3 Delicious Homemade Granola Bars
Make tasty, portable treats for your family with our 3 nutritious granola bar recipes.
If you’re seeking a snack that’s light, wholesome and packed with energy, it’s hard to beat the granola bar. Granola bars are ideal for taking on road trips, a hike, a trip to the park or anywhere else on the go. Now you can make them at home! Whipping up your own granola bars in the kitchen is simple – plus it allows you to control every ingredient you mix in.
1. Very Berry Bars
Serves: 4 to 6
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Ingredients
1½ cups old-fashioned oatmeal
½ cup almonds
½ cup pistachios
⅓ cup cranberries*
2 tablespoons ground flaxseeds
2 tablespoons chia seeds (optional)
½ cup honey
Tip: Although we love cranberries, any dried fruit will do. Try raisins, apricots, cherries or any dried fruit your family loves.
Instructions
- Line an 8-by-8-inch baking pan with parchment paper
- In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients except the honey
- In a small saucepan, bring honey to a boil
- Reduce heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring frequently – be careful not to let honey burn
- Pour ⅓ cup of boiled honey over nut-and-seed mixture
- Mix until combined
- Add honey to taste
Tip: Use Dawn Platinum Dish Soap to hand wash baking pans, saucepans and other cooking utensils. It’s formulated to remove baked-on, even 48-hour, stuck-on food.
- Press mixture into prepared pan and let cool for 1 to 2 hours before cutting
Tip: While homemade granola bars might not come individually packaged, some parchment paper and small storage containers should do the trick for trips and hikes.
2. PB&G Bars
Serves: 4 to 6
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Ingredients
¼ cup peanut butter
4 oz. honey
¼ cup brown sugar
1 cup granola
1 cup quick-cooking oats
1 cup puffed rice cereal
½ cup chocolate chips
½ cup chopped dried mixed fruit
Instructions
- Melt peanut butter and honey together in a saucepan over medium heat
- Dissolve brown sugar into the peanut butter mixture and bring to a simmer for 2 minutes
- Mix together granola, oats, rice cereal, chocolate chips and fruit in a large bowl
- Pour peanut butter mixture over the granola mixture and fold to coat
- Grease a cake pan, and then pour the granola mixture into the prepared pan and press into a flat layer
- Cool at room temperature, about 15 minutes, before cutting into bars
Tip: No time to hand wash? Pop cake pans, saucepans and mixing spoons in the dishwasher with a Cascade Platinum ActionPac. The powerful formula powers through burnt-on and stuck-on messes, without the need for a prewash.
3. Choco-cherry Bars
Serves: 4 to 6
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20-25 minutes
Ingredients
1⅔ cups rolled oats
⅓ cup honey
⅓ cup whole wheat pastry flour
½ teaspoon salt
½ chocolate bar, chopped
½ cup dried cherries
½ cup slivered almonds
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ cup coconut oil
Instructions
- Butter an 8-by-8-inch baking pan
- In a large bowl, combine all ingredients and mix thoroughly
- Place the mixture onto the prepared baking pan and pat down firmly so it’s ½ inch thick
- Bake at 350 F for 20 to 25 minutes or until top is golden brown
- Allow to cool before cutting