My kids love granola bars. They are super easy snacks to have around, and I figured they were "healthy", right? Granola = healthy, right? -so I thought. The box even said "no high-fructose corn syrup", great! Right? Well....not so much. One day I actually looked at the ingredients, and YIKES! There might be "no high-fructose corn syrup" in there, but there were about 7 other types of sugar (fructose, glucose, corn syrup, etc...) Plus multiple other chemically sounding things. Yuck! That was the last box of those things that I bought.
So I was on the hunt for a recipe that was easy, and more importantly, delicious. The first recipe I tried, was pretty good, but used 2 sticks of butter! Wow. So I kept looking. Then I found a recipe that I had to try, they claimed to be more like the Quaker Chewy Bars we used to eat. So we tried them, and they were super yummy! I made them during summer vacation, and between my kids, Adam and my nephews, the whole batch was gone within a couple days!
Now these are by no means "healthy" (the nutrition info is comparable to the Quaker Chocolate Chip Chewy Bars), but they are a better treat then some of the other things out there, and when things are made from whole ingredients, I feel better about them. (And yes, I realize these have Rice Krispies in them, and they aren't a "whole" ingredient - but oh well. I am looking for a replacement) And my kids love them, and I like making them what they love =)
(As I experiment with different sweeteners and healthy fats, I may tweak this recipe.)
No-Bake Chewy Chocolate Chip Granola Bars
(adapted from backtothecuttingboard.com)
Makes 16 bars
4 Tbsp (1/2 a stick) - Unsalted Butter
1/4 cup - Honey
3/8 cup - Packed Light Brown Sugar
2 cup - Granola (store bought or homemade - I make my own with the recipe below)
1 1/2 cups - Rice Cereal (such as Rice Krispies)
1/8 cup - Semi-Sweet Mini Chocolate Chips
(optional: add 1/8 - 1/4 cup Peanut Butter Chips to make Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Bars)
1. Combine honey and butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir in brown sugar after the butter starts to melt.
2. Bring mixture to a boil, then lower the heat to medium-low and simmer until the sugar dissolves, about 2 minutes. Remove the saucepan from the heat.
3. Add the granola and the rice cereal to the saucepan, and fold them into the sauce until evenly coated.
4. Spread the mixture into two 9x5 loaf pans that have been coated with cooking spray. (I've experimented with different pan sizes, and this works the best. It makes it easy to cut them into bars). Press firmly with a spatula to evenly fill the pan. You want to make sure it is firmly packed down so your bars don't fall apart. The bars should be pressed to about 1/2 – 3/4 inch thick. Sprinkle the chocolate chips on top and gently press them down.
5. Let sit until completely cooled. (I sometimes put mine in the fridge for about 20 minutes right before I cut them, so they are firm when I cut them. It helps them stay together). I pop the whole piece out of the loaf pan on to the counter or a cutting board. The cut each piece into 8 bars (so you have 16 bars total).
Price Comparison:
This recipe: $0.18/bar
Quaker Chewy Bars: $0.30/bar
SAVINGS: $0.12/bar!
(cost for this recipe is with homemade granola)
This is the granola recipe I am using currently - I am experimenting with others. But this is the best one so far.
Recipe for Applesauce Granola
(adapted from fakeginger.com)
(This recipe makes about 3 cups of granola. I usually make a double batch, which makes 6 cups - enough for 3 batches of granola bars. I keep it in the freezer in a Ziplock bag, until I make the bars)
2 1/2 cups - Old Fashioned/Rolled Oats
1/4 cup - Brown Sugar
1 tsp - Cinnamon
1/2 tsp - Salt
1/2 cup - Unsweetened Applesauce
1 Tbsp - Honey
1 Tbsp - Vegetable Oil
Preheat oven to 300 degrees
1. In a large bowl, mix together oats, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt. Set Aside.
2. In a small saucepan, warm the applesauce, honey and oil over low heat.
3. Mix the applesauce mixture into the oat mixture and stir to coat. Spread the spread the mixture on to a large, rimmed baking sheet that has been coated with cooking spray.
4. Bake for 45-50 minutes. Stir the mixture every 10 minutes, until the granola is deep brown.
5. Cool before making into bars.
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