Healthy Snacks Made at Home: Chewy Granola Bars

Baking as a hobby has its downsides–there are tempting desserts hanging around the house all of the time!  Why reach for an apple when there is a piece of cake or an experimental cookie lying around, just waiting to be tasted.  And then there are the periodic quality control tastings that must occur.  I thought to try out something a little healthier to see how it would fare in my household.  In comes the granola bar.  I love store-bought granola bars, though I must admit, I only get hungrier after eating them!  But I always wondered how they were made.  How do they get the oats and other pieces to stick together?!  I once tried a recipe from a professional chocolatiering book (they dipped squares into chocolate).  It was a little complicated and even called for melted cocoa butter.  Hardly something I would want to whip up for a kids’ snack!  What I have for you instead is a recipe that is simple both in how its made and in its ingredients.  In this recipe, oats and nuts bind together using a mixture of butter, honey, and brown sugar.  Now on to how these bars were made!

First, I toasted oats (not quick or steel-cut) together with chopped almonds, broken up walnuts, sunflower seeds, and unsweetened coconut.

Halfway through, I used a heat-proof spatula to flip the mixture over so that the other side would get toasted.

I transferred the mixture to a large metal bowl.  I then melted together honey, butter, and brown sugar in a small saucepan set on the stove over medium heat.

I stirred until the mixture started to bubble.  I then took the saucepan off the heat and mixed in the vanilla extract and salt.

Then I poured the hot mixture into the toasted oat/nut mixture and stirred until the oats were coated completely with no dry spots anywhere.

Then I let the mixture sit a couple of minutes to cool before mixing in dried cranberries and raisins.  Chopped dates and/or dried apricots would have worked well too.

I pressed the mixture into a square pan lined with oiled aluminum foil.

I then returned the pan to the oven and baked it for about 5 minutes.  I removed the pan from the oven and set it on a wire rack to cool before putting it in the refrigerator for about 2 hours.  I transferred the granola to a cutting board by using the aluminum foil overhand to lift it out of the pan.  Then I cut the granola into bars–6 rows x 3 rows, which amounted to bars that were 1 1/2 inches wide x 3 inches long.  If you like bigger granola bars, try cutting the bars into 4 rows x 3 rows.

Since we couldn’t/shouldn’t eat all the bars in one sitting, I had to store them somewhere and somehow.  I stacked the bars, placing waxed paper in between each bar so they wouldn’t stick to each other.  I then wrapped the stacks together in aluminum foil and placed the package in a large Ziploc bag (gallon).  I kept the bars in the refrigerator, though they can stand at room temperature (but take them out of the Ziploc bag).

They make a truly terrific snack for kids and adults alike.  My kids aren’t fond of nuts unless ground into a nut butter or made into a sweet nut paste for chocolates, but I heard no complaints from them after they tested out these granola bars!

Next time I make these, I need to add in some mini-chocolate chips!!

Print Recipe
Chewy Honey Granola Bars
2018 © HollyTrail.com
Course Dessert
Keyword Bars, Snacks
Servings
bars
Ingredients
  • 2 1/2 cups old fashioned oats (not quick or steel cut oats)
  • 2 tablespoons sunflower seeds (optional)
  • 2 tablespoons unsweetened coconut, shredded (optional)
  • 1/2 cup almonds, coarsely chopped (with skins) (other nuts may be used, such as walnuts, pecans, or skinned hazelnuts)
  • 1/3 cup honey
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 cup dried cranberries
  • 1/2 cup raisins
Course Dessert
Keyword Bars, Snacks
Servings
bars
Ingredients
  • 2 1/2 cups old fashioned oats (not quick or steel cut oats)
  • 2 tablespoons sunflower seeds (optional)
  • 2 tablespoons unsweetened coconut, shredded (optional)
  • 1/2 cup almonds, coarsely chopped (with skins) (other nuts may be used, such as walnuts, pecans, or skinned hazelnuts)
  • 1/3 cup honey
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 cup dried cranberries
  • 1/2 cup raisins
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 9-inch square pan with aluminum foil (use enough so that there is an overhang) and lightly grease with vegetable oil.
  2. Spread out oats, sunflower seeds (optional), unsweetened coconut flakes (optional), and chopped nuts onto a cookie sheet. Bake in preheated oven for 5 minutes. Flip over and mix using a spatula and bake another 5 minutes or until lightly toasted. Remove from oven and transfer to a large bowl.
  3. In a saucepan, melt together honey, butter, and brown sugar over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Cook until mixture begins to bubble. Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla extract and salt.
  4. Pour honey mixture over oat mixture and stir until oat mixture is thoroughly coated. Let stand 5 minutes. Mix in cranberries and raisins.
  5. Spread and press mixture into pan using the back of a spoon, your fingers, or a metal spatula. Return to oven and bake for 5 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool on wire rack for at least 30 minutes. Refrigerate 2 hours or overnight.
  6. Remove from pan and cut into 3" x 1 1/2" bars (6 rows x 3 rows) and serve.
Recipe Notes

For best results, store in refrigerator.  Separate each bar with wax or parchment paper and wrap in stacks aluminum foil.

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