Homemade Granola Bar Recipe - (No high fructose corn syrup in these bars!)

11th April 2008

Homemade Granola Bar Recipe - (No high fructose corn syrup in these bars!)

posted in Joyful Abode Shop, Recipes, Illustrations, Food, How-To |

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.

homemade granola bar recipe

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.

crushing peanuts

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.

toasted grains and nuts

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.

granola bar recipe

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.

granola bar recipe

Spread out the mixture with a wooden spoon or spatula.

granola bar recipe

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.

granola bar recipe

Wait 2-3 hours or until the granola has totally cooled.

Then, open the waxed paper …

granola bar recipe

And carefully turn the granola onto a large cutting board, peeling away the rest of the paper.

granola bar recipe

Now, firmly pressing down with a big knife (not sawing), cut your granola into whatever size bars you’d like.

granola bar recipe

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).

granola bars individually wrapped

Enjoy!

granola bars - homemade

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! Be sure to write down all of your delicious variations on adorable recipe cards so you won’t forget them! I’ve got several designs in the shop, so check them out!

This entry was posted on Friday, April 11th, 2008 at 10:12 am and is filed under Joyful Abode Shop, Recipes, Illustrations, Food, How-To. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

1 On April 11th, 2008, Becca said:

I am going to have to try these. They look good!

posted on April 11th, 2008 at 11:10 am

2 On April 11th, 2008, MrPuffy said:

They look wonderful. Thank you for sharing what looks like a great recipe!

posted on April 11th, 2008 at 12:18 pm

3 On April 11th, 2008, Kris said:

Any idea what to use instead of oats in this? (I can’t help it, I love the concept of granola bars, but I cannot stand the texture of oats in anything other than proper oatmeal.)

posted on April 11th, 2008 at 1:22 pm

4 On April 11th, 2008, Mrs. Maze said:

This is the best idea! I’m so doing this for me and my husband! Thanks for posting this!!!

posted on April 11th, 2008 at 1:30 pm

5 On April 11th, 2008, Joyful Abode said:

Becca - let me know how you like them!

Mr.Puffy - You’re so welcome

Kris - I’m not sure, but I was thinking about (for the next batch) reducing the oats and using some puffed rice cereal (like rice crispies) in its place. Probably anything similarly textured would work though.

Mrs. Maze - I hope you two enjoy it!

posted on April 11th, 2008 at 1:43 pm

6 On April 11th, 2008, ctmott said:

What a great recipe..Will have to copy it down..I’m all about good food and no junk in it..Thanks.

posted on April 11th, 2008 at 2:32 pm

7 On April 11th, 2008, RobinSue said:

Ok- I am so glad to see this recipe. I always have problems with the baked granola bars because they seem to burn on the edges while the center is still “raw”. So I can handle the toasting part and heating the other things in the saucepan. I will have to try these. We have nut allergies so I am happy that this can be modified. Nice pictures too!

posted on April 11th, 2008 at 2:44 pm

8 On April 11th, 2008, Caroline your sister said:

Mmmmmm….. The boy and I were thinking of getting some nice granola bars for breakfasts but I think I’ll try this instead. I think I can get some lovely bulk ingredients including flax probably at the Food Co-op. Love that place. Is it really cheaper in the end?

posted on April 11th, 2008 at 10:34 pm

9 On April 12th, 2008, Jenn S. said:

Thanks for the great recipe! I’ve been making my own granola for ages, but I’ve never made bars! I just whipped up a batch, which are now cooling, and it is taking alot of willpower to wait for them to cool!

I added 3T of unsweetened fresh ground peanut butter to the wet ingredients as well as a tsp of cinnamon. I also used cashews in place of peanuts, unsweetened coconut, and for dried fruit - cranberries & apples. YUM!

Thanks for the recipe!

posted on April 12th, 2008 at 7:33 am

10 On April 12th, 2008, LSKcrochet said:

Very nice! Looks very yummy!

Your blog is wonderful! Best Wishes!

posted on April 12th, 2008 at 10:51 am

11 On April 12th, 2008, Dave said:

Kris: How about using puffed wheat instead of oats? Or a mix of puffed rice and puffed wheat. The puffed wheat is a bit more tender than the puffed rice so they wouldn’t crumble, but they might crush a bit…

I’ve got to try these, I guess I know what I’m going to be doing tonight!

posted on April 12th, 2008 at 3:29 pm

12 On April 12th, 2008, Claire’s Cake Bake and Other Foodiness » Blog Archive » Granola Breakfast Bars said:

[…] I came across this recipe via tastespotting. Now I’ve been on the look out for something like this for ages and […]

13 On April 12th, 2008, Allison said:

Oh, I’ve been looking for a decent recipe like this for ages for a *proper* snack. Thank you!

posted on April 12th, 2008 at 8:10 pm

14 On April 15th, 2008, Lisa @ Crazy Adventures in Parenting said:

Ohhhh thank you for this! I’ve attempted before and failed cuz they fell apart. I never heated the mixture to cool, nor did I press down. Thank you! I will let you know how it comes out!

posted on April 15th, 2008 at 6:19 am

15 On April 16th, 2008, Shylah said:

I love this! I will definitely have to try them.

posted on April 16th, 2008 at 12:08 pm

16 On April 17th, 2008, Niall Harbison said:

Hi there

I just found your blog through stumbleupon and am loving the design, nice and clean and simple. The recipes are looking nice as well and can certainly see myself making some of them in the future. I am actually looking for people with excellent food photos who want to share them with the world and interact with other foodies. I started by blogging myself about a year ago and was frustrated that not enough people were seeing the quality content I had and saw huge potential for people to share their food photos and videos with a bigger audience and ultimately drive more traffic back to their own site. Check me out at www.ifoods.tv and let me know what you think and keep up the good work on the blog!

posted on April 17th, 2008 at 8:29 am

17 On April 17th, 2008, Expat Mom said:

I am so making these for quick snacks around here! We are constantly on the lookout for yummy, healthy food that is super fast and these are ideal. Thanks.

posted on April 17th, 2008 at 12:34 pm

18 On April 21st, 2008, Tizzalicious said:

Yum, they look delicious!

posted on April 21st, 2008 at 3:46 pm

19 On April 21st, 2008, cestovatela said:

I made these this afternoon and they were great. I used minced crystallized ginger instead of dried fruit, which I love but might not suit everyone’s taste. I also subbed slivered almonds for the peanuts and flax seeds for the sunflower seeds. I loved the texture of the flax seeds and will definitely use them again.

I also stacked a pile of heavy cookbooks on top of the finished mixture because I was worried I wouldn’t be able to press down hard enough. It compacted everything nicely and saved me some work!

posted on April 21st, 2008 at 10:32 pm

20 On April 26th, 2008, Emily said:

These look so delicious!! Can you tell me if they are crunchy or chewy granola bars? Thanks.

posted on April 26th, 2008 at 5:41 pm

21 On April 27th, 2008, Joyful Abode said:

Emily, they are chewy, but the nuts and things like that add crunch.

posted on April 27th, 2008 at 7:03 am

22 On April 28th, 2008, Knitsational said:

These look delish!

posted on April 28th, 2008 at 7:00 pm

23 On May 4th, 2008, Alain Mokbel said:

This looks an amazing recipe and I really do enjoy the pictures. I also have another recipe on my blog at http://fitnessplanpro.com/homemade-granola-bar-recipe/

posted on May 4th, 2008 at 9:48 am

24 On May 5th, 2008, Lindy said:

Hi- This recipe sounds great but it would be so helpful to have it published in a printer-friendly format!?! I would love to add it to my recipe book but didn’t what to print it with all the pictures! I will have to hand write it out. Just a thought…

Thanks - Lindy

posted on May 5th, 2008 at 6:36 am

25 On May 10th, 2008, Karen said:

Hi I saw these posted on Tastespotting and they were just what I was looking for, so thank you. I made some last week and they turned out great, perfect for my mid-afternoon pick me up snack
I think I will take out the vanilla next time though and maybe add more honey instead of sugar, as they were a bit too sweet, still tasty though.

posted on May 10th, 2008 at 8:18 pm

26 On May 12th, 2008, Sally Smith said:

Just made these. They are amazing. I love the nutty taste. Thanks for the brilliant recipe.

Sally xxx

posted on May 12th, 2008 at 9:04 am

27 On May 14th, 2008, Lucy said:

These look so wonderful. I can’t wait to try them with my family. I love whole grain goodness and try to work it in where ever I can. I have several whole great recipes on my blog already.

posted on May 14th, 2008 at 3:46 pm

28 On May 20th, 2008, Wendy said:

Thanks so much for posting this recipe! I’ve made these twice now and absolutely love them. I’ve passed the URL on to several friends now too and they’ve been a hit with everyone who’s tried them. I even blogged about it: http://wendolonia.com/blog/2008/05/18/may-daily-18-home-made-granola-bars/

posted on May 20th, 2008 at 5:36 pm

29 On May 29th, 2008, Lauren C. said:

Oh, thank you for this recipe! My husband has bad reactions to high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) but needs good handy snacks when his blood sugar drops. These look wonderful and the pictures are great! I think I’ll try to make several batches of these and freeze them. Thanks again!

posted on May 29th, 2008 at 7:36 am

30 On May 30th, 2008, Donielle said:

These are great! I’ve made them 3 times already in the last few weeks. I keep trying to save them for my husband for work, but they’re to yummy!
Awesome recipe!

posted on May 30th, 2008 at 10:43 am

31 On June 1st, 2008, yayanana said:

I substituted ground Flax seed for the Wheat Germ, 2 C Bob’s Red Milll 5 Grain Rolled Hot Cereal(whole grain rolled wheat, rolled rye, rolled oats, flaxseed, rolled barley and rolled triticale)for the Oats, and 2 C Target’s Raw Almond, Cashew and Dried Cranberries Trail mix for the Fruits and Nuts. EXCELLENT! Now if I could just get them to stick together without so much sugar.

posted on June 1st, 2008 at 11:51 am

32 On June 2nd, 2008, fruityana said:

I’m going to save this for my weekend project! These homemade granola bars sound and look absolutely delicious. Can’t wait to try them!

Thank you for sharing!

posted on June 2nd, 2008 at 1:32 pm

33 On June 5th, 2008, Ms. Kari said:

Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Finally, a tummy friendly granola bar and NO COCONUT.
I must be in heaven.
What a delicious bar, and it’s fun to try different variations.

posted on June 5th, 2008 at 8:06 am

34 On June 5th, 2008, Pieces said:

Thank you for this recipe. I’ve been on the hunt for one without corn syrup and have had awful luck finding one that tasted good. I’m excited to give this one a try!

posted on June 5th, 2008 at 8:52 am

35 On June 5th, 2008, Lisa said:

My kids, ages 9 and 3, are madly in love with granola bars, but I cringe at the thought of all the HFCS. I can’t wait to make these with my oldest daughter, who is fast becoming a little foodie herself. These will be a huge hit on the last day of school next week!

posted on June 5th, 2008 at 9:20 am

36 On June 14th, 2008, Emily said:

This looks like a great recipe. I have tried many, and from your pictures and responses I have greta hope in these. Can’t wait to make them and tell you how they turned out!

Thanks for sharing
Emily

posted on June 14th, 2008 at 12:34 pm

37 On June 17th, 2008, Linda said:

They are the best. We tried them and everyone loved them. Thank you for sharing.

posted on June 17th, 2008 at 8:24 pm

38 On June 29th, 2008, MEK said:

Thanks for the fantastic recipe! I’m allergic to gluten so I made a gluten-free version by using gluten-free oats (http://www.onlyoats.ca/only-oats) and substituting flax seed for the wheat germ. It’s so satisfying to have homemade gluten-free power bars!

And I added dried sour cherries as the fruit—yum.

posted on June 29th, 2008 at 2:15 pm

39 On June 29th, 2008, Brody Vegas said:

Best receipt for gluten free bars ever, so easy and super yummy. try adding chunky peanut butter.. mmmmmm

posted on June 29th, 2008 at 11:54 pm

40 On July 5th, 2008, Alessandra said:

These are so good. I found out that if you want to put nuts or whatnot on the tops of them, it’s best to scatter them on the bottom of the pan. They don’t stick so well to the top.
My favorite variation uses toasted coconut, dried cherries, dried strawberries, dates and cashews. Thanks for the recipe.

posted on July 5th, 2008 at 5:22 pm

41 On July 10th, 2008, Gabreial said:

Thanks so much for this recipe. I’ve been searching and searching for a Granola recipe and one for bars without High Fructose Corn Syrup. I’m glad I found this recipe. I’ll be making it tonight with some minor fruit/nut changes for our road trip!

Thank you!

posted on July 10th, 2008 at 12:48 pm

42 On July 11th, 2008, Suzanne said:

Your recipe looks awesome. I’m allergic to peanuts so I’ll prob substitute almonds instead. I’ve been looking everywhere for a good granola bar recipe. Have you tried making it with agave? Agave is a natural sweetener that some people use in lieu of sugar. I’m trying to cut out sugar in my diet completely and found that a lot of the granola bar recipes out there use honey and brown sugar.

posted on July 11th, 2008 at 12:20 am

43 On July 16th, 2008, Cheri said:

I love sneaking healthy supplements into my childrens food and have two with anaphylactic food allergies so now want to find a non-soy protein bar for one of them. I think this recipe will do it with a few modifications. I much prefer maple syrup to honey and plan to add whey protein powder, flaxseed oil, dried cherries and dark mini chocolate chips to this recipe. I can’t wait to try it tonight (and get my 9 year old son to help) and will repost his reaction. Thanks so much.

posted on July 16th, 2008 at 11:59 am

44 On July 22nd, 2008, Lisa said:

I made them and they are awesome!

posted on July 22nd, 2008 at 2:44 pm

45 On July 24th, 2008, Maggie said:

I just made a variation of these. I didn’t have oatmeal but had the Bob’s Red Mill 5-grain hot cereal, so I used that. No peanuts except shelled ones, so I used finely-chopped walnuts. I didn’t have sunflower seeds, so I used some flax meal and some wheat bran. I also used toasted wheat germ and raisins. In the wet ingredients, I increased the butter a little bit and used dark brown sugar. I also added about 2 tbsp. of blackstrap molasses for iron. When I melted the sugars, I let them carmelize with the butter and the flavor is unbelieveable. They are still hardening, but I ate what was left on the spoon (which hardened quickly and well, maybe because I cooked the sugars a little longer?) and the results are amazing. THANK YOU for this recipe!!! It lends itself to all kinds of variation!!!

posted on July 24th, 2008 at 11:15 am