Granola Bar Recipe

I’d been on the hunt for a way to make my own granola bars for a couple of years now.  I kept finding recipes that required lots of ingredients, and too many steps.  Like “Make a double batch of granola, and then use it to make bars with this recipe.”

Not. Happening.

I wanted a recipe that was simple.
Fast and easy would also be good.
And versatile, because I get bored easily.
Plus, they had to be delicious, and use stuff that I already have in my kitchen.

No, I’m not high maintenance.  Why do you ask?

For two years, I searched in vain; all the while paying $2 a box for 8 granola bars, which last less than 6 hours in my house.

Help me Rhonda.

Turns out, Rhonda DID help me!
My friend, Rhonda, brought a pan of what appeared to be ‘healthy rice crispies’ to a get together.  They were her sister Suzy’s homemade granola bars recipe.

This recipe has brought new meaning to my life.

It is all the things I wanted and needed in a granola bar recipe.  They are simple to make, and absolutely delicious!  I’ve been living off of them pretty much exclusively for the past 2 weeks.

The base recipe is super simple, and you can add any mix ins that you want.  The other really cool thing is that you cam either make chewy -or- crispy granola bars.  Rhonda and Suzy are my granola bar recipe heroes.

Let’s whip up a batch, shall we?

Granola Bar Recipe

Can it get any easier than that?  (Note: you can sub any nut butter here.)

Now for the Nummy Stuff…

You can also stir in a teaspoon of vanilla extract & or other spices/flavoring of your choice at this point.  I’m partial to almond extract with chocolate and dried cherries.

Stir into 3 1/2 cups of oats.  If you like crispy rice bits, then you can sub 3/4 cup of those and back down to 2 3/4 c. oats.

Now that, my friends is an easy granola bar recipe!  Plus, you can use good quality, healthy ingredients.  Oats are one of the most nutritious grains; the peanut butter provides great protein; and I used raw honey, which has lots of health benefits.  You can also boost the protein content by adding 1/4 c. protein powder or energy boosting chia seeds to the mix.

Now let’s liven it up some with mix-ins…

You can add any yummy stuff that you like in granola bars.  Add
up to 1 cup of mix ins.  If you’re using a lot of mix ins, You can use between 1/4 and 1/2 cup of each mix in, depending on how much stuff you like in your granola
bar…If you just want chocolate chips, then you can use a whole cup!   1/2 cup of an ingredient will be sparse, and 1 cup will be *LOTS*.   I like about a 1/4 cup of chopped peanuts and 3/4 cup of mini chocolate chips.

I picked chopped peanuts, dried cranberries, and I wanted to top them with mini chocolate chips.
Because Rhonda topped hers with mini chocolate chips, and she’s my granola bar hero.

Mix into the base recipe…you want it to be pretty sticky/goey.  If it gets too dry, then add some additional pb/honey to the mix.

Blend all ingredients in well, and dump it all into a 9×13 pan.

Smish flat…wax paper will keep it from sticking to your paws.

Top with any desired toppings, and smish those down a bit too.

Cut into bars or squares.  I got 32 small granola bars (1×3 inches) by cutting the pan into 8 long skinny rows, and then dividing those into 4 sections.  For regular sized granola bars (about 1.5×4) , cut six long skinny rows, and then cut in thirds.

Flying Chips
My mini chips just wanted to roll around and fly all over the floor, but
I discovered that if I got the pan warm (I accidentally set it near the
oven vent), the chips melt a bit and stick really well, but still look
nice.  So, if your chips are jumping ship, just warm the pan in the oven
on low for a few minutes, until they look glossy, then let them cool.  They stick really well after this.  See, this pic is before I warmed up the
chips…

They will be very chewy, but will set up more overnight.  I keep them in the pan, covered, at room temperature.

If you love crispy bars, you can omit the chocolate chip topping, and bake them at 325 for about 25 minutes, until lightly brown on the bottom.

Wrap them in wax paper to send in lunch boxes.

right click and ‘view image’ for full sized 4×6 printable recipe card

or there’s this printable page with lots more variations on this easy granola bar recipe

5.0 from 1 reviews

Granola Bar Recipe

 

Print

Prep time

10 mins

Total time

10 mins

 

Meet the granola bar recipe of my dreams...easy, fast, and endlessly versatile. These are a weekly breakfast tradition, boasting plenty of energy and protein. You can load it up with healthy ingredients, and even some rather naughty ones too. Have fun inventing new flavors!

Author: Gwen

Recipe type: Appetizers & Snacks

Serves: 12-18

Ingredients

• 1 cup peanut butter or nut butter of any variety (you may warm it if it's too thick)
• 1 cup honey
• 1-2 t. vanilla or almond flavoring (or flavoring of your choice)
• 1 cup total of mix ins: I like ¼ cup of diced up nuts, and ¾ cups of mini chips)
• 3½ cups of regular oats *or* ¾ c. of crisp rice cereal and 2¾ cups of oats

Other mix in or topping options would be:

• mini M&M's
• chopped nuts
• chopped dried fruit
• rice crispy cereal
• seeds
• protein powder
• dried berries
• cocoa powder
• toffee peanuts (!!!)
• toasted coconut
• gummy bears
• candy corn...just whatever floats your boat.

Instructions

1. Combine peanut butter, honey, and flavorings in a large bowl.
2. You may even add a drop or two of food-grade flavoring oils if you wish. Orange oil with cranberries is really delicious.
3. Stir well to combine.
4. Add your mix-ins, and stir.
5. Finally, stir in your 3½ cups of oats (or oat/crispy rice blend).
6. Mix well until evenly moist.
7. Mixture should not be dry. If it is, add a bit more honey and peanut butter, a couple of Tablespoons at a time until it reaches a very thick cookie dough consistency. (The consistency of peanut butter varies a good bit, so you may have to play with it a little to find just the right ratios).
8. Dump into a 9x13 pan, and press down with a square of wax paper.
9. Cut into squares or bars.
10. Enjoy!

Notes

I think these taste even better the next day, after the oats soften up just a bit. !Variations There really are endless variations on this basic recipe.
I made a yummy cinnamon and spice granola bar by subbing 2 T. of molasses for 2 T of the honey, and then I stirred in 1 Tablespoon of cinnamon and ½ t. of ginger (or use pumpkin pie spice). I topped it with cinnamon chips. Dried apple would have been yummy in that one too. Or raisins, if you love oatmeal raisin cookies.
My favorite granola bar variation so far has been when I added almond extract, diced raw almonds, dried cherries, white chocolate chips, and dark chocolate chunks.
One mix in that truly goes with any flavor of granola bar is chia seeds. They really don't add a taste, and have a similar texture to poppy seeds. Chia seeds are a "super food" and I love it that they add protein, lots of energy, and staying power to my already healthy snack. !Other flavor variations ideas- Sweet and Salty Peanut
Cherry Almond
Cherry Chocolate Chunk
Pina-Colada
Cinnamon Raisin
Toasted Sesame, Chocolate Chunk & Sea Salt
Cranberry, White Chocolate
Maple, Cinnamon, Walnut, Cranberry, Chocolate Chunk.
S'mores
Dried Blueberry & Nutmeg
Hot Chocolate...or Mexican Hot Chocolate (with a touch of cinnamon!) and Mini Dehydrated Marshmallows
Fruitcake
Gummy Bear & Candy Corn. (pretend you didn't see those last two, OK?)

Wordpress Recipe Plugin by EasyRecipe

3.1.09

Pin to Save & Share!

Follow me on Pinterest and never miss a recipe!
Follow Gwen’s Nest

Follow Gwen’s Nest’s board Gwen’s Nest Healthy Recipes on Pinterest.