These homemade granola bars are incredibly easy to make and serve as an essential energy source for busy workdays or as healthy snacks for kids between meals. They are soft yet hold together well.

You can also buy very tasty granola bars from the store, but their biggest drawback is that they often contain a lot of unhealthy additives. Additionally, store-bought granola bars are frequently too sweet.

When you make granola bars at home, you can prepare a large batch at once. They are nutritious and healthy, cost little, and you can add exactly the flavors you like.

Different Flavors

When you think about store-bought bars, you realize how many different flavors and add-ins you can incorporate. At this point, there’s no need to measure anything precisely—just add ingredients by feel and create various combinations.

Here are some examples you can try: banana-chocolate, peanut butter-chocolate, coconut, dried berries, apple-cinnamon, sunflower seeds or different nuts.

Ideas and Tips

• Instead of honey, you can use brown sugar, but you’ll need to add a bit of water to form a cohesive mixture that holds together. A good substitute for honey is maple syrup.

• Granola bars can be stored at room temperature.

• You can add vanilla extract for the extra flavor, it makes everything better!

• Don’t add too much honey. If the mixture seems too dry, add more in very small amounts. If there’s too much honey, the bars won’t harden.

Ingredients

Rolled oats (or quick oats)

Honey

Semi-sweet chocolate chips

Dried berries

Sea salt

Making Granola Bars

You can make chewy granola bars in two different ways. The easiest method is to bake them in the oven, but they can also be made on the stovetop using a pan.

The stovetop method works well but is slightly more tedious. At the moment, with our kitchen renovation underway and no oven available, this stovetop method is an ideal alternative, which I’ll also include here.

Making Granola Bars in the Oven

• Add all the dry ingredients to a large bowl: rolled oats, chocolate chips, and dried berries. You can also use a regular dark chocolate bar and chop it into pieces with a knife.

• Mix all the dry ingredients together thoroughly.

• Melt the butter in a small pot on the stove. If your honey has hardened, add it to the pot as well and melt it along with the butter until liquid.

• Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix the entire oat mixture thoroughly.

• Grease a baking dish generously with butter and pour the mixed granola mixture into the dish.

• Press the mixture down firmly with the back of a spoon. If the spoon sticks, occasionally dip it in water to keep it moist.

• Place the baking dish in the oven and bake at 350°F (180°C) for 20–30 minutes, until the mixture turns golden brown.

• Remove the baking dish from the oven.

• Let the mixture cool completely, then carefully cut it into granola bars of your desired size using a sharp knife.

Making Granola Bars on the Stovetop

• Toast the rolled oats in a pan. If your recipe includes seeds or nuts, add them to the oats. Heat the pan to medium or medium-high and toast the oats, stirring constantly, until they turn darker and crisp.

• Pour the honey into a pan or pot and heat on high for about 5 minutes, until the honey begins to slowly caramelize. If desired, you can also add the honey directly to the pan along with the oats.

• Remove the skillet from the heat and add all the remaining ingredients that you don’t want to brown, such as dried berries. Don’t add the chocolate yet, because it will melt

• Meanwhile, generously grease a baking dish with butter.

• Spread the mixture evenly over the bottom of a baking dish while it’s still hot, and place the chocolate pieces on top.

• Press the mixture firmly into the bottom of the dish with a wet spoon.

• Once the mixture has cooled and hardened, carefully cut out the granola bars with a sharp knife.

Make different types of granola bars and experiment to find the flavors you like best. Granola bars store well at room temperature for a long time. This way, you’ll have great snacks ready for your whole family.

If you love oats, try making these amazing oatmeal cookies as well. If you’re out of milk and eggs, try making plant-based oatmeal cookies instead. Happy baking!

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Crispy Chocolate Chip Granola Bars Recipe

Yield: 4

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

These homemade granola bars are incredibly easy to make and serve as an essential energy source for busy workdays or as healthy snacks for kids between meals.

Print

Ingredients

• 200g of rolled oats
• 4 tbsp of honey
• A handful of dried berries and choclate chips

Instructions

Making Granola Bars

• You can make chewy granola bars in two different ways. The easiest method is to bake them in the oven, but they can also be made on the stovetop using a pan.
• The stovetop method works well but is slightly more tedious. At the moment, with our kitchen renovation underway and no oven available, this stovetop method is an ideal alternative, which I’ll also include here.

Making Granola Bars in the Oven

1. Add all the dry ingredients to a large bowl: rolled oats, chocolate chips, and dried berries. You can also use a regular dark chocolate bar and chop it into pieces with a knife.
2. Mix all the dry ingredients together thoroughly.
3. Melt the butter in a small pot on the stove. If your honey has hardened, add it to the pot as well and melt it along with the butter until liquid.
4. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix the entire oat mixture thoroughly.
5. Grease a baking dish generously with butter and pour the mixed granola mixture into the dish.
6. Press the mixture down firmly with the back of a spoon. If the spoon sticks, occasionally dip it in water to keep it moist.
7. Place the baking dish in the oven and bake at 350°F (180°C) for 20–30 minutes, until the mixture turns golden brown.
8. Remove the baking dish from the oven.
9. Let the mixture cool completely, then carefully cut it into granola bars of your desired size using a sharp knife.
   

Making Granola Bars on the Stovetop

1. Toast the rolled oats in a pan. If your recipe includes seeds or nuts, add them to the oats. Heat the pan to medium or medium-high and toast the oats, stirring constantly, until they turn darker and crisp.
2. Pour the honey into a pan or pot and heat on high for about 5 minutes, until the honey begins to slowly caramelize. If desired, you can also add the honey directly to the pan along with the oats.
3. Remove the skillet from the heat and add all the remaining ingredients that you don’t want to brown, such as dried berries. Don’t add the chocolate yet, because it will melt.
4. Meanwhile, generously grease a baking dish with butter.
5. Spread the mixture evenly over the bottom of a baking dish while it’s still hot, and place the chocolate pieces on top.
6. Press the mixture firmly into the bottom of the dish with a wet spoon.
7. Once the mixture has cooled and hardened, carefully cut out the granola bars with a sharp knife.
   
   

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 297Total Fat: 6gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 41mgCarbohydrates: 56gFiber: 6gSugar: 19gProtein: 7g