Honey Hemp Seed Granola Bark

Perfect for snacking and for all of your granola needs, a crunchy, protein-rich snack that I can't stop eating

For years I’ve been reading about what a miraculous food hemp seeds are — high in plant-based protein, rich in healthy fats, etc. — but for some reason that never compelled me to start eating them. I’ve just been a little put off by the flavor.

I’ve also been a little put off by how expensive they are. But lured by a much lower price, I once accidentally ordered a bag of shiny little unshelled hempseeds. That’s how I learned that hemp seeds are very small, and that the effort it takes to dislodge the moist, nutty little hearts is not insignificant.

Key takeaways: The labor is a big part of the expense, and they’re a bit of an acquired taste. But through the process of adding them to my smoothies, sprinkling them over my salads, and blending them into sauces and dressings, I’ve slowly come around.

Today’s recipe puts hemp hearts amply to use, in a very moorish granola bark, great for snacking out of hand, crumbling over yogurt, or eating however you like to eat your granola. You can find the recipe all the way at the bottom.

For Your Next Trivia Night

Looking into the nutritional claims about hemp, I learned a few other interesting facts.

• Three tablespoons of hemp hearts contain about 10 grams of protein. The hearts also contain all 9 of the essential amino acids — meaning hemp is a complete protein.

• Hemp is one of the earliest cultivated crops — there’s evidence that villagers in ancient Mesopotamia incorporated hemp cord in their pottery, around 8,000 BC — used for thousands of years to make fabric, ropes, paper, and textiles. It was brought to the Americas by the Spaniards to Chile, on boats with sails and ropes made using hemp.

• But the industrial revolution, as well as the knotty and very political regulation of marijuana starting in the 1930s, largely killed off the industry.

• Organic hemp is an incredibly sustainable plant, with deep roots, high yield, low water needs, and the whole plant has valued uses (for textiles, oil, and the nutritious hearts of the seed).

• It wasn’t until 2018, with the Farm Bill signed that year, that hemp production was federally legalized in the US.

Today’s Recipe

One bit of feedback that came through in the survey from a few weeks ago is that many of you would like more recipes for protein-rich snacks. This is clearly one of those.

As a fan of big, shard-like chunks of granola, I thought I’d try a version of granola bark (baked in a flattened out sheet, and then broken up by hand) that’s dense with hemp hearts, to make it easy to check the box of that three-tablespoon serving.

It’s got a gentle, cinnamon-ginger spice profile that I think is less about those particular spices than it is about amplifying the sweetness of the honey (there is only enough sugar in here to achieve a bark-like texture, and keep the flavors in balance). A few egg whites also help ensure crispiness.

It’s easy enough to eat like a little cookie, but my breakfasts have been excellent lately, with it crumbled over my yogurt.

Recipe Video

(Can you tell that between shots while filming this, I cut my finger?)

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Honey Hemp Seed Granola Bark

• There are many ways to customize this — substitute the hemp seeds and sunflower seeds with any other seed you like or any finely chopped nut. I’d keep the oats and flax in there, since they absorb and help bind.

• Twice-baking this granola — first as a flattened out sheet, and then again after you’ve broken it into pieces — ensures that the bark is crispy. You might be able to get away with only baking it once if your climate is dry, but I have best results with two bakes. You can always throw it back in the oven if it doesn’t crisp up as much as you’d like. Somehow, it gets crispier (and better tasting) the next day.

• I haven’t yet attempted a vegan version of this, but I’m pretty confident that you could replace the egg whites with 6 tablespoons water whisked with 1 tablespoon psyllium husk; use vegan butter or olive oil in place of ghee; and replace the honey with maple syrup.

• Protein: About 9 grams per serving

Yield 1 sheet pan, 12 servings | Prep & cook time About an hour

3 tablespoons (60g) honey
2 tablespoons (30g) ghee or butter
3 tablespoons (33g) coconut sugar or brown sugar
1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
¾ teaspoon ground ginger
¾ teaspoon fine sea salt
3 qty (100g) egg whites, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons (30g) water
1 ½ cups (215g) hemp hearts
¾ cups (85g) rolled oats (GF if necessary)
½ cup (80g) raw, hulled sunflower seeds
⅓ cup (50g) flax seeds

1. Preheat the oven to 300°F. Lightly grease the corners of a baking sheet with a little butter or cooking spray, then line it with parchment paper.

2. Warm the honey in a small saucepan over low heat until it’s runny, then add the ghee and whisk until smooth. Off the heat, add the sugar, spices, and salt, then stir in the egg whites and water. Meanwhile, in a mixing bowl, stir together the hemp hearts, oats, sunflower seeds, and flax seeds. Scrape in the honey mixture and stir well. Let stand for 10 minutes.

3. Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan, and use a spatula to pat it out into a thin, even layer that covers the entire surface. Top with another piece of parchment and use your hands or another sheet pan to make it smooth and compressed. 

4. Transfer to the oven and bake until golden brown all over, 30 to 35 minutes. Remove from the oven (leaving the oven on) and carefully slide the granola (and parchment) onto a cooling rack. Cool for 10 minutes, then flip it over on a cutting board to peel off the parchment. Break the granola into bite-sized pieces and pile them back on the baking sheet. Return to the oven and bake for 15 to 20 minutes more, until darkened a shade and dry to the touch. 

5. Cool completely. The bark should crisp up, but if it doesn’t, simply return the pan to the 300°F oven for another 10 to 15 minutes. Store in an airtight jar or container for up to a week.

Recipe: Honey Hemp Seed Granola Bark

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