Healthy Granola Bar
Oh Lardy! is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
I love the convenience of a homemade granola bar. It can be wrapped up and thrown in a bag, it is is fully customizable, and they can be made for pennies. I can get 16 to 20 granola bars per batch (depending on how thick I cut them), so they cost a fraction of store-bought versions. Even more appealing is the fact that I know exactly what goes into them. As long as they are chewy and have a bit of chocolate, my kids will gobble them up.
These bars are very simple to make. They do, however, require a candy thermometer. Don't let that scare you! Really, this is quite easy.
For this recipe I toasted some oats along with coconut and pecans until they were lightly browned.
Meanwhile, I melted butter, honey, palm sugar, vanilla, and salt.
As soon as the honey mixture reached the soft ball stage (around 240 degrees F), I combined it with the oat mixture in a big bowl. At this point you can add whatever you want. Seeds, dried fruit, chocolate chips, go crazy!
Dump your mixture into a parchment lined (or well greased) dish. I used a 9×13 glass casserole dish. Use some wax paper to really press the mixture down into the pan and even it out. Use an oven mitt because this will still be HOT!
At this point, let the bars cool for a while. While they are still slightly warm, turn them out onto a cutting board and cut them up as you wish.
I like to wrap my bars in individual tin foil sheets. They are pre cut and make the process even more easy, if that is even possible.
These bars don't last long in this house. Especially if my husband knows they are in the cupboard. I have to remind myself that even though these are a homemade snack, they are still a sugary treat and I should treat them as such. But they are soooooooo good.
So, there you have it friends. Go forth and give these a shot. If you are sure to pay attention to your sugar temperature, you will end up with a fully customizable chewy bar that you and your family will love.
Homemade Granola Bars
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 cups oats
- 1 cup pecans
- 1 cup shredded coconut
- 1/2 coconut palm sugar
- 2/3 cup honey
- 2 Tablespoons butter
- 2 Teaspoons vanilla
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 6 to 8 ounces of dried fruit chocolate chips, seeds, or whatever your heart desires!
Instructions
- Toast the oats, nuts, and coconut in a 400 degree oven for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Melt the sugar, honey, butter, vanilla, and salt. I use a candy thermometer to let me know when I reach the soft ball stage because I like these chewy. Let it go longer if you like them crunchy!
- Mix the honey mixture with the toasted ingredients in a large bowl. Be careful, this will be HOT!
- Add in the remaining ingredients (dried fruit, chocolate, seeds, etc)
- Press the hot mixture into a (greased or parchment lined) 9x13 dish.
- Cool and cut while slightly warm.
Pin it!
what do you think is the breakdown for carbs and sugars on this? they look incredible
Jennifer, I am sure there is a lot of sugar and carbs! I am unsure on how to break down the nutritional information. While the ingredients in this recipe are real and whole, that certainly doesn’t make it something you would eat all of the time. It is definitely a treat!
Heard you on the radio yesterday and really like the blog. I try to avoid grains / oats and was wondering how you think this would would work with crushed nuts and dried berries instead of oats.
Tony
I would imagine that it would! Just be sure to use the same ratios and I am sure they will be amazing!! If the mixture seems too gooey, just add more nuts/dried fruit. Let us know how they work out and I can make a note on the recipe!
Did you soak the oats and dry/dehydrate them first?
2 1/4 *cups* of oats, I assume? 😉
These look terrific!
I use a similar recipe but skip the 1/2 cup of sugar altogether and use coconut oil instead of butter. The honey is enough to sweeten the granola just enough…adding coconut palm sugar would make it way to sweet for my taste buds. Even though these are still healthier than any store bought granola bar……keep in mind that honey has a high glycemic index so these bars should be eaten in moderation.
Love the idea of a candy thermometer! Going to need to go out and get one. 🙂
Made these tonight! Wonderful. 1 change. They were too dry, so I turned the stove back on and added a few TBS of coconut oil, a few TBS of Honey and a little shake of Palm Sugar. Brought it back up to Temp and then added it. They are chewy and absolutely delicious! It’s like a carmely, no-bake, chocolate bar. Yum!
Love the idea of a candy thermometer! Going to need to go out and get one.
Could you use maple syrup instead of honey? Then you might not need the sugar also…what all would you adjust?
Yes you can swap syrup and honey for sure!
I NEED TO MAKE THEEEEEESE! Thanks for sharing this recipe. I just discovered Kind Bars, but I’m really trying to avoid canola, so I think I’m resigned to making my own (“resigned” is probably not the word – I’m actually kind of excited to try this!).
OK! So I just made them. They were a total hit with the hubs and son, and the texture was perfect. I personally prefer something that is not quite so sweet, so I might tinker with the sugar (which, admittedly was regular sugar, which is what I had in the cupboard today) and maybe add a pinch of salt.
Thanks again – I am really pleased to have a snack option to send in my son’s school lunch that I feel good about.