Sesame Crunch Bars

These Sesame Crunch Bars are a healthy grain free snack. Made with maple syrup, they are sweet and crunchy.

I have been sesame seed obsessed lately. Not only do I love the taste, but when I found out how much calcium and magnesium they have, I started to include them in my diet daily.

I started eating them more after I fractured my ankle. Mainly, I include them in my morning smoothie, but these Sesame Crunch Bars are another way that I like to have them.

I first tried sesame seed candy and sesame crunch bars (Pasteli) many years ago, what feels like a lifetime ago, when I worked at a health food store. The bars were thin, and just like the name describes; crunchy.

Made with only a couple of ingredients, I was impressed at how good and how simple they were. I forgot about them until recently when I saw my 2 lb. bag of sesame seeds that I got from the bulk section of my local grocery store. It was such a big bag of sesame seeds that I figured I should include them in a recipe.

The most difficult thing about these sesame bars is waiting for them to cool off before diving into them.

If you're like me and go on road trips during the summer, this sesame brittle is the perfect snack to take along. It stays crunchy and it doesn't need to be packed in the cooler. If you're more of a travel by plane kind of person, it is great for that too!

Instructions

1. Toast sesame seeds until golden and fragrant.
2. Stovetop method: Add maple syrup and salt. Cook until maple syrup cooks down, stirring constantly.
3. Pour mixture on a Silpat baking mat or parchment paper that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Place another piece of parchment paper on top, that has also been sprayed with cooking spray. Use a rolling pin to roll out evenly. Cut when mixture hardens slightly, but is still somewhat soft.
4. Oven method: Mix ingredients and pour on a baking sheet with double lined parchment paper, or aluminum foil with parchment paper over the top, making sure the bottom layer has a lip. Two layers are necessary because the mixture will leak under the first layer and this will protect your baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes. Cut when mixture hardens slightly, but is still somewhat soft.

Tips

• If you're making your sesame crunch in the oven, I recommend a double layer of parchment paper or aluminum foil under first layer of parchment. Otherwise, the mixture leaks under it and leaves a sticky mess on your baking sheet.
• If you do find yourself with a sticky baking sheet, or pan from the stovetop method for that matter, soak it for awhile and it will come clean easily. (It doesn't seem like it will when you first see the sticky mixture stuck on, but don't freak out.)
• If you prefer the stovetop method, which comes together quite quickly, you'll need to watch over it. It literally takes only a few minutes.
• Cut the mixture after it's set a little while, but still soft. That way you'll get nice straight edges.

Other Easy Vegan Snack Recipes

• Thai Pinwheels with Peanut Sauce
• Maple Chipotle Cashews
• Apple Nachos
• Carrot Cake Energy Bites

These sesame bars are perfect for on the go!

*Don't forget to come back and leave your feedback and star rating.

📋 Recipe

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4.84 from 6 votes

Sesame Crunch Bars

These Sesame Crunch Bars are a healthy grain free snack. Made with maple syrup, they are sweet and crunchy.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Greek inspired

Diet Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

If baking 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 15 minutes minutes

Servings 8 small bars (or 8 large)

Calories 134kcal

Author Willow Moon

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients

• ▢ ¾ cup raw sesame seeds
• ▢ ½ cup maple syrup
• ▢ Pinch salt

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

• ▢
  If doing oven method, preheat oven to 325°F.
• ▢
  Toast sesame seeds in a pan on the stovetop for about 5 minutes until golden and fragrant.
• ▢
  Stovetop method: Add maple syrup and salt. Cook down about 3-5 minutes until maple syrup cooks down, stirring constantly. 
• ▢
  Pour mixture on a Silpat baking mat or parchment paper that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Place a parchment paper on top (that has also been sprayed with cooking spray) and use a rolling pin to roll out evenly and flatten. Cut when mixture hardens slightly, but is still somewhat soft.
• ▢
  Oven method: Mix ingredients and pour on a baking sheet with double lined parchment paper, or aluminum foil with parchment paper over the top, making sure the bottom layer has a lip. Two layers are necessary because the mixture will leak under the first layer and this will protect your baking sheet. Bake at 325°F for 30 minutes*. Cut when the mixture hardens slightly but is still somewhat soft.

Notes

*For the oven method: Cooking time will depend on thickness of bars. Mine were about ¼" thick.

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Nutrition

Calories: 134kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 0g | Cholesterol: 0mg | Sodium: 3mg | Potassium: 111mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 12g | Calcium: 159mg | Iron: 2.1mg

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*Note: Nutrition information should be considered an estimate only. Different nutrition calculators give you different results.