Crunchy Baked Granola Bars Recipes

CRUNCHY HOMEMADE GRANOLA BARS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line a 13x9 baking pan with parchment paper.
• Combine the oats, coconut, dried fruit, nuts, flour, cinnamon and salt in a large bowl.
• Gently warm the butter and coconut oil in a medium saucepan over low heat to melt. Stir in honey and vanilla extract.
• Pour the honey mixture over the oats mixture, and stir to combine thoroughly.
• Press the mixture firmly into the lined baking pan using a small piece of parchment paper.
• Bake at 325 degrees for 30-35 minutes, until golden brown.
• Cool completely, then cut into bars. Leftovers will keep for up to 3 days in an airtight container.

CRISPY HONEY NUT GRANOLA BARS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with heavy duty aluminum foil.
• Spread the oats, walnuts and almonds onto the prepared baking sheet. Place in the oven and toast for 7 minutes. Add the coconut and toss well with a rubber spatula, then place back in the oven to cook for 4 to 5 minutes more. Keep an eye on it towards the end; you want the coconut to turn golden but not burn.
• In the meantime, combine the honey, brown sugar, butter, vanilla extract and salt in a small saucepan and place over medium-high heat. Whisk and bring to a rapid boil, then turn off the heat and set aside.
• Once the oat mixture is done, remove it from the oven and reduce the heat to 300°F. Combine the oat mixture, honey mixture, rice cereal, and dried fruit in a large bowl and toss well. (Reserve the aluminum foil.)
• Use the reserved foil to line a 9x13-inch baking dish, then spray the foil with nonstick cooking spray. Turn the granola bar mixture out into the prepared baking dish and spread evenly, patting down with a spatula. Be sure the heat is reduced to 300°F, then bake until lightly golden, 20 to 23 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool completely, 1 to 1½ hours. Use the foil overhang to transfer the bars to a cutting board, then use a large, sharp knife to cut into rectangles. Store the bars in a single layer in an airtight container, or wrap the bars individually in aluminum foil, for up to a week at room temperature.
• Note: You can swap in your favorite nuts and seeds as long as you keep the proportions of dry to wet ingredients the same. You can also toss in some dried fruit. On occasion, I'll sprinkle some chocolate chips over top for the kids (you can't mix them in or they'll melt).
• Note: Be sure your oven is fully preheated before toasting nuts; the initial blast of heat to preheat the oven can burn them.
• Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The granola bars can be frozen for up to 3 months. Let them cool completely and store in an airtight container separating layers with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Before serving, remove them from the container and let them come to room temperature.

CRUNCHY BAKED GRANOLA BARS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (176 C) and arrange oats and almonds on a bare baking sheet. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until slightly toasted. They shouldn't be browned, just slightly toasted for more flavor. Reduce oven heat to 325 degrees F (162 C).
• In the meantime, add flaxseed meal, desiccated coconut, and sea salt to a large mixing bowl and stir. Set aside.
• Once oats and almonds are toasted, add to the mixing bowl along with chopped dates. Loosely stir to combine and set aside.
• Add almond butter, coconut oil, and maple syrup to a small saucepan and bring to a low boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Then remove from heat and immediately add to the oats (see photo).
• Use a mixing spoon to mix thoroughly, ensuring that the dates and the almond butter mixture are evenly dispersed and coating all of the dry ingredients.
• Add the mixture to a parchment-lined 8x8-inch baking pan (size/number as original recipe is written // adjust if altering batch size) and spread into an even layer. Then top with another layer of parchment paper and press down with something flat - such as a measuring cup - to press into an even, uniform layer.
• Bake at 325 degrees F (162 C) for 20-25 minutes or until the edges are golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool in the pan. Transfer to the freezer to speed cooling time.
• Once cooled, lift out of the pan and slice into desired number of bars. I went with 6 bars, but you could easily do 8 bars or 12 squares (amounts as original recipe is written // adjust if altering batch size).
• Optional: Melt dark chocolate and coconut oil in a small mixing bowl in the microwave or over a double boiler on the stovetop. Spoon a small amount over the bars in a drizzle pattern or cover half of the bar with chocolate. Top with sea salt or hemp seeds.
• Once bars have dried/cooled, store covered at room temperature for 5 days or in the freezer up to 1 month.