Homemade Chewy Granola Bars
I love Quaker Chewy Granola Bars, with and without high fructose corn syrup (there, I admitted it). Luckily, they got rid of the corn syrup, but even if they didn’t, I would still eat them and by extension, my kids would too (so glad they got rid of the stuff). However, I’m glad to say that I’ve found a homemade version that is SOOO much better and better for me. AND they are very easy to make. We make these at my house on Sundays, so that we can have them as a snack or a yummy addition to lunch in the upcoming week.
I also love making these, because me and my daughter usually make them together, it’s that easy.
Ingredients:
2 cups rolled oats
2 cups crispy rice cereal
¼ cup flax seed, chia seed, hemp mix or ¼ cup flax seed
4 Tbsp. coconut oil
¼ cup brown sugar
⅓ cup honey
1 tsp. Vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
Mini chocolate chips (optional)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Toast oats in oven for 5 minutes.
While oats are toasting, combine coconut oil, brown sugar and honey in a small saucepan on medium/low heat. Stir mixture as ingredients combine.
Bring coconut oil mixture to a boil (it will bubble up). Watch carefully as it will easily burn.
Remove mixture from heat (as soon as it bubbles), add vanilla extract and salt, then stir. Let mixture sit for 5-10 minutes to cool.
While your coconut oil mixture is cooling, put oats, rice cereal and flax seed mix in a large bowl. Stir to mix.
Once your coconut oil, brown sugar, honey mixture has cooled, add it to the dry ingredients and stir to combine. It should form a sticky ball, with no dry spots. At this time add the chocolate chips, if you choose.
Put granola mixture in an oven pan and spread thin, about 1 in. thickness
Place the pan in the refrigerator for at least one hour to completely cool and allow the granola mixture to set.
Remove the granola mixture from the pan, by turning it over on a cutting board. The entire mixture should come out as one big granola sheet.
Cut the granola sheet into bars.
Store in an airtight container. - I usually put them in a ziplock bag in the refrigerator.
This recipe is seriously one of my favorites, so I hope you like it. Let me know what you think!
Xo - Tiana
