Healthy Homemade Granola Bars

We go through A LOT of granola bars in my house.  They’re an easy breakfast for my husband to eat on his way to work and my daughter likes to take them for a snack to pre-school.  I started to realize how much money we were wasting on them at the grocery store, not to mention that most of the ingredients lists of store-bought ones are a mile long.  I’ve tried out a few different homemade recipes, but this one from Minimalist Baker has definitely been the biggest hit.  My daughter literally begs for these, and considering they are packed with good stuff, I don’t feel guilty giving them to her.  Technically they could be considered no bake, depending on whether you want to roast the oats and almonds.  I did, but you can always skip that step if you want.  Here is the original ingredients list:

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups rolled oats (gluten-free for GF eaters)
• 1/2 cup raw almonds, walnuts or pecans, roughly chopped
• 1 heaping (seriously) packed cup dates, pitted (deglet nour or medjool)*
• 2 Tbsp chia seeds
• 2 Tbsp sunflower seeds (roasted or raw)
• 2 Tbsp flax seeds (ground or whole)
• 2 Tbsp hemp seeds
• 1/4 cup agave nectar or maple syrup (or honey if not vegan)
• 1/4 cup creamy salted natural peanut butter or almond butter

Optional Additions: Chocolate chips, dried fruit, other nuts, banana chips, etc.

(Super Seedy Granola Bars from Minimalist Baker)

My changes:

• I added about 3/4 of a ripe banana for some extra sweetness (plus the banana needed to be used).
• I added one tablespoon of coconut oil (mostly because I try to sneak coconut oil in when I can).
• This was my first time using dates (never eaten them, never cooked with them) so I didn’t have a full cup like the recipe called for but will definitely try more dates in future recipes. I’ve also just substituted raisins in for dates and they taste just as yummy.
• I didn’t have hemp or chia seeds so I just omitted them.

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and toast the oats and almonds for about 13-15 minutes.
2. My flax seeds aren’t ground so I threw them in the blender along with the dates (or raisins), coconut oil, and banana.
3. Combine the mix above with the oats, almonds, and sunflower seeds in a large bowl.
4. Heat peanut butter and honey (or maple syrup) over low heat in a small saucepan.  Stir until it is nicely combined.
5. Pour honey mixture over the oat mixture and mix until the oats are thoroughly coated.
6. On a parchment lined baking sheet, spread oat mixture and smooth with a spatula.
7. Cover with plastic wrap and stick in the freezer for at least 15 minutes.  (I’ve never done this with other granola bars I’ve made, but it definitely helped harden them and made them less crumbly).
8. Cut them, wrap in plastic wrap, and stick in a container.  I knew these granola bars wouldn’t last very long in my house so I wasn’t concerned with trying to freeze them.  This made about 12 granola bars, but it really depends on how big or small you cut them.

Easy, yummy and way better than the store-bought ones!  Enjoy!

 icon-thumb-tack Quick tip: if homemade granola bars aren’t your thing, or you just don’t have time to make them, the Cascadian Farms Organic Chewy Granola Bars are a good store-bought option and toddler approved in my house. They can be pricey though so I usually try to only buy them when they are on sale.  KIND bars bars are another good store-bought option.  They are super yummy and have a really short, and understandable, ingredient list.  The downside is that they are expensive (usually around $1.50/per bar) and only sold individually at my local grocery store.

 What’s your go-to homemade granola bar recipe?

• 2015 Dirty Dozen Fruits & Vegetables Cheat Sheet →