Thank you Lauren’s Latest for this wonderful recipe. When I saw that I could make my own chewy granola bars, in a healthier way, I was all in. BONUS: They are no bake!! Here is the recipe as she writes it and how I made it:
Yield: 10 bars
Prep Time: 2 hours including cooling time
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours 5 minutes
Ingredients:
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup honey
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 cups quick cooking oats {not rolled oats!}
1 cup crispy rice cereal
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons mini chocolate chips
Directions:
In a large bowl, stir oats and rice cereal together. Set aside. In a small pot, melt butter, honey and brown sugar together over medium high heat until it comes to a bubble. Reduce the heat and cook 2 minutes. Pour in vanilla and stir. Pour over dry ingredients and mix well to moisten all ingredients. Pour into lightly greased small jelly roll pan {about 12x8x1} and press out to be about 3/4 inch in thickness. {If your pan isn’t small enough, pack the mixture into one side. You really want to press them down so they stick together.} Sprinkle with mini chocolate chips and press down lightly. Cool on a countertop to room temperature for two hours or until the chocolate chips are set before cutting into bars. Wrap in parchment or plastic wrap and store at room temperature.
Recipe Notes: If your granola bars don’t seem to be staying together when you cut them, you may have not boiled the mixture long enough…you want it to make it just past the softball stage. OR you made them too thin or you didn’t pack them in tight enough. Stick them in the fridge for 20 minutes and that should help keep them together. {Be sure not to keep them in there too long or else they’ll become super hard!} The next time you make them, try boiling for an extra 15 seconds or so.
After making these I am filled with possibilities of where this could go. I can sub peanut butter for the butter to make chocolate chip peanut butter granola bars, or stir in nuts/seeds/fruit to make a healthy breakfast bar, or use dark cocoa powder with coconut flakes to make dark chocolate coconut bars as a treat. And this is just the beginning of my ideas – think cinnamon raisin, or maple brown sugar, or so many more. Please comment ideas for add ins and let me know what you make!
PS – I did use rolled oats, even though she said not to. I got a huge container cheap at Aldi and decided to go with it – they tasted great and held together without an issue.
Budgeting Joy 