I’ve been craving granola bars lately, but I’ve had a hard time finding any with all natural ingredients for a reasonable price at the store. So when I was on a baking spree this afternoon, I decided to give it a try. After looking at several granola bar recipes in my binder, I took a stab at it based on the ingredients I had on hand. The results were sweet and surprisingly flavorful, like the extra fancy granola bars at the store, but much fresher. Say good-bye to paying $1 per bar for a healthy breakfast or snack!
Quantity note: This recipe makes bars in the bottom of a basic 9×5 loaf pan, which yields about the quantity of granola bars you would get in a box at the store. It could just as easily be doubled to fill an 8×8 brownie pan or tripled to fill a cookie sheet to make more servings at once. These can be breakfast or snack bars for your family at home, but are soft and sweet enough that they would also be a great healthy treat to bring to a party.
I used Trader Joe’s Pumpkin Spice Granola for this, but pretty much any granola would work. If you have very bland/plain granola, then add some seasoning (cinnamon, etc.) to the mixture.
[DF] This recipe is dairy-free.
[EF] This recipe is egg-free.
[GF*] This recipe can be made gluten-free by substituting gluten-free flour mix for the whole wheat flour.
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp. brown sugar
- 1/2 cup applesauce
- 1/3 cup whole wheat flour
- 1/4 cup oats
- 1/4 Tbsp. baking powder
- 2 Tbsp. honey
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup granola cereal
- 1/4 cup coconut
- 1/4 cup dried cranberries (and/or dried blueberries, raisins, apples, etc.)
- 1/8 cup thinly sliced almonds, broken into small pieces
Equipment
- Small mixing bowl
- 9×5 loaf pan
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease loaf pan and set aside.
- Mix the ingredients in the order listed, stiring by hand after each one.
- When evenly mixed, press the dough into the bottom of the loaf pan. Smooth into one even layer, approximately 1/2 inch thick.
- Bake at 350 degrees F for about 20 minutes until lightly golden on top.
- Allow to cool for several minutes, then cut into bars and enjoy!
Source
My own creation. Inspired by multiple basic granola bar recipes.