Saturday, March 31, 2012

Crunchy Granola Bars

Up until a few months ago I was going through box after box of Nature Valley granola bars. They are my favorite, crunchy and sweet, and not fake tasting like so many granola bars out there. Looking at the ingredients list didn't make me feel too bad. Although they are loaded with sugar, they contain mostly natural ingredients which is nice to see. However, it was my goal to make a homemade version that could compete with the crunchy goodness of the store bought kind. Over several months time I tried several granola bar recipes, but none of them would turn out how I wanted them to. They would either fall apart and turn into granola instead of a granola bar, or they were so hard I could hardly cut them, much less take a bite. These attempts were often not the best tasting either. Finally however, I found a recipe that looked promising. It originally came from America's Test Kitchen which made me even more excited. Their recipes almost always turn out great. These granola bars were no exception. They are crunchy and sweet, strong enough to hold up in my lunch box, but not so hard that they break a tooth. They are exactly what I was looking for.

***REDIRECT ALERT!! I have moved to a new site, new domain, new host. Please follow me there to find this great granola bar recipe as well as many more!


It's a simple recipe that uses ingredients I almost always have on hand. To ensure that these bars are super crunchy, the recipe calls for toasting the oats with oil before forming the bars. I think this is the key step. One of the most difficult parts about making homemade granola bars is cooking them enough so that they get dried out all the way through, but not so long that they start over cooking. Toasting the oats first means that the bars start out dry and crispy, so they don't need to cook as long and start overcooking.

After toasting the oats, all you have to do is pour the liquid ingredients over them, mix it up, and press it in a lined pan. Press down to squish all of the granola together into an even layer, and bake. Nothing to it. I like these bars the best with almonds, but when I made my last batch I was out of almonds, so I just added an extra cup of oats and they turned out just fine. So if you don't have any nuts around, or don't like nuts, just leave them out!

Another key step to making the perfect granola bars is cutting them while they are still warm from the oven, before they harden up and become impossible to cut nicely. I have found that letting the pan rest for 10 minutes works best for me. After these 10 minutes I grab my trusty pastry scraper and cut up the bars (I like cutting the pan into 45 bars, 9X5). Then just let them cool the rest of the way and you have the perfect granola bar.

To be honest, while these bars are delicious, they do not taste like the Nature Valley crunchy granola bars. I still love my Oats and Honey granola bars, but they will definitely just be for emergencies from now on!

Grab your oats

Add the oil and salt and mix to combine

Toast them on a cookie sheet until golden brown

Meanwhile, grab some honey

and combine it with the brown sugar

Cook over medium heat until sugar dissolves

Add the cinnamon (if using)
and the vanilla

Pour the liquid mixture over the oats, 
if using nuts add them here as well

Spread the granola on a greased, foil lined sheet pan
and use a spatula to press into a tight, even layer

Bake!

Let the granola cool for about 10 minutes and then
cut them up into bars
(don't wait any longer than 15 minutes to cut or it
will be too hard)

Once cut, let them cool the rest of the way

Break up the bars

Enjoy as many ways as possible!

***Click HERE to see these granola bars in their new home!! Thanks!

Crunchy Granola Bars
Adapted from Bakerlady, originally from America's Test Kitchen
Ingredients
  • 7 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/2 cups whole almonds, pecans, walnuts or peanuts 
  • 3/4 cup honey
  • 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon (optional)
Directions
Adjust oven rack to the middle of the oven and set the temperature to 375 degrees.

Line an 18 x 13 inch rimmed baking pan with aluminum foil.

Combine the oats, oil and salt in a large bowl and mix until the oats are evenly coated. Transfer the mixture to the baking sheet and spread into an even layer. Bake, stirring every 10 minutes, until pale gold, 20-25 minutes. Remove the oats and lower the oven temp to 300 degrees.

Place the nuts in a food processor and process until coarsely chopped. Or just chop coarsely with a big sharp knife.
Combine the honey and brown sugar in a saucepan and cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly, to dissolve the sugar. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla and cinnamon (if using).

Combine the oats, nuts, and honey mixture in a large bowl and stir with a large rubber spatula until the oats are thoroughly coated with the honey mixture. Spray the baking sheet (still with foil sling) with non-stick spray then transfer the granola mixture to the prepared baking sheet and spread in an even layer. Spray a large metal spatula or a square dish with non-stick spray and firmly press the mixture into the pan. Make a flat, tight, and even layer. Bake until golden, about 35-40 minutes.

Cool in the baking sheet, on a wire rack, for 10-15 minutes before cutting into bars, I used a pastry scraper to cut.  Cut the bars all the way through and then allow the granola bars to completely cool. Do not wait longer than 15 minutes before cutting the bars. They harden up significantly as they cool. Any longer and you’ll have a very hard time cutting thru them.

The bars can be stored, covered for up to 2 weeks.

208 comments:

  1. Oooo! I have a chewy-ish granola bar recipe I've been using and I love them, but these crunchy ones look delicious to try! Next time I need to make them, I think I'll try your recipe!
    ~Allison

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    1. I love chewy granola bars too! What recipe do you use? I may have to try them sometime too.

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    2. How are these called granola bars if there's no granola in them?

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    3. Full Definition of GRANOLA : a mixture typically of rolled oats and various added ingredients (as brown sugar, raisins, coconut, and nuts)

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    4. I made these today and they turned out great! They will certainly become a staple snack in our house and much cheaper than the usual store-bought kind. As well, I know EXACTLY what went into it. Can see lots of possibilities to change it up a bit but great just as they are.

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    5. I'm so glad you like them, sounds like as much as I do! I also love knowing exactly what's going into my body. Being informed is so important.

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    6. I'm the anonymous poster from Feb 22nd at 7:58. I made a second batch and this time I used quick oats, added 1/2 cup of sweetened shredded coconut when I added the finely chopped walnuts. I substituted maple syrup for the honey but still added 1/4 c honey. I omitted the cinnamon and when I packed the granola onto the cookie sheet, I made sure it was really well packed. I was trying to replicate the look of the Nature Valley bars and feel I was quite successful. I brought some to work to share and they were a BIG hit! Everyone wanted the recipe. Thanks so much for sharing this.

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    7. You're welcome! I'm glad they went over so well. Your tweaks sound wonderful!

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    8. Could you use coconut oil instead of vegetable?

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  2. They turned out great! I brought them to Bible Study for our snack and everyone LOVED them! Thanks for the recipe!
    ~Allison

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    1. Yea! I'm so glad you liked them! I still plan on trying your recipe very soon!

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  3. My hubby's been asking for the Nature Valley granola bars, but I'm too dag on cheap to buy them when I have a perfectly good recipe that made way more for the same price. He said it was too chewy. I'm going to try your recipe next. Yours look crunchy enough to stand up in a cup! and I keep all of these ingredients on hand. Thank you very much.

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    1. oh, forgot to ask. :) Can I make several batches at once and then freeze them?

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  4. Just made these...and they came out really well! I swapped the honey for agave nectar because honey becomes toxic when heated. I think maple syrup would be good too. I used a combo of almonds, walnuts and coconut and butter instead of oil. I don't think they'll last long.
    Thank you

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    1. I'm glad you liked them! Your substitutions sound really interesting, I'm glad they worked for you. While I'll stick with the honey and oil, its nice to hear of other people making a recipe their own!

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    2. honey does not become toxic when heated!

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    3. According to Ayurveda heating honey to 180 degrees and over turns the honey into a carmel glue like substance that becomes hard to digest. It adheres to body tissue creating Ama (toxins) and becomes hard to cleanse. There are a lot of vitamins, antimicrobials and enzymes that are lost in the heating process too.

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    4. Hard to digest is a long way from toxic.

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    5. I wanted to swap out honey just because of the cost. I switched to 1/2 c table syrup (that's cheap maple syrup) + 1/4 c white sugar and about a 1/4 c water to make up for the difference in liquid. The bars are delicious but very crumbly. Luckily, my bf is okay with that and actually suggested eating it in a bowl of milk like cereal. Just an idea :) I think next time I make them I will try half honey, half maple syrup. Or maybe I'll give corn syrup a try.

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    6. I still used the brown sugar. I just read it over and realised it sounds like I'm swapping brown sugar for white sugar- I'm not. I just read online that if you want to swap maple syrup for honey you should add some white sugar to the mix.

      Oh, and I used Pumpkin Pie Spice instead of cinnamon. :)

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    7. Unless you're buying raw honey, all supermarket honey (even organic) is heat treated.

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    8. Honey is not poisonous (toxic) when heated. That being said, many raw foods such as raw honey do lose certain nutrative value during the heating process, but in light of the option of using agave, honey, or corn syrup to sweeten a recipe it's up to your tastes/nutrative wishes. None of these options is a poison though.

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    9. Not all honey is heat treated. I used to work at a honey farm producing millions of pounds of honey. Heating is commonly used to reduce the water in the honey to eliminate the chance of spoilage or fermentation. For a honey to remain raw, it cannot be heated to over 104 degrees, so to extract the water out of the honey, it is treated in a vacuum instead. It boils without heat, thus releasing the water vapor and acheiving the perfect level for preservation.

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  5. Hello there!
    I am writing from Germany. I had been looking for a recipe for crunchy granola bars for ages and this one sounded perfect. I just made them this afternoon and they turned out terrific! Thanks for the cool recipe and this nice little blog, I bet I will visit here from time to time. :)

    Greetings,
    Nicole :)

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    1. Thanks for stopping by! I'm so glad you like the granola bars, they are one of my all time favorites. Of all the things on my blog I think I make them the most. Come back soon! Auf Wiedersehen!

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  6. How could I incorporate coconut into this recipe? If I added say a half cup, how much more of the honey sugar mixture do you think it would require to bind properly?

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    1. I think you could probably add half a cup of coconut without changing anything else. That's not a ton of coconut. Sometimes I add a few extra oats, and they don't seem to have a problem binding together well. If you are concerned, I think an extra tablespoon or two of honey can't hurt. I wouldn't think you would need much more than that though. But give it a try, even if they fall apart a little, it will still be tasty! Great idea with the coconut, I may have to try that sometime!

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  7. I want to make these really peanut buttery---i made these and my kids loved them. would they still be crunchy and sticky if I combined honey and peanut butter instead of honey and brown sugar????? just trying to figure out how to incorporate the pb without the yummy brown sugary/maple syrup taste (not that there is anything wrong that that all :)----

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    1. I think it's worth a try, and sounds quite delicious by the way! I haven't tried it so can't say for sure. I would guess they would be a little less crunchy, and might fall apart a little more, but hey, granola is good too! I'm sure it will be tasty regardless of how well they stick together. If you end up trying it, let me know how it works out!

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    2. Try replacing the maple syrup with peanut butter, both are binding agents. The one difference you may notice is a slightly oilier texture, which may need more oats to correct. It will be a test to see.

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    3. If you haven't heard of PB2 yet you should definitely pick some up at your local Walmart or grocery. It's just all natural ground peanuts without the excess oil. It's 1/3 the calories of regular peanut butter. I use it for almost every dessert recipe, you could add 2 T of honey (I use sugar free Pancake syrup) if you're worried about it not sticking as well! Best of luck!

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    4. DEAR MRS FISH
      yes!!! pb2 is awesome and the chocolate also!
      I will make these with both. thanks so much

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  8. I WILL!!! When I made your recipe I thought they tasted JUST like the Maple Brown Sugar Granola Bars from Nature Valley--but the kiddos love the Peanut Butter ones the most from Nature Valley so that's why I was wondering. I will try the peanut butter route and let you know how they turn out :)

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  9. I wanted to let you know that I made these, attempting the peanut butter route and it was a success and they tasted just like the Peanut Butter Nature Valley Granola Bars!!!! What I did was for the brown sugar/honey dissolve mixture part--the brown sugar part of it I divided half and half into brown sugar and peanut butter, than the normal amount of honey==then dissolve. In addition I put 1/2 cup peanut butter into the whole mixture when mixing it all up together at the end. I also omitted the cinnamon, for true peanut butter heaven. It tasted just like them and my family ate them up. Thank you for this wonderful recipe :) :)

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    1. Kareena Doucet-SweeneyNovember 10, 2014 at 6:24 AM

      Absolutely fantastic the balance is perrrrrfect, I've made them over and over again, at times I've added dates,or raisins,or dried apricots, it never ends.... Thanks again !

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    2. We really love the peanut butter ones too. I have read your revision a couple of times and don't understand what you did. Would you mind clarifying?

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    3. Hi Angela - I don't understand what you did with the peanut butter either. What exactly did you mean by "for the brown sugar/honey dissolve mixture part--the brown sugar part of it I divided half and half into brown sugar and peanut butter, than the normal amount of honey==then dissolve?"

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  10. and they were just as crunchy, I should note :)

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    1. Thanks so much for the update. It sounds absolutely fantastic!! I will definitely give this a try very soon. True peanut butter heaven sounds wonderful! I do love peanut butter so this is great! Thank you so much!

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  11. Just tried out your recipe and it was amazing! Thank you so much for the recipe!

    http://chilipadiskitchen.blogspot.com.au/2013/04/homemade-granola-bars.html

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    1. I'm so glad you liked them! Macadamia nuts sounds like they would be delicious in these! I may have to try that next!

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  12. I've been searching for a crunchy granola bar recipe that is similar to the Nature Valley ones, because I absolutely love them! I'm so excited to try this recipe! Thanks so much!

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  13. Made these today with white chocolate chunks and macadamia nuts to simulate the Clif Bars that my kids INHALE! These are a fantastic substitute! Love this recipe and after reading the comments have so many variations to try! Thanks for sharing a great recipe!

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    1. I'm so glad you liked them! They are a great base for so many ideas, have fun with it!

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  14. Do you have a chocolate version of this recipe? My kids love the Oat and Dark Chocolate Nature VAlley bars.

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    1. I don't have a chocolate version, but I think that sounds like a wonderful thing to work on. You could just try adding a bit of cocoa powder to the mixture and see what happens. You never know, maybe it would be great! I'll definitely let you know if I come up with something!

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    2. I just dipped mine in melted dark chocolate half way! HEAVEN!

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    3. we used mini chocolate chips and by the time we had them stirred in they had melted and made the bars chocolatey! very yummy!

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  15. Thanks for the recipe:-) i add goji berries, chopped apricot kernels, dried cranberries and blueberries, chopped 90% chocolate, sunflower seeds and i also add macadamia nut butter to the brown sugar/honey...worked out great!

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    1. Sounds like some great add ins! I'm glad it worked so well!

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  16. I have these baking up right now! I did use coconut oil in place of the oil for toasting the oats... we have a granola recipe that we LOVE around here that uses the coconut oil so wanted to add that in! I also added in some cinnamon chips before baking... house smells amazing and can't wait for them to be done!!

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  17. Just made these and they're good! A lot of other "crunchy granola bar" recipes called for crispy rice cereal, which I didn't want to use. I love that these are so basic. I used refined/expeller pressed coconut oil in place of vegetable oil, and sucanat in place of brown sugar. I halved the recipe and used a 13x9" pan. I wasn't going to add any nuts, and add the last second I decided to add 1/2 cup of flax seed meal. I got 18 bars from a 13x9" pan - about 1.5" x 4" (cutting into 6 along the 9" side and into 3 along the 13" side). With my substitutions, I calculated that each bar is around 150 calories. Only complaint was that it burned a little around the edges after the minimum baking time, and also it was REALLY hard to cut - though admittedly I can't remember if I waited 10 or 15 minutes (definitely no longer). I removed the foil from the pan onto a cutting board and used a pizza slicer.

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    1. I'm glad you liked them! I also didn't like all of the recipes that called for crispy rice cereal and was very happy to find this one, it is so basic which I love. It sounds like you made some nice substitutions that worked out for you, other than being difficult to cut! I usually wait only 10 minutes before cutting, just to make sure they don't get too hard. With your adjustments maybe they just bake up a little harder. But even so, I'm glad they worked for you!

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    2. Just making these again and the only difference was this time I tried maple syrup instead of honey. I realized that probably the reason they burnt a little the last time was because I halved the recipe! So this time I checked after 25 minutes and they looked pretty golden, but not yet solid, so I gave it maybe 5 more minutes and took them out. Only it still isn't solid :( Guess we're having granola instead of granola bars this time LOL. How long would you suggest baking a half recipe in a 13x9?

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    3. Maple syrup sounds like a wonderful substitute for the honey. Add in some pecans and you've got a wonderful maple pecan granola bar! As for baking half a recipe, I've only done it once (I was at someone else's house and didn't have a half sheet pan) and if I remember correctly it came out slightly burnt tasting too. Not bad, but not what I was hoping for either. You could try toasting the oats for less time to begin with, maybe 15 minutes. Also, maybe try turning down the oven a little (perhaps 275) and bake the bars for the full 35-40 minutes? Maybe that would help them get nice and solid without the burned taste. It's worth a shot anyway.

      Otherwise, if you don't have a half sheet pan I highly recommend buying one. I use mine all the time for basically everything, including these granola bars. In fact I made a batch just yesterday, yum!

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  18. I wanted to add my experience with these as well. For some dumb reason I thought toasting the oats in a big pan on the stove would work just the same as the oven. NO! It burns so fast! I didn't put enough honey which didn't make it spread out enough and also I didn't put foil on the pan before baking them. But they STILL turned our great! I did the peanut butter/brown sugar substitution mentioned above and they are tasty. I am definitely trying these out again but actually following directions. But all in all, I am eating one right now as I am typing and I love them. (Even when some oats got burned)

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  19. Jana, any thoughts on how to make a "chewy" version of these bars? I would actually prefer they are a little soft and moist. Would a shorter cooking period and/or lower heat help or would I have to modify the ingredients? Thx!

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    1. An interesting question... When I found this recipe I was looking for a super crunchy granola bar recipe, and this one definitely fits the bill. It was actually difficult to find a crunchy granola bar recipe, most of the recipes I kept finding were for chewy bars, so I know there are a lot of great chewy granola bar recipes out there. I just prefer my granola bars crunchy. I would suggest doing some internet browsing to find a few chewy granola bar recipes to try.

      If you want to stick with this recipe though, I would try toasting the oats for less time initially, or not at all. Also, you could try cutting back on the oil since the oil really helps the oats crisp up nicely. And finally, cutting back on the overall cooking time would most likely make them less crisp.

      I hope this helps! I'd love to hear how it all turns out!

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    2. For a chewy bar, try leaving out the baking step. Not 100% sure with this recipe, but I have made chewy bars before using heated honey and peanut butter as the "glue" and NOT baking.

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    3. paultshafer, this is the recipe I use for chewy granola bars. So, so delicious, and very easy to put together (no baking). They're a little thick in a 9" square pan, so I use a 9x13" pan.

      http://bluefield5.blogspot.com/2014/02/no-bake-nut-butter-chocolate-chip.html

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  20. Here's a chewy bar I make all the time. I don't add the dried fruit or salt because my kids don't like them and they are still delicious. I hope this helps.
    http://www.wiveswithknives.net/2013/07/23/chewy-granola-bars/

    By the way, I can't wait to try these crunchy bars!

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    1. Sorry, this was for Jana who asked about the chewy bsrs. I thiught I was replying but I apparently commented.

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  21. This is exactly the recipe I was looking for! I even wanted to incorporate dried cherries, like you. Am so glad this recipe led me to your blog :-)

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  22. this is my first time making granola bars,I used both almonds and macadamia nuts (toasted) as well as raisins. I was going to use coconut but as I intend giving these to friends ,and one has a coconut allergy. so I left it out.maybe next time. As I read comments I thought oh I want chewy bars... so I stopped the cook time at 15 min. let cool about 6 min .Then cut while warm. They still came out crisp! And yummy!

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  23. This was a great recipe to try making granola bars for the first time! Always want to do this. After reading all the posts, I added slivered almonds to the oats for toasting, added peanut butter to the honey and brown sugar mixture, and then dark chocolate cocoa powder at the point of mixing it all together. They turned out perfect! Crunchy and delicious! I also used the crumbles on my vanilla yogurt with frozen black sweet cherries...yum!

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  24. has anyone ever put peanut butter in these?

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  25. I made these last week and I'm so addicted I could eat them all day long. Trying to find time to make more as my supply is running low! Fantastic recipe, thank you so much:)

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  26. Hi I made these yesterday, and they turned out alright. About a 1/4 of mine crumbled too much (even though I cut them when they were still soft), and even the one that did turn into bars, crumble very easily. Also, is there a way to use less sugar? These have as much sugar as chocolate chip cookies do...essentially 1-1/2 cups worth. Even using natural sugars, this is just too much. Have you ever tried using just the honey? Thanks!

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    1. Sorry about the crumbling. That's happened to me before too, but it all still tastes good!

      About the sugar; I know there is a lot of sugar, that's why I like to tell people that granola bars do not always equal healthy. I have made them with less sugar before, and while they still taste fantastic I have always noticed that they do not hold together very well. It really is only the sugar holding them into their "bar" form. You can definitely make this recipe with less sugar, but I can't guarantee that they'll hold their shape. Still tasty, but not a bar, just granola. But maybe if you play around with it you can come up with something. If you do, I'd love to hear about it!

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    2. I'm also trying to figure out how to cut down on the sweetness. See, when you boil the sugar, you are effectively making a caramel, which is why we get a nice 'glue' once baked. I don't know how else to make a nice hard 'glue' without sugar! I'm going to try some tweaks where I take out the honey, try making my caramel maybe with some water? See if that works?

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  27. Wish your website had a "Print" feature so I could just print this out for future use.

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    1. Sorry! I would love to have that someday too! Hopefully I can figure it out in the future, but I know very little about building websites!!

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  28. Do you have a caloric value for these?

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    1. Nope, sorry, I'm not qualified to do that.

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  29. I just made the crunchy granola with roasted, salted almonds and dark chocolate chips. I bake mine loose in the pan, crack it into pieces and then bag it in 2 oz servings. The almond chocolate chip version is so delicious I have to hum when I eat it.

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    1. That sounds so delicious! I've always thought about adding chocolate, but haven't tried it yet!

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  30. How do you store the extras?

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    1. I store mine in an airtight container and they do great for several weeks. I have found that if they aren't in an airtight container they can go a little soft. They also freeze pretty well too!

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  31. I made these tonight and sprinkled a bit of dark chocolate chips on when cooling. They turned out delicious. Thank you!

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  32. I tried these yesterday and didn't change anything, just added shredded coconut. They are awesome! Took some to work and they disappeared quickly and also brought some to my mom. Huge hit! Will definitely make over and over again. Was just wondering if you had the calorie etc? I'm sure I can figure it out just didn't know if anyone had it on hand?

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    1. I'm glad you liked them, they definitely are a keeper! I don't have the calorie count, sorry! You could try My Fitness Pal or some other website to try and figure it out for yourself. That usually works pretty well.

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  33. i am making these right now :)

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  34. LOVE these and make them all the time, but I wanted to double check...that's 1 tbsp vanilla and not 1tsp, right?

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    1. I'm glad you love them, me too!! And yes, 1 tablespoon on the vanilla. I like them this way, but I know my sister thinks the vanilla flavor is a little too strong with 1 tablespoon so I have made them with 1 1/2 or 2 teaspoons of vanilla instead of the whole tablespoon before and they are just as good. Really just a preference thing. If you think the full tablespoon is a bit much, just cut back a big. And remember, 1 tablespoon = 3 teaspoons (so you can adjust accordingly!).

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    2. Thanks for getting back to me! I'll keep them with the 1tbsp vanilla! As a side, I have taken to putting chocolate chips on right after they one out of the oven and letting them melt on the granola bars before spreading the chocolate out. Over the top crazy delicious, but then again, you could put chocolate on just about anything for me and you'd win me over!

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    3. That sounds absolutely phenomenal! Nothing wrong with over the top if it means fantastically delicious! I too share your love of chocolate on just about anything, thanks for the great idea!

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  35. These look delicious, and I've enjoyed reading all the comments. I know my family won't eat 45 granola bars within 2 weeks. Any luck/ideas for freezing them?

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    1. I freeze almost anything you can think of, and these bars are no exception. I have frozen them and it works quite well. I don't remember there being a problem with them after being in the freezer. You can pretty much eat them straight out of the freezer too which is nice.

      Also, I'm pretty sure I have had them around for more than 2 weeks without any problem. As long as they are completely dried out and you keep them in an airtight container they should last longer than 2 weeks. I have noticed that if my container is not completely airtight the bars to start to get soft pretty fast. So just make sure you have a good container for them and you should have no problems keeping them fresh for 3+ weeks.

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  36. I followed the directions step by step and they burned... I'm not sure what I did wrong.

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    1. Hmmm... how frustrating! Perhaps your oven runs a little hot? I'm not sure what else could cause that seeing as you followed the recipe step by step. I guess I would recommend trying again and starting out with less time. You can always add more time, but once they're burned, that's it! They really are worth it if you can figure it out!

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    2. I just burnt mine too.. Kelly may have missed the step where you lower the oven to 300.. I did ... whoops!!

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  37. I made these yesterday. They are very good. I'm looking forward to trying a few variation, mostly the peanut butter kind. Mmm, love my peanut butter!

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  38. turned out great.... thank you!!!!

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  39. Thank you for sharing this recipe. I just made these this morning and my goodness they are so good. I used maple syrup and coconut oil and made half a batch using a 9x13 pan. I cooked them at 275 degrees for 35 minutes. I am looking forward to trying a few new variations with this recipe. Again these are delicious!!

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  40. Hi :) These look amazing. What would you recommend using in the place of nuts? My son is allergic so that isn't an option for us. Thanks.

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    1. I actually don't use the nuts every time I make these. I usually just replace them with a bit more of the oats (about 8 cups total) and it seems to work out just fine. I don't know exactly what your son is allergic to, but you may also be able to try something like pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds if you want a little bit more of a nutty taste. Hope this helps!

      Delete
  41. Mine burnt and I took them out 19 minutes earlier. :(

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm really sorry to hear that! What a bummer! It's hard for me to know what might have gone wrong, but I would recommend trying again, they are worth it. Make sure to follow the recipe exactly and see what happens. Maybe it was just a fluke!

      Delete
    2. mine burnt too BUT it was because i forgot to lower the temp to 300 after toasting the oats!!! huge bummer but i will try again eventually...after i get don't being sad over wasting a lot of costly ingredients

      Delete
    3. What a sad story! That would certainly lead to some very toasty/burnt granola bars! I hope you do get around to making them again, they are very tasty when not burned!

      Delete
  42. I was disappointed. These crumbled and fell apart like all the other recipes I've tried.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Bummer, sorry to hear that! I have not had that problem before. I think it would be worth it to try again if you're game, they really are delicious when they turn out!!

      Delete
  43. Hi, will these work as well with coconut oil or olive oil? I don't use vegetable oil and don't particularly want to go buy some just for this. Thanks :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I've made other granola recipes with olive oil and never had a problem. While I've never tried this exact recipe with it, I don't know why it wouldn't work here too. As for coconut oil, I've never tried it in granola but I would guess that it wouldn't be a problem. And see the comment below, it looks like someone else gave the coconut oil a try and it worked great! I say go for it, either one will probably work great!

      Delete
  44. Hi Jana,

    I made your Crunchy Granola Bars today and they were delightful! I substituted coconut oil for the cooking oil and Splenda Brown Sugar for the regular sugar and they came out perfect. Halved the recipe, too. Next time will make the full recipe.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm glad to hear it! Sounds like some nice substitutions, I'm glad you made the recipe work for you!

      Delete
  45. Thank you so much for a great granola bar recipe:)

    ReplyDelete
  46. I'm going to try them out tonight and see how my kids like it, hopefully they're wonderful so I can take it to work with me as a snack. My husband eats granola bars all the time so this is going to be wonderful and a money saver! Thanks for the recipe!!!

    ReplyDelete
  47. I love love these. I want to add peanut butter but am unsure of how much or where in the process to do that. Any ideas?

    ReplyDelete
  48. Has any one subbed maple syrup for the honey? If so did they come out the same as far as holding together etc.

    ReplyDelete
  49. Can I do this without brown sugar? I'd like to stick to honey only if possible.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I have not done this, but you can certainly give it a try. I would increase the amount of honey you use and be aware that they may not hold together as well. But I don't know, they might turn out great!

      Delete
  50. I've been using this recipe to make granola since you originally posted it and I have made a different variety every time. My current batch has sunflower seeds, chopped up dried banana chips, a touch of cinnamon and a couple tablespoons of cherry syrup that I made last summer (I didn't have enough honey). I also started using some quick oats for a portion of the oats - a 3 to 1 ratio. The quick oats act like mortar or a cement binder (can't think of a tastier metaphor).

    ReplyDelete
  51. I just made granola bars and used the Americas Test kitchen formula for my granola bars here in India as well but have been wondering what would happen if I replace the oil with nut butter and reduce the overall proportion of the sweetener mix. I love the crunchy texture but am interested in fooling around to make the bar healthier. Oh, and I use the quick oats too and it seems to work well enough.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I wouldn't know for sure about those substitutions since I haven't tried them but I'd say it's worth a shot! The bars will probably not be as crunchy if you take out the oil and some of the sugar, but that doesn't mean it'll be bad.

      Delete
  52. I made these today with flax seeds and honey roasted sunflower kernals. They were SO delishious. I do u t they will last long enough to have to determine how to keep them fresh. Thanks for sharing this incredible recipe!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That sounds amazing and healthy! Glad you've found yourself a winner!

      Delete
  53. These are AWESOME!!! I made them and absolutely love them. I shared one with my mom and I am now making a batch for her to enjoy!!!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I am so glad you love them! Continue to enjoy!

      Delete
  54. Can I substitute the vegetable oil with coconut oil?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Check out some of the comments above. I've never made them with coconut oil, but it looks like others have with good success, and I don't know why it wouldn't work. It never hurts to give it a try!

      Delete
  55. Susan here,just wanted to let you know I adjusted the recipe a little for a healthier snack,used coconut oil to toast the oats,added homemade coconut flakes,and used part honey part agave and less brown sugar. My grandkids love them.Thank you for sharing your recipe.

    ReplyDelete
  56. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  57. Hi there! These look great, and I'm really looking forward to trying them. For someone who is interested in the nutritional info, I was just wondering if you had any idea what the nutritional facts were for these bars?

    Thanks again :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brooklyn, I also am very interested in nutritional information. It really helps me make decisions about what I am and am not going to eat. To get rough estimates for recipes I'm making, I usually use myfitnesspal.com. If you have never checked it out I highly recommend it.

      So I can't say for certain what the nutritional info on this recipe is, but as a rough estimate here's what I get for each bar when cutting the pan into 35 bars (which is about what I usually do):

      -155 calories
      -6 g total fat
      -70 mg of sodium
      -22 g of carbs
      -2 g sugar
      -11 g fiber

      Hope this helps! Again, this is not exact by any means, but I think it does a good job giving you an idea of what the nutritional value of these bars is.


      Delete
  58. How much unsweetened cocoa powder do you think would be a good amount to put in this? I'm using a 13x9 pan and plan on trying out this recipe today! Excited!!!

    ReplyDelete
  59. I just made these, they are really good they don't quite taste like the ones you get at the store, but either way they are still really yummy! Thanks for the recipe!

    ReplyDelete
  60. Nut allergies... any suggestions for what to replace 1 1/2 cup nuts with? These look delicious but realize something has to replace the qty. of chopped nut meats

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I have made these without the nuts before, I just add in extra oats and they turn out just fine!

      Delete
  61. Wow! I fell inlove with this crunchy granola bars! It seems to be so perfect. I've been looking for a new oat made recipe and gladly found it here. Thanks for sharing! My kids will also love this healthy recipe.

    ReplyDelete
  62. These were definitely crunchy! I added almond flakes, sunflower seeds, dried cranberries and raisins. I subbed malt sugar and maple syrup for the honey as these were meant to be for my toddler, as both a bar and crushed up as cereal. Unfortunately, after they cooled they had an awful oil smell and taste and my baby would not eat them! I used soybean oil, don’t know if that is the issue, but I am thinking about trying this recipe again with melted butter. The texture was good though and I enjoyed the granola as cereal this morning! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That's too bad about the oil taste, bummer. I like the idea of melted butter, sounds very tasty!

      Delete
  63. Can you tell me what size sheet pan you use for baking the bars? Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  64. Without looking through all the previous posts/comments, can quick oats be substituted for the old-fashioned oats? I will be making a bunch of "healthy" items to send to my son in Iraq. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Although I've never tried it and so can't say for sure, I wouldn't think it would be too big of a problem. The texture might be a little different but I assume they will hold together and taste just fine! I often replace quick oats with old-fashioned oats in recipes without a problem so I assume it will work the other was as well. Let me know how they turn out if you end up giving it a try!

      Delete
  65. Granola bars are my favorite breakfast, and my little one loves them as well. I found this over @ http://affimity.com/#/sharedPost/1/8367. I will definitely need to make these very soon and let you all know how it goes. I love how versatile this recipe is! I may have to add chocolate bits for my husband as well! Thanks a bunch for this share - I can also see this saving us a bit of money in the long run!

    ReplyDelete
  66. I made these and unfortunately I overcooked them slightly, but they were still awesome!!! I added a generous dollop of chocolate peanut butter, and it added a nice flavour. They are a new family favorite. My friends and colleagues all want the recipe!!! The directions were easy to follow.

    ReplyDelete
  67. Hi,

    Is it 1 1/2 cups each of the nuts or 1 1/2 cups of mixed nuts?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. 1 1/2 cups total of whatever kind of nut or nuts you like; just one, or a mix of several.

      Delete
  68. I used shredded coconut instead of nuts, and added some mini chocolate chips. So good! I'm going to try dried cranberries next time.

    ReplyDelete
  69. Overcooked them to crumbling texture. Are it like cereal. Delish

    ReplyDelete
  70. Hi! The 375 degrees - is that in celsium or farenheit, because my oven doesn't go so high, so I don't know if i have really shitty oven or the other option... :) Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The 375 degrees is in Fahrenheit. It's really not a super hot oven, so I would be surprised if yours doesn't go this high. This is approximately 190 degrees Celsius. Hope this helps!

      Delete
  71. I made these last night and they turned out amazing. Thank you for this recipe!

    ReplyDelete
  72. I just wanted to thank you for this. The bars are really good! I lost my original granola bar recipe so I looked for another and found yours.They are just wonderful!

    I did not have any nuts to add so we used 1/2 cup of peanut butter. I love the tool you used to cut yours I hope to find one soon; it looks like it would be handy in my kitchen. So I used my pizza cutter to cut our bars. My four daughters and husband loved them! No more spending money at Sam's to buy the box of granola bars. Thank you so much!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm glad I could help! How sad it is when you loose a cherished recipe! Great idea with the PB though, that sounds delicious! I use a pastry scraper to cut my bars, I think mine is from Williams Sonoma and I love it. It comes in super handy for so many random things, cutting granola bars being one of them!

      Delete
  73. is there a printer version of this recipe so i can make it for work

    ReplyDelete
  74. I made these and they were a hit with my kids (for like a day) but to me the vegetable oil made them taste like they had been sitting in a box for a couple years :( What can I use as a substitute for the vegetable oil and would the measurements be the same?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm sorry to hear that. While I haven't tried any substitutions for the oil, you could do some experimenting on your own. I don't bake a lot with coconut oil but you could possibly try that. Maybe even a mixture of 2 different kinds of fat. Throw some butter in maybe. Or, you could try cutting down on the amount of oil in the recipe. I would imagine they would not be quite as crunchy if you did this, and might not last as long, but it might be worth a shot. If you do find a solution, let me know what works out for you!

      Delete
  75. I make this on a monthly basis I'd say, sometimes as granola, sometimes as bars. But you can bet if I let someone new try it they ask for the recipe! Thank you SO much for sharing! It is wonderful. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You are so welcome! I'm glad to hear about your success!

      Delete
  76. Hello, is there a way to remove the sugar completely e.g. use more honey? (would it need to be the same amount as the sugar or less? Thanks x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Although I have never tried it, I think it would be worth a try to replace some of the brown sugar with more honey. What I'd be afraid of is that the bars would end up too sticky, but maybe not? If you're curious, just give it a try and see how it goes! I'd probably start with less honey than the amount of sugar you're replacing since you're also adding more liquid when you use honey instead of sugar.

      Also just want to say that honey is also just sugar, albeit a different kind (fructose+glucose vs sucrose), but it too is still sugar. Yes, I know there are trace amounts of minerals and vitamins and antioxidants, etc, but at the same it too is sugar.

      Delete
  77. Thanks for the advice. Yep re the honey still being sugar :) Just thought I would see if it was possible to remove the sugar as I guess it's refined? Nice recipe :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You're welcome! And yes, and I also like to cut sugar out of recipes if I can, especially the more refined stuff so I know where you're coming from! :) Good luck and enjoy!

      Delete
  78. What would it do to the crunchiness if we added some crunchy peanut butter with the honey?

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  79. These are amazing and my 8 year old loves them too!

    ReplyDelete
  80. Could you use coconut oil instead of vegetable oil?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I have never tried this recipe with coconut oil, but I would think that they would turn out just fine. Give it a shot! And let me know how they turn out if you do!

      Delete
  81. This crunchy bar was exactly what I was looking for, the trick is toasting the oats before baking the bars. I did substiture with coconut oil and used maple syrup instead of the brown sugar, I also added chai seed and hemp seed. The family loved it plus they are guilt free when feeding to the kids that its something that you made vs bought from the store.

    ReplyDelete
  82. Just letting you know that your recipe (and the image of your hand cutting up the bars) has been used by other bloggers without linking to this page or giving you credit. I have given two links, but they are all over Pinterest... And yes, no credit...

    http://cocinandoconalena.blogspot.com.au/2014/08/crunchy-granola-bars.html
    http://food2sweet.com/crunchy-granola-bars/#more-9711

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for the heads up. I appreciate it.

      Delete
  83. may i know of what is the purpose of brown sugar?

    ReplyDelete
  84. THERE NEEDS TO BE MORE PEANUT BUTTER ON THESE BARS... :D

    ReplyDelete
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  87. Wow. I'm glad this post is sti around. I made them today. I added mond extract and chopped almonds. Yummy. The cooking time is off for me. It cooked faster than expected but I did toast the oats well. Thanks for sharing

    ReplyDelete

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  107. I have been making these granola bars for years. Thank you so much for the recipe! This is my go-to when I am craving granola. It's the best recipe I've ever found. I take them to school with me and share them with the teachers and they absolutely love them.

    ReplyDelete