes with hazelnuts before but I would love to try some granola or energy bars with them.

    Reply

  56. I have always loved hazelnuts! I would probably make a chocolate pie, with hazelnuts in the crust, and sprinkled on the top.

    Reply

  60. Valentina- I would love to make these. Do you have any dairy-free suggestion instead of the butter? Also, I really want to try this meal on fish. I hope I win the giveaway so I can try this product. Thanks for the great recipe.

    Reply

    • Hi Dana! You can try coconut oil. Don’t melt it, just “cream” it with the sugar as you would the butter. Let me know how it turns out. Thank YOU for checking out the recipe. 🙂

      Reply

  63. My favorite use for hazelnuts is to put them in cookies! so many people are obsessed with the spreads, adn not enough focus on the nut itself! 🙂

    Reply

  67. Made these this afternoon. The “batter” was delicious, so I expect the bars to be, too (they’re currently finishing cooking).

    The recipe isn’t actually clear about what to do with the chopped nuts. I assume they’re lumped in with the “dry ingredients” step, but it isn’t 100% clear.

    Thanks for the recipe!

    Reply

    • Hi Michael, so happy you tried this recipe. Yes, you are correct, the chopped nut get mixed into the other dry ingredients – the oats, etc. Thanks for pointing that out — I really appreciate it, and I edited that step so it’s clear now. Hope they turned out well! 🙂

      Reply

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