If you’ve done much reading on this blog, you know that I love to cook and eat delicious foods. Unfortunately, they’re not all the healthiest choices, so my husband and I have decided to make more of an effort to plan healthy, lower-fat, lower starch, higher fiber, more veggie-filled meals. I also made a list of healthful snacks we should try to have on hand.
On the list was granola bars.
But do you know what??? They’re not all healthy! Some of the granola bars you can buy in stores may as well be candy bars, with the amount of sugar and “fluff” they include in their ingredients. And most of them (except Kashi) also have high fructose corn syrup as a main ingredient. Disgusting. While I love Kashi granola bars, the guy and I tend to go through a bunch of those, so it gets pretty expensive.
So I decided to take matters into my own hands. After reading tons of granola bar recipes (and throwing out the ones that sounded like disguised candy), I came up with my own mixture that works deliciously well to create healthful, filling granola bars. If I eat half of one of these and a small piece of fruit, I’m good to go for several hours. And it makes me happy knowing that I didn’t eat anything disgusting to feel full.
So here’s my recipe. Let me know if you try it out!
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Gather your ingredients:
- 2 cups oats
- 3/4 cup wheat germ
- 3/4 cup sunflower seeds
- 1 cup peanuts, crushed
- 2/3 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup honey
- 4 Tbsp butter
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp Kosher salt
- approximately 8 oz. dried fruit
To crush your peanuts, put them in a plastic bag and smash them with a heavy mallet, measuring cup, or sauce pan.
Then, mix the peanuts, oats, wheat germ, and sunflower seeds in a baking dish with sides. Toast them in the oven for 10-12 minutes, stirring every few minutes so that they don’t get burned.
Meanwhile, prepare a glass baking dish (about 11 x 13 inches) for your granola by lining it with waxed paper lightly sprayed with a nonstick spray.
Put the brown sugar, honey, butter, vanilla, and salt into a saucepan and bring to a simmer, stirring constantly. (I forgot to take a picture of this step, but it looks so pretty!)
By now, your grains and nuts should be toasted, so mix everything together in a large bowl. The grains, the liquid “glue,” and the dried fruit. Oh, and turn off your oven, because you’re finished with it now.
Mix everything REALLY WELL because you want to make sure the “glue” gets all over everything. Now, dump your granola mixture into your prepared baking dish.
Spread out the mixture with a wooden spoon or spatula.
Now fold over the sides of the waxed paper or add a sheet on top, and PRESS HARD all over the granola. You want to compact it together so that your bars won’t fall apart when you cut them.
Wait 2-3 hours or until the granola has totally cooled.
Then, open the waxed paper …
And carefully turn the granola onto a large cutting board, peeling away the rest of the paper.
Now, firmly pressing down with a big knife (not sawing), cut your granola into whatever size bars you’d like.
I wrapped ours individually in plastic wrap, so that we could just throw one into our bag or lunch box in the morning. If you’d like to save on packaging though, you can store yours in an airtight container, between sheets of waxed paper (so they don’t stick together).
Enjoy!
Of course, you can mix up the recipe. I used peanuts because they’re what we had, but next time I’m going to make the granola nutless at first, but during the pressing-down part, I plan to press almonds into the top of the bars.
Another combo that would be fun to try is macadamia nuts, dried pineapple, and coconut flakes.
Or try dried cranberries, walnuts, and white chocolate chips (just a few).
I also plan to add flax seed to my granola mix.
Different flavors of honey would also probably change the final outcome too. Mmm…
So many options! Good thing we have time!
Hi! I'm Emily. I'm a Navy wife and brand new stay at home mom. I cook simple, delicious, grain-free recipes, do crafts, decorate on a budget, and keep a happy home. I breastfeed, babywear, cloth diaper, and co-sleep, but I'm not a hippie.
I got excellent results with this recipe. I varied the nuts, using sliced almonds. Added some flax seed. I also used a little molasses and chunky peanut butter in the liquid. Sprinkled some mini chocolate chips on top. Your photos are helpful. Their appeal made me dive into whipping up a batch! Thanks.
Twitter: JoyfulAbode
They are pretty tasty…haha. My husband has a huge sweet tooth and likes them a lot. I could only eat half a bar in one sitting because they were very sweet and also pretty filling. Some people have offered suggestions for making them less sweet in the comments.
But yeah, way better than corn syrup crud in the grocery stores, way cheaper, and way more customizable.
So I hope you find a version you enjoy and feel good about.
You are right I did come via google. The bars look really good and they would still be better than the crap they sell in the stores with the corn syrup. I get what you are saying. Thanks for the reply.
Twitter: JoyfulAbode
That's interesting… I know most people who find this recipe come to my site via google and aren't regular readers of my blog, but…
Since June 2009 I've been eating grain-free and with very little to no sugar. About 70% of my calorie intake comes from fats, and I get around 60-80g of protein a day, and under 100g of carbs a day (mostly from veggies, a little fruit, some nuts, dairy).
So if I were to make “granola” bars again, they'd be ALL fruit and nuts, no wheat germ, no cereals or oats, as little honey and sugar as possible, etc…
So feel free to try your own tweaks to this recipe all you want, but I will not be making a “healthier” (lower fat?) version any time soon.
This recipe sounds great…. BUT… I did a recipe analysis on it and each bar has over 12 grams of fat in it and that was based on 14 servings not 12 servings. I did analyze it with almonds instead of peanuts though. But still quite high in fat. I think leaving out the sunflower seeds and finding a healthier alternative to the butter …. like possibly applesauce or something would drastically reduce that number…. just thought you should know.
Hi from sunny South Africa! Thanks for a great recipe.I do in flight catering for several very large charter companies over here in Johannesburg, and have included your granola bars in the vip snack boxes. The feed back was astounding.I have read with great interest all the readers' comments, and have even used some of the their comments, to great success.
Thank you so much!! I have a lot of food allergies that don't allow me to buy store made granola bars and being a dancer its hard to find something nutritious to eat when I'm on the go. This recipe is awesome and gives a lot of space for improvisations. Thanks so much (:
yummy!! Just finished cutting up a batch. Delicious. I used parchment paper instead of waxed paper and it came off just fine; no oil needed.
What an awesome recipe! I cannot wait to try this out and have fun with variations. Thank you for posting it!
Wow!~ I will never buy granola bars at the store again! Once my husband started eating them, he couldn't stop! I didn't take them off the wax paper soon enough, it was all I could do to peel it off (he tried to eat the paper, he liked them so much!)
Just finished making these for the tenth time. Started to use solid coconut oil instead of butter to make this healthier. Seems to add just enough oil that there is no sticking to the wax paper and the benefits of coconut oil are numerous.
Can I omit the sugar? If so will I need to add more honey?
Thanks
Can't wait to make these!
This is a quick shout out from the island of Jamaica, West Indies. I made the granola bars and they were PERFECT!!! I now have my first homemade recipe from my children (in the near future!!!! ) Happy Holidays everyone from Hot Hot Jamaica….
I have a friend who made and sent me some of these delicious bars. I asked her for the recipe and she sent more bars with a list of the ingredients but no quantities and directions. However sweet to send the bars I wanted to be able to make these anytime because they are SO good! I was so fortunate to happen across your site and find the exact bars! The pictures are exactly what her bars look like! I can't wait to make them! Thank you very much!
pretty sad and disgusting, wrapping them in plastic. the only reason i want to make my own granola bars is to reduce that.
Use a hairdryer over the wax paper before pulling it off. Let it heat it up for about 15 seconds then slowly pull with the hairdryer still on…no sticking at all!
Hey…I tried making these a while ago and I forgot to mention to you all… I didn't have wax paper so I used parchment paper and I had absolutely no sticking problems! Just an FYI…
I just finished making the bars – followed the recipe fairly closely – just no peanuts (not a fan) – and I used 9×13″ instead of the recommended 11×13″ (could not imagine having used an even bigger pan). The only problem I really had was the wax paper sticking – as mentioned by another reviewer – despite oiling it prior to use. Overall fairly easy to make – even w/ a 2-yr old “helping” and tasty. I may be interested in decreasing the sugar – they are sweet – and next time I may try adding almonds, ground flax seed, cinnamon… waiting to see my 2-yr old's reaction.
Great recipe! It was very simple and easy to do. Wow, really tasty too. The wax paper was a real problem for me though. I don't know what I did wrong, but it completely stuck to both sides, and I'm having to pick it all off. I did spray it with Pam, but perhaps not enough. Maybe I pressed it too hard, or left it on there too long. Do you have any suggestions?
Thank you for the healthy recipe. I just finished it and it looks just like your pictures only in your pictures I noticed raisins with the cranberries. Did not try them yet, though I had bits here and there throughout the whole process, They are all packaged and ready to go. I made these granola bars for my teacher and I have never made granola bars before. Can't wait to bite into a whole one, looks like I am stopping at the store tomorrow to grab more fruit and nuts. My teacher is going to South America this Thanksgiving break. In the spirit of her special vacation
I ran into the idea of totally changing the peanuts and instead using macadamias and Brazil nuts for the occasion. The only thing I would like to note is to be careful with the grains and nuts in the oven because you can easily overtoast them.
Ok, so I just made the granola bars. I had no nuts, no fruit and used ready made granola with seeds in it already. So I added more granola instead of seeds, chocolate chips instead of fruit (but they were milk chocolate, not what I was hoping for grrr.) and added a few marshmallows for the bulk I feared I was missing with the nuts. Both the chocolate chips and marshmallows melted when I added the glue (which I cut the brown sugar down to 1/2cup due to the choc. and marshmallows). While they are still cooling. . . I have to say they are yummy. I hope to discover that they will be just as yummy when I have dried fruit and soy nuts to use instead of the chocolate chips and marshmallows. Though I'll probably give them a small drizzle of chocolate on top. . . . I do love my chocolate!
Thank you so much for the recipe!
This looks like a fabulous recipe. I've been searching for recipes for on the go that I can give my kids with out feeling bad. My son is allergic to peanuts, so I plan to skip that part this time, but maybe add soy nuts or another nut that he can eat. Like a few others I also plan to add chocolate chips (they are dark chocolate after all) in place of the dried fruit, but only because I don't have any at this time. I can't wait to try this out.
Since I first posted about a month agao I have made this recipe at least once a week. I have used many different combinations of nuts and fruits but have kept the basic “glue” as is with the exception of using different types of honey. They are so delish I could and have eaten them for breakfast and lunch without growing tired of them. I was just wondering if anyone out there would have anyway of calculating the amount of calories in these bars. I use a 9X13 pan and cut them down the middle just as in the picture. I have been trying to gain a little weight and was just wondering. I don't think I could give up these bars for anything, they are so good and really addictive. Thank you aain.
I was worried that the bars would fall apart on me so I took a spare piece of 1×6 board and pressed the mixture down with that. Obviously any large flat thing will work, just work your way around the whole pan and put as much weight on in as your counter will allow.
Thanks for this wonderful recipe. I've made these bars a few times now and anyone who snatches one before my husband eats them all up sighs with delight. I've recently posted the version I made on my blog (http://westernshorebirds.blogspot.com), in which I cheated and used a prepared granola (it was what I had in the kitchen at the time). Thanks again for all your great recipes!
Twitter: JoyfulAbode
You could try it! I'm not sure why it wouldn't work.
Can I use oatmeal instead of oat? I know oatmeal is a little flour-ish.
Delish! I ran out of honey so added a little molasses and it gave it a really deep, rich flavor. I love this recipe and it was so easy – great instructions
These are fabulous – better than any commercial brand I've ever eaten and so easy to make. They will become habit-forming. I used hazelnuts and highly recommend them. To cut back on the sugar content, I'll try Colleen's variation without the brown sugar and with the extra vanilla. Thanks!
These bars are sooo amazing!! i love them and you can pretty much put whatever you have available into them. I've made so many different kinds. What I don't do however, is put in the brown sugar, they are plenty sweet without the sugar. Instead, I add one more tsp of vanilla. They are great!! Thank you finally for a recipe without the crap!
wow. these were really really sweet. I'd cut the honey/sugar in half.
I just tried this recipe last night and I am impressed…thank you!
So to my fellow peanut butter lovers… This may not have been the most nutritional choice but I added about 1 1/2 (total) cups of baking chocolate chips mixed with baking reese's peanut butter morsels that I found in the super market instead of fruits. The bars came out looking a lot different that the photos above and tasting a little bit more like a candy bar (but still good!). They were a little more gooey than nutty, but when cut open you can see all the nutty goodness inside them. They were very delicious! My next ones will be chocolate chips and dried cranberries. Should be just as interesting! Anyhow just though I would share with everyone who was wondering about the PB! (It's worth a try!)
I used this recipe and love it! I put up a brief post on my blog: http://chlorofluoro.wordpress.com/2009/10/26/ho…
thanks!
As I am oat/wheat intolerant I made these bars today using 1 c of spelt flakes & 1 c of Kamut flakes replacing the oats and instead of wheat germ used ground flax seed. I also added pumpkin seeds & coconut & sliced crushed almonds instead of peanuts (which I also cannot eat)adjusting the quantities to meet the original recipe. They turned out super delicious. Thank you for the basics.
I followed this recipe pretty closely, and it was far too sweet. Also, the baking dish I used made the bars far too thin.
For my second attempt, I followed Wendy's revisions to a degree. I don't remember exactly what I did, but they turned out much less sweet. They didn't fall apart. Also, I used a smaller square baking dish and they turned out quite thick, which probably contributed to their stability.
My version of the recipe:
3 cups oats
2 cups nuts
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup honey
3 Tbsp butter
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup fruit
Like everyone, I used what I had around. I used walnuts, almonds, sunflower seeds, dried cranberries, and dried apple. I didn't like the gummy texture of the apple in this, so I left it out of the second one.
Now I did some shopping and I have peanuts, cashews, and dried mango.
My mom said that the second ones were the best granola bars she ever had! (Maybe she was just really hungry).
Looking to buy a good set of knives…which one are you using in the photo above?
I lost my job this year and have struggled with good healthy treats for my family, but with all these ideas and recipes it has brought smiles in my house once again. Thanks so much. I also get more time with my kids they love to help and take pride into making them for others as well…
Can anybody comment on how long these keep? Do they need refrigeration? Do they go mouldy at all?
I forgot to write in my comment earlier – I'm going to make several different flavors, wrap the bars in colorful plastic wrap and add them to gift baskets to give to family members for Christmas. I'm going to add a few other homemade goodies as well. Money is tight this year as I lost my job, so these will make healthy gifts from the heart (and inexpensive!). Thanks again for the recipe!
mmmm…I LOVE your recipe. I've tried others and they just fell apart, but these actually stay in bar form. I made mine with sliced almonds, shredded coconut, dried cranberries, and dried apricots. They were great!
Next flavor I want to make is with crushed peanuts, peanut butter, and a few chocolate chips, maybe some raisins or apricots to squeeze some fruit in there. Have you used peanut butter before? I'm guessing I could replace the butter with natural peanut butter, but I'm not sure if that's enough peanut butter flavor. Hmmm…
I was reading your blog and I had the same problem…i wanted a granola bar one which was not too sweet and healthy….thanks a lot for the recipe…sounds pretty easy and I am not to fond of peanuts so will try walnuts and almonds instead.
will let u know how that turns out.
Thanks again.
I can't eat wheat germ so I omitted it added extra oats in its place used almonds raisins and dried blue berries and a little extra vanilla. Boy did I ever get raves for the bars…thanks for the recipie.
I made these and I omitted the wheat germ as I am allergic to it. I increased the oats used almonds and dried raisins and dried blue berries. Boy were they ever good!!
These bars were so easy to make. They taste delicious but I would use far less brown sugar the next time. They are a bit too sweet.
These are very easy and so tasty. I used some ground flax seed, puffed wheat, cranberries, raisins, toffee coated peanuts. Options are endless. I wrap individually and store in the freezer. I like them frozen but my hubby takes them for lunch everyday and they hold together great.Thanks for the recipe ,tips and photos.
Twitter: JoyfulAbode
If yours weren't chewy you may have let the sugar mixture cook too long… try it for a shorter amount of time next time, maybe?
They are very sweet, you're right… I've been trying to make a less sweet version but they don't tend to stick together very well.
My daughter (6) and I made these and the whole family loves them! I used chopped dried apricots. Happy to have found such a great recipe! We omit the nuts for my son and will try different dried fruit next time for variety.
Ginger/Washington DC
Love them! I made a double batch (in a half-sheet pan) for my son's class. They're taking their PSAT's tomorrow, so we're providing breakfast/snacks. Didn't have enough wheat germ on hand, so I used some 8-grain cereal (fine ground) to supplement. Used whatever fruit and nuts I had a surplus of, and coconut in place of sunflower seeds. Also had about a cup of mini-chocolate chips hanging around, so I sprinkled them on top after I pressed the mix into the pan, and quickly patted them in before they melted too much.
Love these!!!!! Best granola bars ever!
Hi sd – I'm wondering how long you cooked the honey mixture. You should just bring it to a simmer in order to melt the sugar. If you boil it too long, it's like candy…it will get hard when it sets up.