Healthy Homemade Granola Bars Recipes

HOMEMADE GRANOLA BARS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter an 8 by 12-inch baking dish and line it with parchment paper.
• Toss the oatmeal, almonds, and coconut together on a sheet pan and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned. Transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl and stir in the wheat germ.
• Reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees F.
• Place the butter, honey, brown sugar, vanilla, and salt in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook and stir for a minute, then pour over the toasted oatmeal mixture. Add the dates, apricots, and cranberries and stir well.
• Pour the mixture into the prepared pan. Wet your fingers and lightly press the mixture evenly into the pan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until light golden brown. Cool for at least 2 to 3 hours before cutting into squares. Serve at room temperature.

HEALTHY GRANOLA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
• In a large mixing bowl, combine the oats, nuts and/or seeds, salt and cinnamon. Stir to blend.
• Pour in the oil, maple syrup and/or honey and vanilla. Mix well, until every oat and nut is lightly coated. Pour the granola onto your prepared pan and use a large spoon to spread it in an even layer.
• Bake until lightly golden, about 21 to 24 minutes, stirring halfway (for extra-clumpy granola, press the stirred granola down with your spatula to create a more even layer). The granola will further crisp up as it cools.
• Let the granola cool completely, undisturbed (at least 45 minutes). Top with the dried fruit (and optional chocolate chips, if using). Break the granola into pieces with your hands if you want to retain big chunks, or stir it around with a spoon if you don't want extra-clumpy granola.
• Store the granola in an airtight container at room temperature for 1 to 2 weeks, or in a sealed freezer bag in the freezer for up to 3 months. The dried fruit can freeze solid, so let it warm to room temperature for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

HEALTHY AFTER-SCHOOL GRANOLA BARS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Spread oats, quinoa, almonds, and chia seeds on a baking sheet.
• Toast in the preheated oven, stirring halfway through, until golden brown, about 15 minutes.
• Mix peanut butter, honey, and coconut oil together in a bowl until thoroughly combined. Mix in oat mixture, flaxseed meal, and salt until well combined. Press granola mixture into a 12x18-inch baking pan.
• Bake in the preheated oven until bars set, about 5 minutes. Remove from oven; sprinkle with chocolate chips. Bake until chocolate is just melted, about 5 minutes. Spread melted chocolate evenly over bars with a rubber spatula.
• Place in the freezer until chocolate is firm, about 20 minutes; cut into bars.

BASE GRANOLA BAR RECIPE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9-inch square baking dish with parchment or foil and lightly spray with cooking spray.
• Place the oats and nuts on a rimmed baking sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes until lightly toasted.
• While the oats are toasting, add the honey, butter, and brown sugar to a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat until the butter melts and the sugar dissolves, stirring constantly. Let the mixture bubble, while stirring, for 1 minute and then remove from the heat.
• Place the nuts and oats in a large bowl.
• Stir in the vanilla and salt to the butter mixture. Pour this mixture over the oat and nut mixture and stir to combine. Add any extra ingredients (except for chocolate) and stir to combine. Make sure none of the oats are dry.
• If you are adding chocolate, wait about 15 minutes for the mixture to cool a bit before adding the chocolate and then stirring to combine.
• Place all of the oat mixture in the prepared pan. Use a rubber spatula or the bottom of a greased measuring cup to press the mixture into the pan. Press it in very firmly, this is what makes the bars stick together.
• Chill the granola bars for at least 2 hours. Lift the bars from the pan using the edges of the foil or parchment and place them on a cutting board. Cut into desired shape/sizes and serve.
• Store in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 10 days. If you are stacking the granola bars place a piece of parchment between the layers to help prevent sticking.

HEALTHY GRANOLA BARS

Steps:

• Line an 8-inch pan with parchment paper. Set aside. If you wish to bake the bars, preheat oven to 350 F. Stir together all dry ingredients in a large bowl. Whisk liquid ingredients together in a separate bowl, then stir wet into dry. Transfer to the prepared pan. Smooth down firmly, using a second sheet of parchment or wax paper. Press down as hard as you can. For no-bake healthy granola bars, chill until firm. (The no-bake option is also firmer if you use coconut oil.) For baked granola bars, cook on the center rack 18 minutes, then press down firmly again. Let cool completely before cutting into bars. View Nutrition Facts

HEALTHY 5-INGREDIENT GRANOLA BARS

Steps:

• Process dates in a food processor until small bits remain (about 1 minute). It should form a "dough" like consistency. (Mine rolled into a ball.)
• Optional step: Toast your oats (and almonds if raw) in a 350-degree F (176 C) oven for 10-15 minutes or until slightly golden brown. Otherwise, leave them raw - I prefer the toasted flavor.
• Place oats, almonds and dates in a large mixing bowl - set aside.
• Warm maple syrup (or agave or honey) and peanut butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir and pour over oat mixture and then mix, breaking up the dates to disperse throughout.
• Once thoroughly mixed, transfer to an 8x8-inch baking dish or other small pan lined with plastic wrap or parchment paper so they lift out easily. (A loaf pan might work, but will yield thicker bars // adjust size of pan if altering batch size).
• Press down firmly until uniformly flattened - I use something flat, like a drinking glass, to press down and really pack the bars, which helps them hold together better.
• Cover with parchment or plastic wrap, and let firm up in fridge or freezer for 15-20 minutes.
• Remove bars from pan and chop into 10 even bars (or 9 squares // as original recipe is written). Store in an airtight container for up to a few days. I kept mine in the freezer to keep them extra fresh, but it isn't necessary.