The Best Dang Granola Bars Ever {EVER.}
The Best Dang Granola Bars EVER are NO BAKE, loaded with oats, nuts, dried fruit, and covered in chocolate.
Okay so these are the Best Dang Granola Bars Ever.
And when I say Ever, I mean EVER. Until I make another one that tops it. But for now puh-leez buh-leeev that these are IT.
I've been living and breathing granola bars for about a week now, which seems like a weird obsession in lieu of the freezing cold weather that we all can't stop talking about. I maybe should have been baking bread or something, but granola bars are WHERE IT'S AT.
Oh. And since we are talking about cold weather... I just realized that it's been a hot minute since I updated you guys on Norma Kitty Jean. If you have no idea who Norma Jean is, just enter her name in the search bar up there. Enough crazy cat pictures to last you a lifetime.
Anyway. There is this kitty who I alternately call 'Porch Kitty' and 'Buddy' because he is my buddy and basically lives on my porch. I think he belongs to the neighbors but we all know how that works out.
Total sucker that I am, I've been feeding this guy for months, made him a little kitty shelter outside, and put old sweatshirts in the dryer for him to snuggle with on cold nights.
Shhhhhhh. I know.
So I started seeing weather reports last week about the freakish cold and I immediately started to worry about my Porch Kitty. Then I got a text message from my mom reading, "Hope your outside kitty will be ok!!!"
And now you guys know where I get it from.
The wind started blowing and it got COLD. Fast. Chad and I were walking in the door and there was Buddy sitting on the steps. I'm sure you know what happened next.
So Buddy aka Porch Kitty aka Norma Jean's Worst Nightmare came in and purred and snuggled Lucy Dog on the couch while she gave me crazy eyes like, "Is this guy serious?"
And the answer is yes. Yes he is so snuggle serious. It all fell apart when Norma Jean figured out there was an intruder.
My girl, diva to the max that she is, HATES this cat. When he was outside she routinely tried to smack his face through the window. Inside she followed him through the house hissing and giving him the stink eye. She was appalled that I thought she should share her food.
She went to hide under the bed. Buddy made the mistake of trying to be friends. Norma Jean smacked him in the face and returned to her sulking under a different bed.
Drama.
So that's your update. Norma hates everyone, does not like to share, and is the Queen of the World.
{but I let Buddy sleep on the couch anyway}
Granola Bars are a drama-free zone. These are no-bake (well... you have to toast the oats but that doesn't count), no fuss, low sugar, drizzled in dark chocolate, stuffed full of nuts and seeds and dried fruit and whatever else you can jam in there.
They are awesome for a snack, perfect for breakfast on the run, will fit in your fanny pack at the gym (but please don't wear a fanny pack. please.), and are pretty much all-around awesome. REALLY the best.
If you don't have lots of food stuffs on hand to put in granola bars (because maybe you all don't hoard almonds, chocolate chips, and dried cranberries like I do), I know a shortcut! Grab a bag of your favorite trail mix. All the nuts and fruits are already in there! Some of them even have M & M's.
I made these granola bars for the Leftovers Club! Leftovers Club was a group of food bloggers that got together to share the inevitable leftovers that come from testing and re-testing recipes.
If you are interested in tips and tricks on treats you can mail [like granola bars!] scroll past this printable recipe.
The Best Dang Granola Bars Ever {EVER.}
The best dang homemade granola bars ever! Stuffed full of toasted oats, seeds, dried fruit, nuts, honey, maple syrup, and dark chocolate. These are a staple around here! The active cook time in this recipe is short but you will need to allow time for the bars to set up.
Ingredients
- 3 cups old fashioned oats (if GF is important to you use certified GF oats)
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- ¼ cup honey
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 - 1 ½ cups dried cranberries (or other add-ins such as raisins or other dried fruits - chopped if you need to, nuts, sunflower seeds, pepitas, chocolate chips; all your favorite things!)
- 5 ounces dark chocolate
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and scatter the oats in a 9 X 13 pan. Let them toast, stirring at least once, for about 15 minutes. When they are done they will look slightly golden and you will smell the toasty oats.
- Line a 9 X 9 pan with parchment paper or foil. You want a piece large enough that the sides will come back over and cover the top of the bars once you fill the pan.
- While the oats toast heat the oil in a small saucepan on the stove. Add the brown sugar, maple syrup, honey, vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
- Bring it to a simmer over medium high heat. Stir to make sure the brown sugar dissolves, and turn the heat off.
- Put the toasted oats in a large bowl. Pour the hot liquid over the oats and stir to coat evenly. Stir in all your add-ins. Scrape the mixture into the prepared pan.
- Fold the parchment or foil over the top of the granola in the pan and PRESS to fill the corners and flatten. Keep pressing and smooth the granola out so that it is even across the pan.
- Let the granola bars set up in a cool dry place for at least an hour. They will set faster in the freezer. I like to make mine in the evening and let them set up overnight.
- Turn them out of the pan onto a cutting board. Peel the parchment or foil away. Slice down the middle and then cut each half into 6 bars. Lay the bars on a clean piece of parchment or foil. Melt the chocolate in a small saucepan over low heat. Use a spoon to drizzle the chocolate over the sliced bars. Let it set up and ENJOY!
Notes
- grapeseed oil, canola oil, vegetable oil, melted coconut oil -- any will work here. I do not love the flavor of olive oil in this recipe but using what you like matters.
- GOOD dark chocolate makes a difference! The less sweet the better, but you wanna like the taste, so pick your favorite!
- If you are feeling very fancy you can spoon a strip of chocolate onto the parchment, place the granola bars on top, and then drizzle more over the top of the bar. This will give it a chocolate back kind of like a Luna bar.
Recommended Products
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
16Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 321Total Fat: 15gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 1mgSodium: 493mgCarbohydrates: 44gFiber: 5gSugar: 27gProtein: 7g
For this month I was partnered with Joanne from Joanne Eats Well With Others which might be full of my favorite vegetarian recipes ever ever in the world. She made me Meyer Lemon Macarons with perfect little feet. So excited.
If you want to know more about mailing treats...
Start with this post on How to Ship Baked Goods
...and then mail someone these Triple Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies.
Heather, This sounds fantastic. I toast my oats all the time...as a substitute for sugary, fattening granola. I love that it is not saturated with oil. I used to spend a lot of $$$ on granola. No more! Thank you for sharing. I hope it is good enough that friends will buy some from me.
Hi, Maureen! I hope so, too! Enjoy!
Seriously... these are soooo good and sooo easy. Thank you for sharing! This will be one of my "forever" recipes for sure =)
Thank you so much Norma Jean! I am so happy you loved them!
i was just wondering how you keep these? Do they have to be in an airtight container, kept in the refrigerator!!
Thank you for posting this recipe...i can't wait to make them!
~Tonia
Hi Tonia!! I keep them both ways, depending on what time of year it is. If it's nice an cool in the house, an air tight container is perfect! But if it is humid or warm, I vote refrigerator, if only to keep the chocolate from getting melty and making a mess. Hope you love them as much as i do!!
I tried out this recipe and thought it was pretty good, but a little dry to my taste for granola bars, so I decided to re-vamp them a little bit.
I doubled all of the wet ingredients except for the honey and instead of 3 cups of oats I did 2 cups of oats and 2 cups of rice crispy cereal and they turned out absolutely amazing. So if you're looking for a more chewy, moist granola bar texture try this out.
Im a sucker for anything titled "the best" and anything with oats in it - pinned and plan on making soon.
Oh goodness, you are not even joking. These are amazing! I am so excited to have found this great snack idea that doesn't require expensive or hard-to-find ingredients. My two-year-old and husband have been raving about these all day, haha! Thanks for helping me be a snack rock star! 😉
Oh thank you Summer!! I am so glad you guys are enjoying these!!! Your feedback made me smile 🙂
I made these last night with my girls. Our add ins were chopped coconut, chopped almonds, wheat germ and chia seeds.
They were half gone before they had even set up! Once I cut the others I added some drizzled chocolate and OMG!! I may have to triple this every time I make it!
Yay! Thanks Heather! These are seriously my favorite everrrr. It makes me happy when other people love them as much as me! Loving your add-ins. Enjoy!
Do you use baking chocolate or just a dark chocolate candy bar? I can't wait to try these....:)
Hi Michele! I use just a good dark chocolate candy bar. Ghirardelli sells them in the baking aisle, but if you wanna know the truth, I usually stock up at Aldi. They have crazy delicious European chocolate bars that melt like OMG, and they are less than $2 each!
I am wondering if I did something wrong they seem to fall apart very easily ? Please help
Hi Kaytee! So sorry you are having trouble! A few tips that always work for me : PRESS the mixture into the pan like there is no tomorrow. Since you're not baking or using something super sticky like brown rice syrup it's really just all about how it goes in the pan. Make sure the bars are completely cooled before cutting. Sometimes I chill mine first (but that's mostly just impatience on my part). The chocolate underneath serves as a nice glue as well. I used to sell these bars in a local coffee shop and when I made them I always sort of let the chocolate over the top meet the chocolate underneath to hold it all together. I hope that helps!!! I love this recipe because I usually have all these things on hand and they come together really easily. Let me know how they work for you!
Hello! Your recipe looks delicious! I was wondering if there was another substitute for the maple syrup. Could one use more honey, or another type of syrup?
Thank you!
Kristen 🙂
Hi Kristen! You can use more honey but you might get something sticky as opposed to stuck. Does that make sense? I'll tell you that brown rice syrup is AWESOME for granola bars and I love it. It's pretty easy for me to find, so I use it often. I mostly try to write recipes to include what people have hanging around in their cabinets so I try not to write in ingredients that can be elusive. But if you would like to try something different, brown rice syrup is where it's at!!! I hope that answered your question! Let me know if you need any more help with it.
The flavour of this bar is delicious, however, I found there was not enough syrup and the bar was very crumbly. I just increased the measurements for the syrup ingredients by 1/4 (not the spices) and added a layer of chocolate instead of just a drissle and that helped. The next time I am going to add a layer of candied peanut butter.
I just made these and they are so tasty. When I cut them, though, they crumbled so that a good portion of it will have to be used as granola. I have a few bars that look like they should and a few that are smaller pieces. Any hints on keeping them from crumbling? Thanks!
Sometimes I refrigerate mine before cutting. Also pressing really REALLY hard will pack everything together. The chocolate also helps -- the base kinda glues everything together. I super love this recipe but it is really tricky to have a sturdy but still chewy granola bar WITHOUT peanut butter. I hope that helps for the next batch -- thanks so much for the feedback, Meredith!
I just found this recipe and your blog - these look spectacular, can't wait to try! I live in Costa Rica so not all ingredients are readily available, but I can get everything to make these! Thanks for the recipe. 🙂
Hi Jen!! Thanks so much! You will totally love these.