chewy homemade granola bars

chewy homemade granola bars

These Chewy Homemade Granola Bars are made with less sugar than most store-bought bars (and no refined sugar) and taste 100% better!

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Heads up! This was first published in March 2015. Photos were updated and the post was republished in February 2018.

Meet my new favorite homemade granola bar.  That’s high praise, since I’ve made a whole lot of homemade granola bars in my day. So why do I keep creating new flavors?  Maybe that’s how I keep life interesting.  Some people have midlife crises; I create new granola bar recipes.

Seriously, though, I made these because I am 100% in love with the flavor from this Almond Butter Banana Bread with Chocolate Chips recipe and wanted to borrow the almond butter+cinnamon+chocolate chip combo and put it into a lovely portable, healthy- enough-for-breakfast, bar form.

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These homemade granola bars are chewy, with a slight crunch from the bits of almonds throughout the bar.  It’s not easy to find a store-bought granola bar without any refined sugar, and even the ones that use “evaporated cane juice” typically list it as the first or second ingredient.  

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These are sweetened with dates and just 1/4 cup honey.  You would never know as they are plenty sweet.  (Okay, okay.  The chocolate chips add a bit more sugar.  What can I say?  Chocolate makes everything better.)

There’s also no flour in these chewy homemade granola bars and they are almost vegan.  If you are a strict vegan, you could substitute brown rice syrup or maple syrup for the honey.  If nuts are a problem, try substituting sunflower seed butter and using seeds in place of the almonds.  I think they’d still be delicious.

Finally, with just seven simple ingredients that you probably already have in your pantry, this is the easiest homemade granola bar recipe you’ll come across.  All you need is one bowl and a few minutes to whip these up.  I know they’ll be a staple at my house from now on!  I hope you will love them, too.

how to make chewy homemade granola bars

step 1: process the dates and almonds in a food processor until they broken down into a crumb. 

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step 2: transfer the dates and almond mixture into a bowl and add the rest of the ingredients.

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step 3: mix the ingredients well. 

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step 4: press the mixture into a 8x8 inch pan lined with parchment paper. add another piece of parchment paper to the top and press the granola mixture firmly into the pan.

step 5: bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. allow to cool completely before slicing.

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Easy and delicious, you can’t go wrong with these Chewy Homemade Granola Bars!

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chewy homemade granola bars

Chewy and flavorful, these homemade granola bars will make you never want to buy the store bought kind again!

• Author: Maryea Flaherty | Happy Healthy Mama
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 10 minutes
• Total Time: 20 minutes
• Yield: 10 bars

ingredients

• 1 cup pitted dates
• 1 cup almonds
• 1/2 cup almond butter
• 1/4 cup honey or brown rice syrup
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 1/4 cup old fashioned oats
• 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips (I prefer Enjoy Life Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips)

instructions:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Line an 8×8 inch baking pan with parchment paper.  Set aside.
2. In a food processor, pulse the dates and almonds until they are broken down. (You can also do this by hand, but it’s much easier to use the food processor.)
3. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and add the rest of the ingredients. Stir to combine
4. Press the mixture into the prepared baking pan.  Add an additional layer of parchment paper to the top of the mixture and press it down well.  Using a large can or jar works well.
5. Remove the top layer of parchment paper (but save it) and bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes.
6. Add the parchment paper back to the top and again press the mixture into the pan, optional. This helps the bars stick together well.*
7. Refrigerate and allow to cool before cutting into bars.  Enjoy!

notes

*Because it squishes the bars and makes them less appealing, I tried them without this step for the updated photographs. They didn’t fall apart. Just make sure you let them cool completely before cutting.

nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 bar
• Calories: 220
• Fat: 12 grams
• Carbohydrates: 21 grams
• Protein: 6 grams

source:https://happyhealthymama.com/chewy-almond-butter-chocolate-chip-granola-bars.html