I love granola bars, but because we are trying to buy less processed foods, I stopped getting them. Sometimes, though, it’s nice to have a quick snack to grab on the way out the door. I have been meaning to make homemade granola bars for a while (original recipe here), and finally got to it today! They didn’t take long… 30 minutes start to clean up (with a 3-hour wait until they’re ready to eat). Whip up a batch today!
Homemade Fruit & Nut Granola Bars
Homemade Fruit & Nut Granola Bars that taste so much better than store-bought! Perfect for when you're on the go!
Author: Aliesha @ Feathers in Our Nest
Recipe type: Snacks
Serves: 18 bars
Ingredients
- 2 cups old fashioned oats
- ¾ cup steel cut oats or wheat germ
- ¾ cup sunflower seeds (unsalted)
- 2 Tbsp. flax seed
- 1 cup coarsely chopped almonds (or try walnuts or peanuts)
- ⅔ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup honey (local, if possible)
- 4 Tbsp. butter (not margarine)
- 2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
- ½ tsp. kosher salt
- 1 cup dried fruit (your choice: raisins, Craisins, apricots, pineapple, etc.) - I used orange and cherry infused Craisins
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Combine oats, seeds, and nuts in a shallow baking dish. Toast in oven for 12 minutes, stirring mixture every 3 minutes to prevent scorching.
- Prepare a 13x9 pan by placing a sheet of waxed paper in the bottom and spraying it lightly with cooking spray.
- Meanwhile, heat sugar, honey, butter, vanilla, and salt over medium heat. Bring to a simmer, stirring frequently.
- In a large bowl, combine toasted oat mixture, dried fruit, and honey mixture. Stir well to coat.
- Using a wooden spoon, press mixture into prepared pan. Cut another sheet of waxed paper and lay over top of the bars. Press firmly and evenly to help bars stick together. Allow to cool for 2-3 hours.
- Turn pan over a large cutting board and carefully remove the waxed paper. Using a large chef's knife, cut into bars. Wrap bars individually or store in a large container separating bars with waxed paper.
“They look like real granola bars!”
Enjoy!
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Wow, they look delish! Thanks for sharing!!
mmm these look so yummy!
Wow these look great! I love having a bar to grab on the way out the door and I have been looking for a great recipe to try! Thanks!! I’m trying these this weekend 🙂
Okay, I just have to comment and say that I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE these! My sisters and I made them for our family and our dad said they were the best granola bars he’d ever had, better than anything store bought! We didn’t have any sunflower seeds so we replaced them with an extra 1/4c of oats and 1/2c of peanuts and we also used sucanat in place of brown sugar. They turned out great, although next time I will add even more nuts. Also, my sister used a mini rolling pin to flatten them out and it made them way to compressed and they stuck to the waxed paper pretty bad. Next time I will just press them down by hand and maybe spray the top piece of waxed paper also. All around this is an AMAZING recipe! I can’t wait to experiment and make some new flavors! Thanks so much for sharing!
@CrystalI’m so glad you & your family enjoyed them, Crystal! I love that the recipe is flexible enough to try new ingredients and flavors. I can’t wait to make them again myself!
What a great healthy treat and so delicious too. Sounds perfect for a grab and go breakfast. I have a new linky on my blog called “Sweets for a Saturday” and I’d like to invite you to stop by this weekend and link this up.
these are such a great idea…i make granola all the time, but never think to make them into bars. i thin these would be a great snack in our house. thank you for sharing with tuesday night supper club.
thanks for linking up to AP Tuesdays! You were one of the most clicked on links for this week, so you are featured today.;)
Thanks for the great recipe! My son can’t have dairy, so was wondering if there is a reason we can’t use margerine? I don’t like using margerine but we have to for now. Does it affect to consistancy maybe?
@AnonymousIf I were you, I’d try half a batch with margarine and see if it works! I said not to use it for flavor and health reasons (personal preference), but I would imagine the consistency would be the same. Try a small batch to find out! Hope it helps.
no granola in the bars?
@AnonymousGranola = A kind of breakfast cereal consisting typically of rolled oats, brown sugar or honey, dried fruit, and nuts.
Wonderful recipe! I added some unsweetened flaked coconut, maple extract instead of vanilla, and a dash of cinnamon.
For a dairy free version just use coconut oil in place of butter.
@Julie MillerYour changes sound delicious! And thanks for the tip about coconut oil!