I wanted to link to this recipe recently, and I clicked on over to it only to discover that it was kind of a train wreck. Totally un-printable, with photos intermingled with directions and ingredients.
It was 2009, what can I say? I didn’t know what I was doing! And there was no such thing as a handy-dandy recipe card plugin.
Anyhow, I thought it needed a re-post with a printable version.
Some granola bar recipes employ a method similar to the one used to make Rice Krispie bars, where you make a syrup, pour it over oatmeal and some other ingredients, press the mixture into a pan, and let it cool.
This is not such a recipe…instead, this is more similar to the way you make muffins or cookies. You mix the dry ingredients, mix the wet ingredients, combine them, spread them into a pan, and bake them.
The resulting granola bars are dense and somewhat chewy, kind of like a bar cookie.
They’re very simple to make. You just mix the dry ingredients:
Mix the wet ingredients:
(incidentally, that small whisk is one of my favorite kitchen tools. So great!)
And then combine them.
Press the mixture into a greased 9×13 pan (you will be sure it won’t spread far enough, but it does! A greased spoon or spatula is helpful.)
Bake ’em for 15 minutes, and you’re done!
If you like your bars a little softer, check them at 12 minutes; they bake surprisingly fast.
A few notes:
- These freeze nicely, so sometimes I bake two batches, one chocolate chip and one cinnamon-raisin, and freeze some of them.
- The original recipe called for 3/4 cup of sugar, which is overkill in my estimation, especially with the 1/2 cup of honey. I’ve used as little as 1/4 cup and have still come away with family pleasing results.
- Whole wheat flour can be substituted for the white flour. I don’t usually do that when I’m making a chocolate chip version, but it works nicely with the raisin type. A 50/50 mix of white and wheat is a good option too.
- If you want to make a chocolate version, leave out the cinnamon, and substitute chocolate chips for the raisins. Mini chips work really well but you can use either.
Homemade Granola Bars
This recipe makes hearty bars that freeze and travel well. Super easy, and less expensive than pre-packaged granola bars.
Ingredients
- 2 cups quick cooking oats
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup raisins or chocolate chips
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (if using raisins)
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup chopped English walnuts (optional)
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil or melted butter
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350° F. Grease a 9x13 inch pan.
- Mix oats, salt, raisins/chocolate chips, cinnamon, flour, and walnuts (if using) in a large bowl.
- In a separate bowl, whisk oil, honey, brown sugar, egg, and vanilla.
- Pour wet ingredients into oatmeal mixture and mix thoroughly.
- Spread granola mixture into prepared pan, using a greased spatula or spoon to spread evenly.
- Bake 12-15 minutes. Cool in pan on wire rack, cut into bars, and store cooled bars in an airtight container.
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Jennifer Y. says
These look fantastic! I am going to make a batch this weekend. I also think it looks like a perfect recipe for a 5 year old helper.
Kristyna says
You had me at “cookie bar”. These look like they would be great to take along camping!
However, I don’t think I’ll wait until camping season to try these out.
I’ll bet cranberries and pumpkin seeds would be tasty add-ins as well!
Rebecca says
Perfect timing. I just bought some boxes of granola bars today and every time I do, I think about how I’d rather make a non-processed version for our family. But I have yet to find a recipe I love. This one looks super yummy and I’m excited to try it. Thank you!
Karen. says
Funny, I just typed out my granola bar recipe for the next church cookbook. It’s the melt, stir, press version, and I’ve learned over many trials that the amount of time the sugar/honey mixture is cooked, and then how long it’s cooked after adding peanut butter, dramatically changes the outcome as far as bar texture. Cook it too much too long and it’s so hard it’s difficult to eat. Cook it too short a time and it falls to bits.
I’ll have to give these bars a try when we need something different.
Mrs. Picky Pincher says
This is perfect! I was just looking for a granola bar recipe this weekend, and couldn’t find one I liked. I’m definitely giving this one a spin!
Katie says
Keeper recipe! Thank you!
Sarahbeth says
I’m going to have to make these. They look great and I’m pretty confident my girls will enjoy eating them, and helping me make them. My oldest has been bugging me for something new and different for her lunches. We do like granola bars at our house and they’re ridiculously expensive, plus not so healthy, usually
Ruth says
What do you do to them when you freeze them? Wrap individually and put in a bag?
Sarah R says
Thank you for reposting this! I’ve wanted to make homemade granola bars for a while, but all the recipes I have found online use nuts or peanut butter, and my daughter has an allergy to that. I will be baking these tonight!
BJS says
I read this post this morning before I left for the grocery store. The pictures looked so appealing that I added the two ingredients that I didn’t have at home (oats and honey) to my list. I’ll report back once I make them.
WilliamB, I love that you have two comments on this … ten years apart!
BJS says
I made these, and the verdict is … they’re delicious! Thanks for the recipe, Kristen!
Corrine Wilson says
I have made these multiple times. They come out great and are super easy. I did an almond cranberry bar and it came out great. They stay good for at least a week.
Megyn says
What about swapping the oil with peanut butter?
Or swapping some honey and oil for applesauce?
Has anyone tried those subs?
WilliamB says
I haven’t tried these, but I can predict what will happen if you use applesauce instead of honey and oil: you’ll have granola bits rather than granola bars. They may be quishy rather than chewy but I’m not sure about that.
Here’s the reason: both oil and honey are sticky and they hold things together. Applesauce isn’t sticky and doesn’t hold things together nearly as much. Further, honey make things chewy; applesauce makes baked goods moist and dense (think of the texture of low-fat quickbread made with applesauce).
I can’t confidently predict what using peanut butter instead of oil will do. Uncooked PB is sticky; but I have no info about what happens when you cook it.
Please, if you try any of these, tell us what happens! I’d love to know.
LC says
Has anyone tried these with alternate flour (not wheat) for a GF variety?
Kristen says
I tried coconut flour once, but it made the bars super dry! If you try coconut flour, I’d lower the amount by at LEAST half, probably more.
JD says
I haven’t tried them yet, but I was thinking about using cassava flour. It sucks up moisture less than coconut flour does.
AFS says
I just finished making these for the third time. I like the raisin version better than the chocolate chip, but that’s just my preference. I have had no problem spreading the batter into the pan. Perhaps my hen’s XL eggs make it more spreadable or since you leave out the wheat germ and walnuts you don’t have as much batter.
Anyway, I want to say thanks for a great snack recipe.
Megan says
I love these! I made the cinn raisin ones and used 1/4 c brown sugar and 1/4 c coconut sugar. They were perfectly sweet and all of my kids and friends loved them! Thank you!!
Joanne says
I just made these, added almond flavour.. they are amazing. They are still cooling and then I will be adding them to the homemade treats in the freezer for kids lunches. Thanks so much.
LC says
I love these. Making them is just as addictive as eating them. Only issue I’ve had is that when I add the wheat germ, it’s a little too dry.
Pamela @ Brooklyn Farm Girl says
I was looking for a Quaker esque granola recipe as they are getting more and more expensive in stores. Thanks for sharing!
Celina says
These are the best granola bars! My son and my husband are in love with them! I have made them for my husband so he can take them to work, and I have made them for my son’s school lunches! I made two batches of each kind above and froze them! Can’t wait to try making maybe some cranberry, strawberry, or blueberry granola bars! My local store has a bulk section with these dry goods so I can not wait to try them! YUM! Thanks for a wonderful recipe and God Bless!
Ania says
I have to say these where a hit with my household! Better then store bought n less packaging as well! The aroma filled our house nicely on a cold winters day! can’t wait to try other variations including with superseeds! also very economical n nutritious! Happy New Year 13′
Diane says
These were super simple to make and they taste amazing!!! My son has been asking me to make granola bars lately and then I saw your post. Convenient timing.
He loves granola bars but can’t eat 99% of the ones off the shelves because he has peanut, soy and tree nut allergies. He LOVES these and after making a batch Tuesday, I already have to make another. I love your site and the home made recipes you have on here. My son’s allergies got so bad at one point that I had to learn how to make my own Oreos. He ended up liking mine more than the store kind. His sensitivities change – go through ups and downs – so I haven’t made them in a while, but the granola bars are a definite keeper!!! Thanks!!!
Jenny says
I would really like to know how to make Oreos, if you could share your recipe!
Diane says
I have tried a few recipes but most come out too soft to even hold. My older son is allergic to peanuts, tree nuts, soy flour and soy protein so pretty much anything on the shelves as far as granola bars go is out of the question. I only found one store brand product when I lived in NJ that he was able to eat but here in upstate NY there’s nothing. Thanks for sharing this recipe. He’s actually been asking me to make some this week. If I have time tonight, I’m going to give it a shot. I think I have most of the ingredients… except honey. But that’s easy enough to pick up here (not to mention, during the summer/fall my brother has his own hives and an abundance of honey he happily shares with us.)
Kris C. says
My five-year-old just helped me make these the other day – a huge hit in our house! I will now be making these regularly instead of buying granola bars for lunch snacks – hooray! My husband loved them, too, and I have already raved about the recipe to my friends.
Becky says
I just made these bars this weekend. They are so good. I used chocolate chips and substituted coconut oil for the veg oil. Very good flavor. Thanks!
Monica says
How many dose this recipe make I want to do this with my kindergarten class do you think this would be ok
Kristen says
That depends how big you cut them…it makes a 9×13 pan full, though.
Celina says
I made 4 batches of these granola bars in my 9×13 pan and I got about 60 granola bars out of them. I cut them about the size or a hair smaller than the in store brand granola bars and I can get about 15 bars out of each pan. Hope this helps!
danielle says
thank you so much these were great!! for my science project now i think i’m gonna make granola bars mroe often
Nora Muse says
Love the website a friend told me about it. Can’t wait to read more into it. Also can’t wait to make the granola bars my family love the Quaker oats one’s so they should love these.
NM says
I’ve made these several times and am very pleased! They make a great afterschool snack and make the house smell wonderful. Thanks for the recommendation and the pictures… they are really helpful.
TANYA says
These look yummy. Will have to try them out. I like the chewy softer texture too. Sounds soo simple to make too. Thanks for sharing this and all the others you do. It is very helpful to know that you don’t have to rely on someone else making you good food. I am very much a fan of your blog. Great job.
Krystal says
Do you think I can used old fashioned oats? That’s all I have on hand and I need to make these for hubby.
LC says
That’s what I used and they came out great. I used 1/2 c brown sugar based on the recommendation to cut from the 3/4 and even my picky kids who like sweet snacks were happy.
Barbe says
I made these yesterday and they are delicious! I can’t find my old recipe, but this is a keeper!
MsSunshineGal says
This recipe is so easy to make, I was amazed at how quickly I put them together. I made a double batch (one cinn. raisin and one choc. chip), this will be a great snack to eat at work when I need something sweet and so much cheaper than buying them at the store. I only had to but the oats and honey to put this together, since I already had everything else at home.
Leanne says
These look fantastic! I’m going to try adding some flax seed in place of the wheat germ. I add it to a lot of things, including muffins and pancakes.
Andrea says
Made these and they taste yummy but look more like a cookie bar then a granola texture – any ideas what I did wrong? I didn’t stray from your recipe at all.
Kristen says
Yep, they’re sort of a chewy cookie-like texture. There are granola bar recipes out there that are more like what you’re thinking of…usually they involve melting fat/sugar together, pouring it over the dry ingredients, and pressing the ingredients into a pan (sort of like how you made Rice Krispy bars). I haven’t found a recipe of that sort that I love yet, but when I do, I’ll share it!
Rachel says
Yay! Thanks! I’ve been looking for some quick things to bring to school with me for lunch – I don’t always have breaks between classes to run to a microwave to warm up leftovers, but four or five hours without any snacks at all gets me hungry and distracted.
This will definitely be put to good use.
Judy says
a little late to the game … but with school snacks started and needed. I was just wondering if I could find coupons for such bars … but now … way cool! not needed. I will just make them!!! can’t wait to do the project tomorrow.
sarah says
I made these last night and they were yummy! I didn’t add raisins or chocolate chips, but I did add almonds. Thanks again for the great recipe!
Cindy says
oh my goodness the choc chips ones are gooood! i just made a batch and i kept checking on them cause they smelled oh so good while baking in the oven. My kids and I go through a box of store-bought granola bars every three days or so, these are so much better (and healthier for sure) Thanks!!
Bethany says
YUM!!!! I’m eating one right this second. They are sooo good. I made one batch of cinnamon/raisin and one with swirl chips (peanut butter and chocoate). They are sooo good. Much better than the store bought ones. Plus, these you can make whatever flavors you want. YUM!!!
Tanya says
I have these in the oven right now. Like Cate I have been making crunchy granola bars and I am excited to make this recipe. I used chocolate chips and I had slivered almonds in the freezer. I can’t wait till the timer goes off! Thanks for the recipe.
Desirae says
Oh yum! I’m so excited about this recipe (and already have thought of different ideas for ingredients- dried cranberries and cherries anyone?) esp since the boys start school this fall…. I know. It’s killing me.
Thanks for sharing Kristen!
Laila says
Looks absolutely delicious .. Laila ..http://lailablogs.com/
sarah says
I love that you modify the recipes to what you have on hand at home! I do that too! Thanks for the great recipe. I think I’ll make the granola bars this weekend.
Maggie C says
THANK YOU! I have another recipe (which is WAY too much work) that is actually on my to do list for Saturday but I am going to try these instead – look much easier. Thanks again!
Cate says
These look delicious! I have a recipe for granola bars that’s more crunchy, and while it’s a very good recipe, it’s nice to see one for chewier bars…I’ll definitely have to try this soon!
Christine @ becomingp31 says
Thanks for the recipe! I love making things like this for the kids lunches! They would be good with peanuts and peanut butter chips too, or chocolate chips with almonds – can you tell I love to bake and fiddle with recipes??? I think I will back up a batch (or two) this afternoon!
Kristen says
William, I’ve kept them out on the counter for at least a week with no problems. Honey is a good preservative, so that may be why they stay fresh for a while.
If that’s not long enough for you, could you make a batch, freeze them, and then bring a few with you to work every couple of days?
One Frugal Girl, I figured it out a few years ago with the price of organic ingredients, but I haven’t calculated it recently. I really should, and I promise I will post the results if I get around to the calculations.
One Frugal Girl says
These look amazingly scrumptious! I must admit that I usually just buy granola bars off the shelf, but with this easy recipe I am definitely tempted to make them myself. Just for kicks do you have any idea how much it costs you to make them?
WilliamB says
I keep granola bars at work for a relatively-healthy snack that won’t go bad. I’d like to try these, but how long can I make them last? I have a file cabinet drawer and a cube fridge with what passes for an in-fridge freezer.
Kath says
What a simple recipe! I have all these ingredients on hand so I think I’ll give these a try the next day or so. My oldest son and I love granola bars but I hate to buy them prepackaged as you mentioned because of all the extra stuff they add. Can’t wait to try these!
Kalee says
Thanks for sharing! These look fantastic and will be something I can make to keep on hand. They’ll do for something sweet for us without being too sweet.
EngineerMom says
Your timing is perfect! I’ve been considering making my own chocolate chip granola bars because I keep buying the Quaker ones they sell at work (50 cents per bar!) for a little pick-me-up in the afternoon. These would be so much better!
Kiwi Chick says
Oh yay! This looks like the recipe I have been after for ages. Dense and chewy is what I want. Every other recipe I have tried has resulted in crunchy, brittle, dry bars. Thanks!