From the Kitchen

Chewy Granola Bars for Snack Time

Oh ya, these Chewy Granola Bars are a yummy treat for me and my kids. They are chewy, delicious, and homemade! What a perfect after-school treat you and your kids can munch on. You can also prep these in a to-go container for a road trip or a family hiking day!

Chewy Granola Bars Recipe

Chewy Granola Bars Snack

(SCROLL DOWN TO PRINT RECIPE for Granola Bars)

Chewy Granola Bars Recipe:

  • 2 1/2 c. Oats – quick rolled oats
  • 1/2 c. Rice Crispy Cereal
  • 1/4 c. coconut
  • 1/2 c. chocolate chips or candy coated chocolates
  • 1/2 c. brown sugar
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1/2 c. butter, softened
  • 1/4 c. honey
  • 1/2 tsp. vanilla

Method:

Add all of the ingredients and mix together until combined. Tip: Spray vegetable spray into the measuring cup before you add a sticky substance, like honey! It should slide right off.

Press into a square 8×8 pan. Bake at 350° for 18-20 minutes.  For thinner bars, press mix into a 9×13 pan. They seem to set a little better in the 9×13 pan.

Cool for 10 minutes and score into bars. Let it set completely and then cut into bars.

Chewy Granola Bars

Now you’re ready to serve these up. These chewy granola bars will satisfy your sweet tooth and fill up hungry tummies!

Chewy Granola Bars for Snacktime

Chewy Granola Bars for Snack Time
Ingredients
  • 2 1/2 c. Oats – quick rolled oats
  • 1/2 c. Rice Crispy Cereal
  • 1/4 c. coconut
  • 1/2 c. chocolate chips or candy coated chocolates
  • 1/2 c. brown sugar
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1/2 c. butter softened
  • 1/4 c. honey
  • 1/2 tsp. vanilla
Instructions
  1. Add all of the ingredients and mix together until combined. Tip: Spray vegetable spray into the measuring cup before you add a sticky substance, like honey! It should slide right off.
  2. Press into a square 8×8 pan. Bake at 350° for 18-20 minutes. For thinner bars, press mix into a 9×13 pan. They seem to set a little better in the 9×13 pan.
  3. Cool for 10 minutes and score into bars. Let it set completely and then cut into bars.
  4. Now you’re ready to serve these up. These chewy granola bars will satisfy your sweet tooth and fill up hungry tummies!

More Granola Snack Ideas:

  • Go thin: put half the mix in one glass dish and half in another glass dish to they are a little thinner. I think they came together a little better and have more of a bottom crust.
  • Mix-ins: add more things to the mix like mini M&Ms or peanut butter chips. Even small caramel balls would be delish!
  • Frosted: once these are cooled, add a layer of frosting to the pan before you cut them into bars. You can use any flavor of frosting, but I bet chocolate could be so good.
  • Tiny Bites: chop these chewy granola bars up even smaller for a tiny bite-sized piece. Perfect for a party dish or quick snack tray.
  • Marshmallowed: add a layer of mini marshmallows to the top during the last 5-8 minutes of baking and they will make a super soft topping!

Images via Adore Foods

86 comments

  1. FIRST, THIS IS AMAZING!! I LOVE IT!
    BUT I FOLLOWED THE RECIPE EXACTLY AND MINE
    NEVER COME OUT AS “BARS” THEY ALL APART…??
    HELP? IS THERE SOMETHING IM DOING WRONG??

  2. I have started making homemade granola bars for my husband’s work lunches. I’m excited to add this recipe to my granola bar repertoire!

  3. I made these with my 5 year old. We used our hands to mix the ingredients because the spoon was becoming a nuisance. He absolutely loved making them and they tasted amazing. All three of my children at them up (even my pickiest eater) and even Daddy liked them. I have recommended this super easy recipe to all my friends!!

  4. Okay…They turned out wonderfully! I cut the half sheet pan into 40 bars and the calorie count is 127 per bar. Thanks for this great recipe! They are very chewy and I look forward to using this recipe in the future!
    PS–I would omit the coconut next time…it’s too much with the chocolate and the peanut butter for my taste. Calorie count W/O the coconut is 124 per bar.

  5. I’m a professional baker and wanted to find a good chewy granola bar recipe…I doubled the recipe and made them in a half sheet pan (which is the equivilent of 2 9×13 pans).
    I made a few modifications–recipe follows:
    5 cups oats
    1 cup rice crispies
    1/2 cup coconut
    1 cup regular chocolate chips, chopped finer
    1 cup brown sugar
    1/2 teaspoon salt
    1/2 cup peanut butter
    1/2 cup butter
    1/4 cup honey
    1 teaspoon vanilla

    I mixed the first 4 ingredients in a large bowl. Then in small bowl: melt the butter and add all remaining ingredients and whisk together. Then pour liquid over dry and mix well. Spread mixture into a sprayed half sheet pan ( or 2 9×13 pans) with parchment on botton of pan. Bake 350 for 20 minutes.

    The original recipe is wonderful! I just wanted to try some different things. The mixing went great–they just came out of the oven and I can’t wait to taste them! I’ll update after I try them on the overall flavor and texture!

  6. THESE ARE GREAT!! I ADD 1/2 CUP OF PEANUT BUTTER TO THEM AND OMG ARE THEY AMAZING. I CAN’T KEEP MY 3 KIDS OUT OF THEM. 5 STARS FROM ME!!

  7. Do you think they would come out okay without the coconut? Could I substitute sunflower kernels for that or would it effect the texture? Thanks. Paula

  8. I love chewy granola bars but they are quite expensive to buy and with so much “stuff” in them I just thought I would make my own. The only changes I made were coconut oil instead of butter and I add dried cranberries. YUM-O. I am going to make another batch tonight and I think I will reduce the oats and add some more rice cereal. Thanks for a great recipe!

  9. I doubled these and baked in a sheet pan, so we’d have enough to last all week. I’ve made them before with the chocolate chips, and we all loved them. But, last night I substituted dried cranberries and white chocolate chips for the chocolate chips (1/2 of each) and we can’t stay out of them! Hubby took 4 to work with him (that’s a HUGE compliment). The only problem is that there is NO way that they are going to last all week! ;) Thanks for a great recipe!

  10. I added Apple Sauce to the batter to make it more chewy. Turned out nice! Very yummy recipe. Thanks! I added raisins and choco chips as well. Letting them cool right now. Hopefully the 7yr old, 4yr old and the Mom will like them. Yes, I am the Dad making these!

  11. Wow! These really are super yummy. I just made a batch. They smelled so good that I had to sample a bite just out of the oven. Man oh man, it took quite a bit of restraint not to just go grab a spoon & eat it all up. My boys will probably devour the rest when they get home from school, so I’m sure I’ll be making another batch soon. Thanks for the great recipe.

  12. because of your comment I was able to discover how to make the º symbol on my computer too. I have a mac and when your “alt 248” didnt’ work on mine I started exploring and found it is made by holding down the alt key and the zero key at the same time. So for any other mac users out there…. that’s how it’s done! I would have never known it was possible though w/o your comment so thanks! :)

  13. Victauria – No worries on the changes! I’m happy that this recipe gave you a springboard for something delicious! Thanks for sharing how it all worked out for you.

  14. From my previous post:
    Victauria February 17, 2010 at 6:52 pm
    Thanks for the recipe! I must admit that I changed it up a bit to fit my tastes (I’m not a big fan of chocolate) and what I had in the house. I used chopped dried cherries, shredded coconut, coconut concentrate (yeah, I’m nuts about coconuts!), sliced almonds, and cinnamon. Talkin’ about good! The mixture almost did not make it to the oven to bake because I kept on “sampling”… lol But really, thank you for such a great recipe!

    Updated (February 18, 2010):
    Actually, after the bars baked and cooled and I finally tried them — they were salty. Since I followed the recipe, with the exception of my additions and subtractions, I can only figure that it must have been the 1/2 teaspoon salt in addition to the 1/2 cup of butter, which was salted. It’s funny, though, that I did not taste the salt with all my pre-baking “sampling.” So, I will make these granola bars again and this time definitely not add the 1/2 teaspoon salt and maybe just use the salted butter, or get the unsalted butter. It is a shame to have to waste these granola bars which otherwise would have been so scrumptous.

    With all my changes, I feel like I have totally masacred your wonderful recipe.. i’m sorry :-(

    I did notice that the granola did not hold up as well in the 8×8 pan – I looked but did not have the 9×13, so maybe next time I will just make granola for cereal.

    Thanks again for the recipe!

  15. Erica – So glad to hear they worked out better for you in the larger pan. It’s been a while since I’ve made these, so I’ll need to try them out again! You’re making me crave them since you’ve made them twice in a week!!

    Thanks for sharing your results!

  16. I made these again. My husband is in love with them. I did use a 9×13 pan this time and they baked really well and set well. Although, I did cut the butter because even though they were absolutely delish, I didn’t want to consume another entire stick of butter…I cut out 2 TBS, increased the honey by one TBS and melted some dark chocolate chips and stirred them in to help mix and bind. They stuck to the pan a bit more than I would have liked. They were still very yummy. And I will make them again…maybe sticking to the full stick of butter, especially since I will not be the only one eating these!

  17. Peter and Angel,

    I did the same thing…I can only assume you used an 8×8 pan instead of a 9×13? I noticed at the end Marie suggests using the 9×13 so they set better. I am off to try again and see what happens. Mine just crumbled and I ate the whole pan because my kids were weirded out by a plate full of crumbled oats. Awesome…a stick of butter and a cup of sweetener…now I need to go jog.

  18. These are so yummy and easy. Thanks for sharing. I was wondering the best way to store them if made in big batches… Could they be frozen? Or do they keep fine in a container on the counter?

  19. These granola bars look so yummy and such an easy recipe. I am on my way to the kitchen right now, to make some!!
    Thanks :)

  20. I halved the butter and the sugar to cut calories/fat. Next time, I will probably half the chocolate as well. They were more crumbly then they probably would have been with the full recipe, but they were still good. The cool thing was, even cutting down so much on the ‘sweet’ stuff, my daughters gobbled them up. They ate half the 9×13 pan in about 30 minutes.
    They are four and three.

  21. I”m going to make these with a butter substitute and milk free chocolate chips for my son. We are always looking for milf free stuff and this is a great idea.

  22. Thanks for sharing! Love the site.. so many awesome ideas!!! Cooking them right now! Can’t wait to try them!!!

  23. Someone just gave me this recipe (I guess it was passed on from blog to blog to me) and I have made it twice. LUV IT!

  24. Hey, half a cup coconut, can you tell me what coconut is it? Coconut milk or shredded coconut or…..? Thanks!

  25. Tried to make these, but based on the ingredients, was unable to make the bar actually bind together. It just would fall apart after cooling. I am wondering if there is an ingredient that actually helps keep them together?

  26. To prevent them from sticking, I always line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper. This way they come right out (with the paper on the bottom), and I just peel the parchment paper off – it peels off really easily.

  27. My kids very much like these granola bars, but I am having trouble getting them out of the pan, with out sticking. Any suggestions?

  28. Yum! I love homemade granola bars – they taste so much better then store-bought! In my recipe, I use sweetened condenced milk instead of honey.

  29. Made these over the weekend and to say they were a hit with my five kids would be quite an understatement. I posted my results on my blog. Thanks so much for sharing! I’m off to make another batch for their lunches this week…..

  30. also, can i use quaker quick white oats instead of the rolled oats?
    i am a 13yr old girl who has no idea as to what is the difference between rolled and whute oats

  31. This is a great recipe for my kids (age 8) to make all by themselves.

    Has anyone had any success cutting the butter/fat in this recipe? How about making a raisin cinnamon version?

    What a lovely blog/site!

    1. they sell cinnamon raison outmeal in bulk at most wincos. :) i’ve also used different kinds such as oats mixed with acai and then added in chopped up dried apricot in some they all came out yummy. when i did the fruit ones, i drizzled white chocolate on top :) yummy.

  32. Jen – I haven’t made them with PB yet and don’t know what others have done. I plan to try this as well soon, and I’m just going to add some in to the existing recipe and see what happens. Maybe like 1/4 or 1/2 cup of Peanut Butter.

    If someone tries this, let me know what you did.

  33. When people are using peanut butter, are you using it in place of the honey or the butter? I really want to try a PB version, so any info is appreciated.

  34. hi, i made the day before and they were yum !! super delicious ! the problem was they were too soft to cut up into bars…could anyone know the reason for this?

  35. Thanks for posting this great recipe! I accidentally overcooked the first batch, which made it crunchy instead of chewy. We crumpled it over ice cream. Yummy!!!

  36. Hooray I can finally quit buying lame granola bars filled with weird ingredients, and these taste so much better! So easy too! I’m excited to experiment with different additions :)

  37. I can’t for the life of me remember how I tripped up on your site, but I LOVE it! I made these granola bars last night and me and my husband have eaten almost the whole pan already and it’s not even lunch time yet! We used chocolate chips instead of m&m’s, YUMMO!! He’s in paramedic school right now and he took some with him to class this morning. Some guys from his class have already requested that I make some more tonight for him to bring tomorrow. I’ve never sucessfully baked/cooked/made anything in my life, so I’m so glad to have a treat that only I make (around my house anyway) that everyone loves! Thank you!!

  38. According to Calorie Count Plus (http://caloriecount.about.com/) This recipe works out to be:

    Nutrition Facts
    Serving Size 62 g
    Amount Per Serving
    Calories 276
    Calories from Fat 121
    % Daily Value*
    Total Fat 13.4g 21%
    Saturated Fat 8.0g 40%
    Cholesterol 26mg 9%
    Sodium 205mg 9%
    Total Carbohydrates 36.9g 12%
    Dietary Fiber 2.6g 10%
    Sugars 21.1g
    Protein 3.4g
    Vitamin A 7% • Vitamin C 1%
    Calcium 3% • Iron 9%
    * Based on a 2000 calorie diet

  39. These granola bars were REALLY delicious. The kids hardly got a taste because I was busy binging on them each time I walked through the kitchen. Really easy, and yummy. I think I might try dried fruit and nuts?

  40. I just came across your blog and this post. I can’t wait to try these. Looks like you have a lot of fun stuff and lots of ideas for summer!

  41. I made these “oh so yummy” bars today with my 3 year old. He loves to measure and pour. It was especially fun because I didn’t soften the butter enough, so we had to use our hands to mix and sqeeze everything together! He had a blast! He especially liked licking everything off of his arms and hands when we were finished. We are going to try peanut butter next!

  42. Oh yum! These are on my ‘must make’ list. I am totally addicted to your blog now!

  43. Oh my gosh…..these are so good.

    I made them using peanut butter instead of the honey and used mini chocolate chips instead of m&ms.

    I meant to use the peanut butter instead of the butter, but when I realized what I did it was too late….

    I have already started writing down different ideas/ingredient combos that I can try for my next batch!

  44. How do you combine the ingridients? Like what do you measure it with. With electric mixer or just by hand. I’m not sure.

  45. Bree, you are too funny. My hope is that you CAN do these easy and great ideas with your kids. My crafts are not done perfect. I don’t have the kind of time it takes to be a perfectionist! I pick a project and try to make it a fun time with the kids. Crafting with kids spices up my day, a change from the regular ol’ house cleaning and dinner making! :)

  46. Marie- are you really this great of a mom, i do feel a little inadequate as a mother when reading all of your fun activities, but perhaps instead of feeling inadequate, you’ll just become my new hero and i’ll hope to grow up to be like you someday! thanks for all the fun ideas..i really am going to try the crayon idea soon, my girls will love it!!

    bree

  47. Thanks to a reader, Kristen, I am now able to make the degree symbol for recipes. Look above, it really works. Hold down the “Alt” key, and then hold down “2, 4, 8”. You have to start with the Alt key, or it will just type the numbers. SO COOL! No more * symbols.

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