Homemade Granola Bars

What is a Granola Bar?

So, what exactly is a granola bar, anyway? A granola bar is a snack made from a mixture of oat and other ingredients. These other ingredients include nuts and seeds such as peanuts, walnuts, pecans, almonds, sunflower seeds, chia seeds, flax seeds.

Are Granola Bars Healthy?

Whether granola bars are healthy or not depends largely on the ingredients. The ones you buy from a grocery store will almost always have loads of preservatives and unhealthy ingredients such as high fructose corn syrup.

The healthier they get in-store, the more expensive they get as well. That’s why homemade granola bars are incredibly good for you!

What is the Difference Between Granola and Granola Bars?

Granola is a toasted mixture of oats, nuts, and seeds which is usually served as a breakfast. Granola bars are when you take that granola oats mixture and add a binding agent to it such as honey, dates, maple syrup. This is then baked to create granola bars.

Granola bars tend to be a handy breakfast or on-the-go snack, while granola is more of an at-home treat.

Homemade Granola Bars Ingredients

Dry Ingredients:

Oats: This is the base of what granola bars are all about! We’ll be using a combination of quick-cooking oats and old-fashioned oats.

All-purpose flour: It helps to bring everything together.

Nuts: Nuts, loads, and loads of nuts! I’m using chopped peanuts and almonds in this recipe.

Dried fruit: The one I’m using is raisins, they go incredibly well with all types of nuts and seeds.

Spices: We’ll be using two types of spices that will add an extra something to your granola bars, namely nutmeg, and cinnamon.

Salt: Just a pinch of salt to enhance all the flavors!

Wet Ingredients:

Honey: This is what makes everything come together.

Butter: We’ll be using melted butter in this recipe, which adds a deliciously subtle flavor to the bars.

Egg: One large room temperature egg is all you need! It helps a ton in the baking process.

Brown Sugar: This enhances the flavor overall and will bring everything together.

Vanilla Extract: A teaspoon of vanilla extract will help bring out the flavors.

How to Make Granola Bars

Making granola bars at home is way easier than you can imagine! Here’s a step-by-step guide to get going:

Preheat oven: Start by preheating your oven to 350F or 180C.

Line baking pan: Line an 8 by 8-inch square pan or 10 by 6-inch with parchment paper and set it aside.

Mix all the wet ingredients: In a large bowl, add the melted butter and honey, make sure the butter is not hot. Add the vanilla, brown sugar, and the egg, beat the mixture until well combined. Now is the time to add the spices, salt, and flour to the previous mixture. Mix well.

Add the dry ingredients: You can now add both rolled and quick oats to the mixture, and mix until combined, then add the raisins and the chopped nuts. Make sure that the nuts are chunky.

Pour mixture: Pour the mixture into the lined baking pan. Distribute evenly using the back of a spatula or spoon. You can also place parchment paper over the granola mixture and then press the granola down with your hand or a measuring cup just like how it is shown in the video.

Bake: Bake for 25 minutes.

Cool and cut: Let the granola cool. Cut to even bars using a sharp or a serrated knife.

How to Store Homemade Granola Bars

After you’ve cut your granola bars using a serrated knife, you can transfer them to an airtight container for storage. Place a sheet of parchment paper between layers to make sure the bars don’t stick together while storing.

You can store them in the fridge for up to a week or freeze them for up to 2 months!

They’re great to have straight out of the fridge (that’s what I prefer doing!). When taking them out of the freezer, let them thaw on the counter for about 20 to 30 minutes before eating them.

Please Review and Rate

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