Granola Bars are the perfect on-the-go breakfast or snack for little ones and adults. But, most brands that you buy in the store are full of chemicals and preservatives, not to mention they’re high in sugar. The good news is granola bars are so easy to make and you can customize them to include all your favorite ingredients!
What You’ll Need:
- 2 1/2 cups of rolled oats
- 1/3 cup of honey
- 1/4 cup coconut oil (you can use butter if you don’t have coconut oil on hand)
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries**
- 1/3 cup mini chocolate chips + extra for sprinkling on top**
How To:
1. Preheat the oven to 350. While the oven is preheating, line an 8×8 baking pan with tin foil. Lightly spray the foil with non-stick cooking spray.
2. Spread the oats on a cookie sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes (until they are lightly toasted). Then transfer them to a bowl.
3. While the oats are baking, combine the honey, coconut oil, brown sugar and vanilla in a small saucepan. Heat the mixture until it’s liquid and the sugar has melted completely.
4. Pour the heated mixture into the bowl with the toasted oats and stir to combine.
5. Let the mixture cool for 3-4 minutes and then add the cranberries and 1/3 cup of mini chocolate chips. (The chocolate chips will melt a little and that’s ok. It will help bind the mixture together.)
6. Pour the mixture into the lined baking pan. Lightly grease a spatula and use it to firmly press the mixture down. Press hard so the bars stay together!
7. Once bars are firmly pressed down, sprinkle the top with more mini chocolate chips. Gently press them into the top.
8. Cover and refrigerate the mixture for at least 2 hours.
9. Remove granola from the pan and peel away aluminum foil. Cut the big block in half, and then cut into bars or squares.
10. Store bars in an airtight container for up to a week. We bet they’ll be eaten before the week is up!
The base of this recipe is the oat, honey, oil and sugar mixture. You can add raisins, flaked coconut, nuts, seeds, peanut butter, white chocolate chips…the possibilities are endless! Let us know what combinations you try in the comments.
Recipe adapted from Inspired Taste
These are so good! They are the perfect swap for store-bought granola bars.
Hi Tara! I’m so happy to hear you love these as much as we do. I make them on a weekly basis 🙂 My family can’t get enough of them!