Ok, everyone! Who loves granola bars? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller? I guess not. But have you ever made them yourself? I can pretty much guarantee that once you make these granola bars, you will never (want to) eat another pre-packaged bar. They are that scrumptious. Addicting, even. What’s more, so easy to make!
Do you remember back in the day, when Granola Bars were all the rage? Mostly oats and honey, with a few nuts sprinkled in. A good concept. But super crunchy… like, break-your-teeth crunchy. Would you consider them delicious? Hmmm…Sure, they were good, but… delicious enough to want another one, right now? Not so much. Then came the chewy kind. Lots of puffed rice or something taste-free and insubstantial like that. Again, not scrumptious. Like many, I used to put them in my kids’ snacks, even occasionally ate one myself. Now I make my own.
I first saw this recipe on Orangette.com from Molly Wizenburg, who adapted a recipe from Deb Perelman of Smitten Kitchen. I made a couple of changes myself and began making them to send with my daughter to fuel her after-school crew practice. With oats, honey, peanut butter, chocolate, nuts and coconut, a little sweet and salty in every bite, it’s not a surprise they were a hit!
The first time I made them, they came out a bit crumbly. So I re-read the recipe and the comments and realized refrigerating before cutting makes them easier to cut and helps them stay together. So bring your patience, the refrigeration really is the key to success here. They also freeze well. I put them in the snack-size zipper bags. (They do taste pretty good frozen, too. ?)
So bring some YUMMM back to the granola bar. It’s good for you and easy to make! Here I’ve adapted the recipe to make around 30 bars, give or take. How long that lasts in your house, well, that’s up to you. Enjoy!
Homemade Granola Bars
My recipe is adapted from Molly Wizenburg at Orangette, who adapted the recipe from Smitten Kitchen. It is a recipe I’ve made over and over again to send in kids’ lunches or to eat as my own breakfast, lunch or dessert. If you want to make them Vegan, just substitute maple syrup for the honey. You can...
- Prep Time: 15m
- Cook Time: 35m
- Yield: 24-36 bars
- Category: Breakfast/Brunch, Recipe, Vegan, Vegetarian
Ingredients
- 4 c Quick-cooking oats, separated
- 2/3 c Brown sugar, packed (dark preferred)
- 1 c Toasted pecans, salted if desired
- 1 c Sliced almonds
- 1/2 c Unsweetened, shredded coconut
- 1/2 c Ground flaxseed
- 1 c Chopped chocolate, or mini chocolate chips
- 3/4 c Dried cherries
- 1 1/4 tsp. Salt
- 2/3 c Smooth Peanut Butter (I used Trader Joe's all-Natural)
- 2 tsp. Vanilla extract
- 3/4 c Coconut oil, melted
- 3/4 c Honey
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Prepare a 13x9 baking pan by spraying or buttering it, then cover with a layer of parchment that is long enough to hang over two sides (aids in removing the bars to cut) and then spraying or buttering the parchment.
- In a small food processor (or a coffee bean grinder), process 3/4 c of the oats until they are finely ground. In a large bowl, mix together oats, ground oats, brown sugar, pecans, almonds, coconut, flaxseed, chocolate, cherries and salt. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk peanut butter, vanilla, coconut oil and honey. Pour the liquid mixture over the dry ingredients and mix well.
- Press granola firmly and evenly into the prepared baking pan. It's best to take a sheet of plastic wrap, set it over the granola, then firmly press down. This way your hands stay clean and the granola is properly pressed into the pan. Discard the plastic when finished.
- Bake 30-35 minutes until bars are brown at the edges and golden in the middle. Remove from oven, cool. When bars are cool, place them in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours before slicing. This prevents them from being crumbly. When ready to slice, use the long edges of the parchment as "handles" to gently pull the entire sheet of bars from the pan. Using a sharp knife, slice into bars or squares. I made my bars 1" x 4" (ish) but you can make them any size or shape you like.
