• Recipes
  • Urban Homesteading
  • Organic Gardening
  • Faith and Family
  • Homeschool
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube

My Humble Kitchen

food • faith • family

  • New? Start Here!
  • About
  • Recipes
    • Beverages
    • Breads
    • Breakfast
    • Salads
    • Egg Dishes
    • Meat and Fish
    • Pasta
    • Rice and Legumes
    • Soups and Stews
    • Vegetables
    • Sandwiches
    • Casserole Meals
    • Crockpot Recipes
    • Odd Bits Recipes
    • Spanish Food
    • Naturally Sweetened Sweets and Treats
    • Condiments
    • Homemade Jams and Preserves
    • Whole Grains
    • Ferments
  • Shopping Guide
  • eBooks
You are here: Home / Topics / Recipes / How to Make Your Own, Better Than Store Bought, Chewy Granola Bars

Recipes Uncategorized

How to Make Your Own, Better Than Store Bought, Chewy Granola Bars

Ever since I posted my recipes for chewy oatmeal raisin and dark chocolate, cherry, almond granola bars, I’ve had many people ask me for my chewy peanut butter chocolate chip version.

I was going to write this post sharing my chewy peanut butter chocolate chip granola bar recipe, however, I decided to share with you my base recipe to give you the freedom to make any kind of flavored granola bar you’d like.

Don’t worry, I’ll also share my chewy peanut butter chocolate chip recipe at the end of this post 😉

As I’ve written before, making homemade granola bars literally takes five minutes of prep work and 20-25 minutes of baking.

I love that…

  • they’re organic
  • save you money
  • they are quick and easy to make
  • they are free of any hidden ingredients
  • you can make sure they are GMO free

Each batch of granola bars makes 12-14 bars.  That’s a lot more than a standard box of store bought granola bars.

Once you buy the ingredients, you’ll easily get 3 batches of granola bars. It’s really great savings for just a smidge of your time.

Chewy Granola Bars Must Have Equipment

1. A Good Quality Bar Pan

As often as I make chewy granola bars, I ended up getting a good quality stonewear pan.

I use a medium bar pan from the stonewear line of Pampered Chef.

I love it.  My batch fits perfectly in it and makes me 14 bars.  If you don’t have this particular pan or size, don’t worry.  Any old pan will work!

2. Parchment Paper

When I posted my other recipes, I’ve had people tell me that their bars crumbled.  They couldn’t get them out of the pan.

In order to prevent this, I’m now recommending to butter your pan and to line it with parchment paper.

If you don’t have parchment paper, make sure to really butter your pan.

Chewy Granola Bars Base Recipe

The Base Recipe is really easy.

Every granola bar will have these specific ingredients

  • 1 2/3 cups rolled oats (I buy Country Choice organic oats from Trader Joes. $3.29)
  • 1/3 cup raw honey
  • 1/4 cup organic brown sugar (sub rapadura or sucanat)
  • 1/3 cup whole wheat pastry flour (I grind my own wheat)
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/4 cup fat of choice
  • 1 1/2 cup nuts/dried fruit/chips of choice

To create your own flavors, you can alter the fat and nuts/dried fruits/chips.

Fat

Depending on the flavor combination you are creating, each batch of granola bar needs 1/4 cup of fat.

You can use

  • butter
  • olive oil
  • coconut oil

The butter and olive oil will lend itself to a chewier texture.  The coconut oil will make your bar a bit harder.

Nuts/Dried Fruit/Chips

Once you decide on a fat, it’s up to you what you’d like to add to your bar.

You can add

  • any kind of nut (almonds, sunflower, walnuts, etc.. )
  • any kind of dried fruit (raisins, cherries, cranberries, apricots, coconut, etc…)
  • any kind of chip (chocolate chip, dark chocolate, peanut butter chips, etc..)

Play around with your fat and additions.  Come up with your own.  As long as you use the base recipe, you can’t go wrong!

Making the Perfect Chewy Granola Bar

Once you decide on your own flavor combinations, all you need to do is toss all the ingredients in a large bowl.

ingredients_mix

Press your mixture down firmly in a buttered and parchment lined pan, then bake for 20 -25 minutes at 350F.

How easy, right?!

The best part is being able to give them to your kids and feeling great about it.

zekie

No secret ingredients! No GMO’s!  Quick, Easy, Real Food!

Print
Chewy, Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Granola Bars

Chewy, Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Granola Bars

Easy to make peanut butter chocolate chip granola bars. No hidden ingredients, real food!

Ingredients:

  • 1 2/3 cups rolled oats
  • 1/3 cup raw honey
  • 1/4 cup organic brown sugar (sub rapadura or sucanat)
  • 1/3 cup whole wheat pastry flour
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 cup peanut butter chips
  • 1/2 cup chocolate chips
  • 1/4 cup melted butter

Method:

  1. Butter a small sized baking pan really well. (I use a medium bar pan from the stonewear line of Pampered Chef.)
  2. Line the pan with parchment paper.
  3. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients. Mix thoroughly.
  4. Place the mixture into the prepared baking pan and pat down firmly.
  5. Bake at 350F for 20-25 minutes or until the top is golden brown.
  6. Allow to cool before cutting.
3.1
https://www.myhumblekitchen.com/2012/11/how-to-make-your-own-better-than-store-bought-chewy-granola-bars-in-any-flavor/
©Copyright, A Little Bit of Spain in Iowa

Do you make your own granola bars?  Tell me, what’s your favorite flavor combination?


119 Comments

About Diana Bauman

Diana is a mother of three, proud wife, and humbled daughter of God. She finds the most joy meeting with Jesus in her organic gardens. She is completely blessed to be able to call herself a stay at home mom where she home educates her children, joyfully serves her husband, and cooks nourishing, real food, for her family. She loves connecting with people on facebook, google+, pinterest, and instagram.

« Simple Lives Thursday, #121
Are You A Holiday Perfectionist? »

Comments

  1. Mare says

    November 9, 2012 at 3:45 pm

    Looks yummy! I’ve been thinking about making some, especially for our flight back to Honduras. One thought… have you thought about soaking the oats at all? Just curious. xoxo!

    Reply
  2. Diana Bauman says

    November 9, 2012 at 4:09 pm

    No, I really haven’t, Mare. These are mostly for Gabe. He likes to take them to work. What would you suggest, soaking the oats then dehydrating them? One thing I have read from is that soaking oats really doesn’t lower the phytic acid. Hmmm… Let me try to see where I had read that!!

    Reply
    • Mare says

      November 11, 2012 at 10:12 pm

      I don’t soak & dehydrate my oats anymore. I started noticing that they don’t settle well anymore. I believe it is the gal over at Healthy Home Ec. that wrote a post about it and confirmed my thoughts that simply soaking then dehydrating doesn’t do the job well. It has to be cooked for the phytic acid to break down.

      I’m thinking a nut version of these granola bars would work. What you think?

      Reply
  3. M Lillian says

    November 10, 2012 at 6:44 am

    What do you recommend for chips? Especially peanut butter chips? I have used Enjoy Life brand of chocolate chips because they are soy-free, but I don’t know of any healthy peanut butter chips. (I have also made my own chocolate chips but don’t know how to make peanut butter chips).

    Reply
  4. Holly (Your Gardening Friend) says

    November 10, 2012 at 1:03 pm

    Thanks, Diana! I’ll have to make some of these. I’ve never made homemade granola bars. Thanks!

    Reply
  5. Paloma says

    November 10, 2012 at 11:07 pm

    Those look sooo good! Love the presentation as well! Yum!

    Reply
  6. Steph (The Cheapskate Cook) says

    November 13, 2012 at 5:16 pm

    Been looking for the perfect homemade granola bars… I want to try these next! Totally pinning them.

    Reply
  7. Annie Ferrer says

    November 25, 2012 at 2:53 pm

    I made these a couple of weeks ago and I have another batch in the oven right now. I substituted the dried cherries for shredded coconut and the brown sugar for coconut sugar. So good! Thank you for sharing!

    Reply
    • Diana Bauman says

      November 25, 2012 at 9:48 pm

      That’s great to hear, Annie! Thanks for sharing ;D

      Reply
  8. Stephanie says

    February 1, 2013 at 1:46 pm

    Hi, I’m new to your website and natural foods, but I am just beginning to try to make some changes! I have a question about this recipe–I have that same pampered chef stoneware dish, do I butter it and then put parchment in it, and then bake the granola bars? What’s the butter for if there’s parchment paper? Does the parchment stick to the pan? Thanks in advance!

    Reply
    • Diana Bauman says

      February 1, 2013 at 2:03 pm

      Hi Stephanie, yes. Butter the pan then line it with parchment. It’s just extra insurance that the bars don’t stick to the pan. Since the parchment is usually just on the bottom maybe over two sides as well, having that extra butter keeps them from sticking anywhere. I also like to do this so that it starts to season the stonewear. Soon enough, it’ll be smooth as butter! Hope that helps 😀

      Reply
    • Sam says

      February 25, 2016 at 2:36 pm

      Hi there,
      I just wanted to add my input because I have made these a few times now in different dishes. I have lined the dishes with cooking spray, butter, and coconut oil without using the parchment paper. The bars did not stick to the dish at all. My advise is to skip the parchment paper because it’t not necessary.

      Diana–thank you so much for this recipe! I have failed at making good granola bars a few times before finding this. Very appreciated! I like using one part unsweetened coconut flakes and one part mini chocolate chips, and cut the brown sugar by about half. So delicious.

      Reply
      • Diana Bauman says

        March 1, 2016 at 5:31 am

        I’ll have to try your version, Sam. Thanks for sharing 😀

        Reply
  9. Aaron Brown says

    February 3, 2013 at 3:07 am

    Hi!

    I am loving reading through your blog and all of the delicious sounding recipes. I have two quick questions:

    1. Is the pastry flour necessary? If so, why? I only ask because I am currently living in Thailand (working for an NGO) and there is very little availability to pastry flour, or all-purpose flours for that matter.

    2. Is it possible to leave out the butter and use peanut butter as a substitute binding agent?

    Thank you for the granola recipes and all of the others!

    Aaron

    Reply
    • Diana Bauman says

      February 3, 2013 at 1:26 pm

      Aaron, thanks for stopping by! Yes, the flour is more of a binding agent, the butter is giving it flavor and keeping it chewy. I definitely think peanut butter could be substituted for the butter. Any fat, really. Give it a go and let us know how it turns out ;D

      Reply
  10. Eliana says

    February 14, 2013 at 1:31 pm

    These were amazing! People always write ” my kids loved them” but my kids really did. I think I will use less honey or brown sugar next go round but great whole grain portable snack. Why did I ever buy granola bars?

    Reply
  11. Amy D. says

    February 18, 2013 at 2:58 pm

    I will be trying these this weekend with homemade peanut butter chips. Hopefully these will win over my husband…I made the dark chocolate cherry ones last night and he thought they were bland. I swear there is something wrong with that man’s taste buds – I thought they were GREAT! But he does like peanut butter much more than he likes cherries, so we’ll give this one a shot! (^_^)

    Reply
    • Amy D. says

      February 27, 2013 at 12:30 pm

      Just wanted to let you know that the peanut butter chocolate ones were a hit with my hubby! The homemade pb chips didn’t work (and I don’t like the ingredient list on pre-packaged ones) so I just used 1 cup of straight peanut butter. 🙂

      Reply
      • Amy D. says

        February 27, 2013 at 12:32 pm

        Oh, and I also replaced the brown sugar with two tablespoons of maple syrup. I did not adjust anything else (except the peanut butter) and they turned out beautifully! 🙂

        Reply
        • Diana Bauman says

          March 8, 2013 at 1:30 pm

          Great to know, Amy!!

          Reply
      • Rhonda says

        October 18, 2014 at 11:03 am

        Amy D. Did you replace the oil with the cup of peanut butter, or use it as part of the 1.5 cups nuts/fruit/chips?

        Reply
  12. Erin says

    February 28, 2013 at 9:51 am

    Does using coconut oil (instead of butter or olive oil) make the bars crunchy or just more firm?? I’m going to give some to my mom, but don’t want them to be a crunchy granola bar. Also don’t want them to turn out all floppy either… thanks!!

    Reply
    • Diana Bauman says

      February 28, 2013 at 5:02 pm

      Erin, yes, by using coconut oil, the end result will be more firm, but not crunchy. None of these should leave a floppy result either. Thanks for stopping by!

      Reply
  13. Terri says

    March 5, 2013 at 9:39 pm

    Diana:
    My mom wants chewy granola bars with mint chocolate chip. Beyond the basic ingredients and the mint chocolate chips what would you or your other guests suggest for for other add-ins? Most fruits seem to overpowering for the mint. What about dried pear? Also, is it the honey or the butter that makes the bars chewy?

    Thanks!

    Reply
    • Diana Bauman says

      March 6, 2013 at 7:07 am

      Yes, it’s a combination of the honey and the butter. If I were making mint chocolate chips, I would treat them like peanut butter chewy bars, and just sub the peanut butter/chocolate chips for mint chips. Probably, cut down on the amount though. Maybe 3/4 cup? You could even experiment, and use chocolate chips with fresh mint, the herb. That might just be phenomenal! Or, you can even use a mint extract with a dark chocolate bar. Just some suggestions, lol!!

      Reply
  14. Vanessa says

    March 8, 2013 at 7:54 am

    Mine won’t stick together! What am I doing wrong? 🙁

    Reply
    • Diana Bauman says

      March 8, 2013 at 1:30 pm

      Vanessa, I’m not sure? Can you let me know what you did? Maybe we can figure something out 🙂

      Reply
      • Vanessa says

        March 12, 2013 at 8:07 am

        I think I got it now. 🙂 I wasn’t using butter with enough fat – silly me. I’m still having issues with them sticking around the dried cranberries – but that I can live with.

        I also did not use the raw honey – do you think it makes a huge difference? The cost was very high, about three times that as normal honey, and I just couldn’t bring myself to buy it.

        Reply
        • Anne says

          July 11, 2015 at 3:12 pm

          Raw honey contains pollen and enzymes that are very benificial to you. There are now many honey imposters on the market (esp from China) so read the label and make sure it is 100% honey. Honey that has been treated, heated, removes all the good stuff.

          Reply
  15. April Vattaso says

    March 25, 2013 at 12:24 pm

    THANK YOU for this!!

    Reply
  16. Shawna Baruh says

    April 8, 2013 at 2:21 pm

    Thank you for the inspiration!
    I co-write a monthly newsletter with my husband and I used your recipe in the food section and took everyone down my road of trying it out. Some tweaks here and there but isn’t that the nature of granola bars anyway?
    I’m trying to make snacks instead of buying them along with all their preservatives as well as feeding my family with more intention in general.
    Thank you!
    Here is the link to my go at it 🙂
    http://adamandshawna.com/2013/04/april-2013-newsletter/

    Reply
    • Diana Bauman says

      April 8, 2013 at 3:00 pm

      Thanks for sharing that, Shawna! I’ll have to stop by your place 😉

      Reply
  17. lisa says

    April 9, 2013 at 7:38 am

    I love love love these bars. I made a batch with 3/4c dried blueberries, 3/4c sliced almonds, and 1/4t cinnamon and I literally can’t stop eating them. We almost devoured the pan in one night! Thank you so much for posting this recipe. I’ve been on the search for an easy, adjustable, and completely delish granola bar recipe for a long time and now I’ve finally found it!

    Reply
    • Rachel says

      July 3, 2014 at 7:20 am

      Can you tell me what you swapped what with?

      Reply
  18. jenny says

    April 12, 2013 at 9:58 am

    I am going to try this with gluten/ caesin free substitutions. UDI’s just came out with a granola bar that is GFCF and it is the first one Ethan will eat but they are $6 a box for 5 bars a little steep since he can eat 2-3 a day so will see if I can duplicate it 🙂

    Reply
    • Jillian says

      May 11, 2015 at 9:18 am

      success?

      Reply
  19. Linda says

    April 15, 2013 at 11:13 am

    Hey I was wondering would this work as well if I substituted Raw Agave in place of the honey?

    Reply
    • Diana Bauman says

      April 16, 2013 at 1:54 pm

      Linda, yes, agave would work, however, I’m not a fan nor would I recommend anyone to use it. Here’s a good article that explains why. http://www.foodrenegade.com/agave-nectar-good-or-bad/

      Reply
  20. Denise says

    April 16, 2013 at 2:40 pm

    Can these be frozen? How can they be stored? I would like to make a big batch and store.

    Reply
    • Diana Bauman says

      April 17, 2013 at 2:56 pm

      Denise, mine don’t ever last more than a week. I wrap them in plastic wrap and keep them on my counter. I’m sure they can be frozen as well.

      Reply
      • Denise says

        April 22, 2013 at 3:33 pm

        I made them and they were de-lish! Can’t wait to try some other combinations.

        Reply
  21. Tammy Stupecki says

    April 20, 2013 at 9:59 am

    I am looking forward to making my own granola bars for my children. I just read this morning all the ingredients in the store bought ones and was flabbergasted.
    Because we are a wheat free family.. Do you have any other recipes for chewy granola bars that do not contain wheat?

    Reply
    • Diana Bauman says

      April 25, 2013 at 4:01 pm

      Tammy, you can substitute almond or coconut flour. Instead of 1/3 cup I’d use about 3 tbls or so.

      Reply
      • Rachel says

        July 3, 2014 at 7:16 am

        Is almond flour the same as almond meal (the kind you make French macarons with)?

        Reply
        • Diana Bauman says

          July 3, 2014 at 8:41 am

          Rachel, I believe so.

          Reply
  22. Janet says

    April 25, 2013 at 3:48 pm

    My daughter has a soy allergy and we have been making a lot of our snacks, breads, and well almost everything from scratch. The one thing that I haven’t been able to make was chocolate chip granola bars. Now due to your website and comments I able to make them. We have a trip to Chicago this weekend. I will be making these for a snack. Basically what I am saying is THANK YOU!!!! Keep up the great work!

    Reply
    • Diana Bauman says

      April 25, 2013 at 3:59 pm

      That’s great, Janet! You’re so welcome 😀

      Reply
  23. Denise says

    May 2, 2013 at 9:26 am

    How do I store these to keep them at the right texture, in an open container or in a zip lock bag? How long do they keep? Are they shelf stable since there are no preservatives or do they need to be refrigerated. Have you tried making large batches and freezing them? If so, how is the texture once they are thawed?

    Thank you.

    Reply
  24. Sara says

    May 8, 2013 at 8:30 pm

    Hi Diana – I just tried making your bars for the first time and they taste fantastic! My kids couldn’t get enough of them. The only issue is that mine turned out pretty crumbly – almost more like moist chunky granola than solid bar. I used coconut oil and raw honey – both of which are fairly thick/viscous so I had a hard time getting the dry ingredients to totally mix. Maybe that’s the issue? I also added shredded coconut, chocolate chips, raisins and almonds. It didn’t seem like too much of any one but maybe together I overwhelmed it with other ingredients? Any suggestions to make the bars firmer welcome! Thanks!

    Reply
    • Diana Bauman says

      May 9, 2013 at 11:12 pm

      Sara, I might try cutting down on the extra ingredients. Also, make sure to press them down firmly before baking. I’m anxious to hear of your results the next go around 🙂

      Reply
  25. Kathleen says

    May 24, 2013 at 9:57 pm

    I tried your basic recipe, and I liked them all, but found them to be too salty for me. Next time I’ll half the salt. Maybe it’s because I left out the brown sugar and it lacked balance?

    Reply
  26. Francisco says

    May 25, 2013 at 6:58 am

    Muchas gracias Diana, quedaron espectaculares, las hice y me alimente de ellas para última semana de preparación antes de correr mi primera maratón y ahora las seguiré haciendo para disfrutarlas en familia.
    Blessings

    Reply
    • Diana Bauman says

      May 26, 2013 at 9:20 am

      Francisco, gracias por el comentario y felicidades por correr un maraton!

      Reply
  27. deepali says

    May 31, 2013 at 7:57 am

    these look yum. i am going to try them today! i live in europe, where things get weighed (instead of measuring by volume), so i think i’m going to have to wing it a little bit. i have an idea in my head of what the consistency should be like before they get baked, so we’ll see if i can get there. 🙂
    i’m also thinking about cooking and blending dates and bananas too instead of the sugar. will probably have to adjust the dry ingredients. will report back. 🙂

    Reply
  28. carrie rothwell says

    June 1, 2013 at 5:36 pm

    Hi there….If using olive oil for the fat, would it not make the bars odd-tasting?
    Also, would the coconut oil be strong in flavor?

    Thanks

    Reply
  29. Cassandra says

    June 4, 2013 at 9:40 pm

    A friend shared your link with me, these are heavenly! I just finished off half an 8×8 pan lol (halved it cause I didn’t have enough oats) For my add ins, I did equal parts chocolate chips, coconut flakes, and chopped walnuts. They were fantastic! I would advise others to let these cool well before handling though, I almost destroyed the batch by trying to remove them too quickly! Once cool they were the perfect firm chewy consistency 😀 I’m going to have fun with these

    Reply
    • Diana Bauman says

      June 9, 2013 at 2:34 pm

      Thanks for sharing, Cassandra!

      Reply
  30. Rachel says

    June 18, 2013 at 10:36 am

    Do you wait till they are completely cool till you cut them or is there a certain time range? mine are falling apart! 🙁

    Reply
  31. Vicki says

    July 6, 2013 at 5:10 pm

    Have you tried this recipe using pumpkin? If so, what ingredient does it substitute? Thanks!

    Reply
  32. marie says

    July 14, 2013 at 10:47 am

    Are the oats quick minute oats? Can I use quick minute oats?

    Reply
    • Diana Bauman says

      July 15, 2013 at 7:20 am

      Marie – The oats are old fashioned rolled oats. They quick oats should work as well.

      Reply
      • Melissa says

        July 18, 2013 at 1:28 pm

        Just made these for the first time last night. I only had quick oats and it worked great!
        These are yummy. I used chopped crystalline ginger, almonds, golden raisins, and some sunflower seeds.

        Reply
  33. stacy says

    July 15, 2013 at 1:34 pm

    Love your recipe! I definitely like almond, coconut, and chocolate in mine. They taste like a almond joy without as much guilt 🙂 A recipe worth saving for me, and my son cant get enough.

    Reply
  34. Megan says

    July 25, 2013 at 9:36 pm

    2 quick questions: 1) If I leave out the honey will the bars still stick together? I used peanut butter and butter but no honey. 2) Will the bars stick together (as in not crumble and fall apart) once they are cool?? I just made my first batch tonight and so far they are crumbly (but then they are still warm). They are however delicious as everyone in my family has had a spoon and deemed them delicious!

    Reply
    • Megan says

      July 26, 2013 at 6:39 pm

      Ok, so I played around a bit and figured out that I will definitely keep the honey in and I also added an egg which helped to bind them and keep them soft. I also omitted the butter and used peanut butter instead. They definitely have to cool before cutting but the last batch I made turned out perfect. Can’t wait to experiment with other things in it (already used less oats and more sunflower seeds as well as sesame, hemp, and chia seeds).

      Reply
  35. Bryanna says

    September 20, 2013 at 3:53 pm

    If you are not using the pampered chef stoneware, do you skip the buttering the pan step and just line the pan with parchment paper?

    Reply
    • Diana Bauman says

      September 21, 2013 at 1:34 pm

      That should work just fine, Bryanna 😀

      Reply
  36. Ayanna Bergstrom says

    September 27, 2013 at 5:17 am

    Im looking for a homemade snack for after training.
    Can I replace the wheat flour with protein powder? If not, can I use almond flour insted?

    Reply
    • Diana Bauman says

      September 27, 2013 at 6:22 am

      Ayanna, give it a try and let us know how they turn out 🙂

      Reply
    • Rhonda says

      October 18, 2014 at 11:10 am

      Would love to know if you got the protein powder to work!!! I have a container of it and I’m always looking for ways to incorporate more protein!!

      Reply
  37. Ayanna Bergstrom says

    September 28, 2013 at 10:15 am

    I used the recipe as my base. I used almond flour insted of the wheat and I added 3 scoops of Natural protein powder and 2 tablespoons of peanut butter. They came out really good. My kids loved them and I think I may like them a little to much, trying to keep from eatting them all in one day. I froze half and I hope they can keep in the freezer.

    Reply
  38. Jennifer says

    December 14, 2013 at 10:17 am

    I was wondering if I could sub coconut flour for the whole wheat flour?

    Reply
    • Diana Bauman says

      December 15, 2013 at 2:06 pm

      Sure! I would probably cut it in half though since coconut four absorbs a lot of moisture.

      Reply
  39. CJ says

    January 15, 2014 at 5:28 pm

    I made your granola bars for the first time yesterday and they turned out DELICIOUS! I used coconut sugar in place of the brown sugar and spelt flour instead of whole wheat. I chose coconut oil for the fat and used coconut, dried cranberries, sunflower seeds, and mini chocolate chips for the nuts/fruit/chips combo. Thanks for the awesome recipe! I will definitely be making these again!

    Reply
  40. Colleen says

    February 2, 2014 at 12:58 pm

    Hi Diana,
    I am really looking forward to making these granola bars, but I was wondering if I could use all purpose flour instead of pastry flour. If not, what is the advantage of using pastry flour? Thank you.

    Reply
  41. Jelli says

    March 7, 2014 at 9:11 am

    Diana, I LOVE this! I bought some mix-ins to make granola bars this week and have been all over the net looking for a recipe to use. My husband’s been begging me to make him a good snack to take to work and I cannot wait to make these. So happy that I can find all the (wholesome) ingredients here in Costa Rica too. So many time the healthy recipes call for oddball ingredients that they just don’t sell here. Thanks so much! Loving your site and getting ready to really dig in and check out more!

    Reply
  42. Jelli says

    March 7, 2014 at 1:31 pm

    I made these this morning and they were delicious! I baked them in a 9×13″ pan which made a thinner and more brittle bar. Next time I’ll opt for a 9″ square pan. Nevertheless, the whole family gave the recipe a 2 thumbs up. Thanks!

    Reply
    • Diana Bauman says

      March 8, 2014 at 8:34 am

      That’s great to hear, Jelli!!

      Reply
  43. Traci says

    April 21, 2014 at 10:41 pm

    Regarding freezing… I make my own cereal and protein bars all the time, in big batches. I wrap them individually and then double wrap them by keeping them in a large Ziplock bag. It takes maybe 30 seconds in the microwave or u can just let them thaw. They come out as good as the day they were made! Your recipe looks great, I’m going to have to try it!

    Reply
  44. marcia says

    June 13, 2014 at 5:27 am

    I make similiar granola bars but I use a nonstick pan and it works great without butter or parchment paper! I always let them cool all the way before attempting to cut them up.

    Reply
  45. Heather Underwood says

    September 15, 2014 at 12:49 am

    I mixed in some flax seed and Brewers yeast and made a lactati on version. Next time I might just skip the flour and use them instead.

    Reply
  46. rebekah says

    September 24, 2014 at 3:11 pm

    these are very tasty but are too crumbly to cut into bars. Did anyone else have this problem. I didn’t substitute anything – just followed the recipe. thanks

    Reply
    • Callen says

      January 11, 2015 at 6:32 pm

      Yes, same problem. Very tasty bars but they fall apart. I too followed the recipe.

      Reply
  47. Jenny says

    October 7, 2014 at 6:50 pm

    I have made these several times, i use a raisin medley, cherries, coconut shreds, sunflower seeds, flaxseed, pumpkin seeds, and carob chips i don’t use nuts or chocolate due to family alergies and they are amazing!

    Reply
  48. Corina says

    October 8, 2014 at 5:27 pm

    I just put these in the oven. I subbed 2 Tblsps of maple syrup for the brown sugar, 1 cup of almond butter instead of chips, coconut flour and coconut oil. The raw mix taste yummy. I also added pecans and almonds! Smelling delish!

    Reply
  49. Karin says

    October 21, 2014 at 10:54 am

    These granola bar recipes are great. I tried them twice already. The first time I used butter and sugar, the bars were slightly more crunchy then chewy. The second batch I made with 3 tablespoons of maple syrup, chocolate chips, unsweetened organic coconut, and butter with a tablespoon of coconut oil. They are so tasty and chewy/soft. Thumbs up from the whole family.

    Reply
  50. Pam says

    October 27, 2014 at 12:24 am

    Sounds great am going to try them tomorrow. Will have to sub maple syrup ?for honey as I allergic to honey.

    Reply
  51. Amanda Hogeback says

    November 9, 2014 at 1:22 pm

    I did not use any flower. I substituted 1/4 cup of mill flax seed, 1 tbsp. of chia seeds and 1 tbsp. of cacao nibs.

    Reply
  52. Anne says

    February 1, 2015 at 3:37 pm

    I made half a batch, using sorghum flour instead of wheat pastry flour and maple syrup instead of vanilla extract. I also added an egg (wanted a chewy bar) and 1 1/2 scoops of chocolate rice protein powder. I’m out of nuts and chips but had 1/6 of a cup of dried cranberries, so I used them. WOW! Did these turn out good! Thank you for sharing a good recipe; I hope my hubby will like them too 🙂

    Reply
  53. Lauren says

    February 12, 2015 at 8:27 pm

    I’ve made this twice now and it’s excellent – exactly what I was looking for – however the first time it hardly stayed together. It was half bars and half granola (no complaint there). This time I melted the fat ingredients and the honey and added them soft and it didn’t stay together at all. Any tips on keeping the mixture hard so that it creates maintains the bars?

    Thanks for this!

    Reply
    • Diana Bauman says

      February 18, 2015 at 7:40 am

      Lauren, when you place all of the ingredients in the pan, are you pressing them down, firmly? I always press all of the ingredients down before baking so it’s like a flat pancake about 1/2″ thick.

      Reply
  54. David Coulson-Lowes says

    May 5, 2015 at 7:03 am

    Thanks for including a variety of binding ingredients – this has been the trickiest part for me and having some flexibility has allowed me to vary the dry ingredients.

    Reply
  55. Shannon says

    May 16, 2015 at 9:01 am

    Thanks for the wonderful recipe. I made these last night for my kids so that they would have something to snack on or grab on the go when in a hurry. My 14 year old said they were better than store bought. My 6 year old wanted more and more of them. My husband and a family friend both loved them as well. I used crushed peanuts, mini chocolate chips, peanut butter and dried cranberries. They were delicious! 🙂

    Reply
    • Diana Bauman says

      June 28, 2015 at 6:00 pm

      I’m glad to hear that, Shannon!

      Reply
  56. Mark says

    June 6, 2015 at 12:33 am

    Thank you for the inspiration.

    I substituted ground flax seed powder for the four. They came out delicious!

    Reply
    • Mark says

      June 6, 2015 at 12:34 am

      I meant ‘flour’. 🙂

      Reply
  57. Henry says

    June 16, 2015 at 4:23 am

    Hi Diana,

    I just have one question to ask, can I replace the whole wheat pastry flour with all purpose flour? If yes, is it cup to cup ratio?

    Thank you!

    Reply
    • Diana Bauman says

      June 28, 2015 at 5:55 pm

      Yes, Henry, you can most certainly replace with all purpose, one for one.

      Reply
  58. Maria says

    June 24, 2015 at 11:42 am

    I’ve been looking for a granola base recipe like this.
    Thank you so much!
    Maria

    Reply
  59. Anne says

    July 18, 2015 at 1:21 pm

    These were absolutely delish! I am wondering if you have ever tried to make these in a food dehydrator?

    Reply
    • Diana Bauman says

      August 20, 2015 at 7:44 am

      I haven’t Anne. If you give it a try, let us know how they turned out 😀

      Reply
  60. rose says

    August 5, 2015 at 10:48 pm

    do you know the nutritional values and serving size
    for the granola bar base recipe?

    Reply
    • Diana Bauman says

      August 20, 2015 at 7:30 am

      Sorry, Rose. I don’t figure in nutritional values when I develop recipes.

      Reply
  61. Anne says

    August 20, 2015 at 7:11 pm

    These bars are amazing! Let me start by telling you that I have been making granola since 1974. Only in the past year I have been trying my hand at making them in bar form. Your recipe is the easiest and best by far. I have used your list at a starting point, and the only change is that I used only one tablespoon of brown (turbanado) sugar. As it takes the same amount of time and energy, I doubled everything else and it fit perfectly in my jelly roll pan. To help newby bakers out a tad, may I make the following suggestions? Put all the dry ingredients in a large bowl and mix well. In a 2 cup pyrex measure cup or similar put the oil of choice (I used coconut) and honey. Microwave for approx. 20 seconds. To this add the vanilla. Then mix to incorporate. Now mix this into the bowl of dry ingredients. I oiled my pan well and added the parchment paper. Spread the mix evenly. Topped with my silpat (which is just slightly larger). Now, I have a cutting board that fits neatly inside the pan. I put this on top of the silpat. Now, I covered this with a clean dishtowel. Put it onto the floor (of course that was clean!) With clean socks on, I proceeded to step on top, which evenly compacted the mix. OK, so now remove that dish towel, cutting board and the silpat and put into the oven. Thin strips of foil over the borders. Bake. Remove. Run a knife around the border of the pan to loosen. When cooler, put the cutting board on top. Flip. Remove parchment. Cool some more. Cut. Whalah! Perfect granola bars. After reading many comments, it appears that many of us do not have enough strength to really pack the mix down. Maybe its not the most ethical process, but it works. I have made this 4 times so far. The last being Pecan, Coconut, golden raisin. Rather than bars, I cut it into bite sized squares approximately 1 1/2″. Thanks again for the wonderful recipe.

    Reply
  62. Nicole says

    September 11, 2015 at 10:01 am

    Hi there, I love how you easily you can alternate the recipe to suit your tastes! Also can you tell me if I can freeze these and if yes, ca you tell me any particular freezing instructions, please?

    With thanks,
    Nicole

    Reply
    • Diana Bauman says

      October 12, 2015 at 7:56 am

      Yes, you can for sure freeze these. I would just wrap them up individually in plastic wrap, and then place them in a freezer bag and freeze. Hope that helps.

      Reply
      • Nicole says

        December 5, 2015 at 3:32 pm

        Thank you! You’re the best! 🙂

        Reply
  63. Jue says

    November 18, 2015 at 10:09 pm

    Made them 2 nights ago and love love them even though they were crumbly. I think I did not compact them enough. Will definitely try again. Tq

    Reply
  64. yashita says

    November 20, 2015 at 3:20 pm

    Hi! Thanks so much for this recipe.I tried it & it tasted divine but I had a little trouble cutting these into neat bars. Would appreciate any tips on that.

    Reply
  65. Colleen says

    February 24, 2016 at 5:47 am

    These were amazing! I used 1/2 cup chocolate chips, 1/2 cups raw sunflower seeds, 1 TBSPN chia seeds, 1 TBSPN flax seeds and butter. It is so hard to find nut free granola bars, thanks so much for sharing this recipe!

    Reply
    • Diana Bauman says

      March 1, 2016 at 5:31 am

      No problem!

      Reply
  66. Colleen says

    March 4, 2016 at 7:25 am

    Love this recipe! However, I’ve found that I don’t have a pan that they fit in properly. The link you have to medium bar pan is broken. Could you add an Amazon link to an appropriate sized pan? Thanks!

    Reply
  67. Jeanine says

    August 3, 2016 at 7:19 pm

    Have you tried these with einkorn flour instead of regular wheat flour? Would you use the same amount?

    Reply
    • Diana Bauman says

      September 25, 2016 at 1:58 pm

      You can definitely sub einkorn!

      Reply
  68. Jane Kirk says

    February 23, 2014 at 6:50 pm

    Thank you – I have been making this recipe for a couple months now.

    Just posted a link back to this recipe here
    Celebrate Motherhood Blog

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Granola bars: binders | litefare says:
    February 15, 2014 at 2:31 pm

    […] And here’s another granola bar recipe that sounds good. http://www.myhumblekitchen.com/2012/11/how-to-make-your-own-better-than-store-bought-chewy-granola-b… […]

    Reply
  2. Homemade Chewy Granola Bars | The Chen Kitchen says:
    March 17, 2014 at 7:34 pm

    […] originally found this recipe idea at myhumblekitchen, but this recipe is all over the […]

    Reply
  3. 8 Frugal, Healthy Snack Recipes - Modern Alternative Mama says:
    March 24, 2015 at 7:00 am

    […] Chewy Granola Bars […]

    Reply
  4. No-Bake Granola Energy Bites (Chocolate Peanut Butter and Mango Coconut) AND GIVEAWAY! - My Humble Kitchen says:
    May 9, 2015 at 1:32 pm

    […] I’ll start making a couple batches a week of easy, whole wheat einkorn cheddar crackers, chewy granola bars, and my new favorite treat, no-bake energy […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

 

My family of 7

I’m Diana – mother of five, proud wife, and daughter to an amazing God. Here you’ll find an encouraging community seeking to nourish our families both physically and spiritually. You’ll find us in our kitchens, gardens, and homeschool rooms pursuing a simple life in food, faith, and family.

Read More…

Real Food, Faith, and Family Straight to Your Inbox!

PLUS, receive my eBook a Month of Meals from My Humble Kitchen to Yours and a Real Food Menu Plan Printable FREE!

Living Foods

Fermented Buckwheat Crunch - Gluten-Free

Fermented Buckwheat Crunch

How To Make Milk Kefir - A Probiotic Yogurt-Type Drink | myhumblekitchen.com

How To Make Milk Kefir – A Probiotic Yogurt-Type Drink

Charlotte Mason Homeschool Planner

Winter Recipes

Honey Sweetened, Christmas Granola - Candy Canes and Chocolate Chips | myhumblekitchen.com

Honey Sweetened Christmas Granola with Candy Canes and Chocolate Chips

A Simple Beef and Barley Stew | myhumblekitchen.com

A Simple Beef and Barley Stew

Gluten-Free Almond Flour Fudge Brownies | myhumblekitchen.com

Almond Flour Fudge Brownies

A Vegetable Curry

Quick Bake Einkorn Biscuits | myhumblekitchen.com

Quick Bake Einkorn Biscuits

View More Winter Recipes

#probioticseveryday

Homemade Yogurt | myhumblekitchen.com

Homemade Yogurt

How To Make Milk Kefir - A Probiotic Yogurt-Type Drink | myhumblekitchen.com

How To Make Milk Kefir – A Probiotic Yogurt-Type Drink

Naturally Pickled Leafy Greens and Stems with Onions

Fermented Buckwheat Crunch - Gluten-Free

Fermented Buckwheat Crunch

A Simple Recipe for Homemade Natural Fermented Pickles

View More Gut Healthy Recipes

Copyright © 2023 · Divine theme by Restored 316

Copyright © 2023 · Divine Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

 

Loading Comments...