Chewy Granola Bars
These homemade chewy granola bars are super tasty, extremely quick and easy, and they cost about 3 times less than buying them from a store!
These quick little granola bars are tasty.
Really tasty.
And who doesn’t love making a knock-off of something usually wrapped in plastic, stored in a box, and costing at least 3X as much as a homemade version (which is not a scientific price analysis, just a descriptive analogy)? Raise your hand(s)?
I’ve tried several homemade chewy granola bar-type recipes over the last few months. They’ve been good. Really.
But these are the best of the bunch. Sure, the mini chocolate chips on top don’t hurt matters any, but the granola bars themselves are delicious, too.
Read through the recipe and additional notes completely – toasting the oats is optional but divine and pressing the mixture firmly ensures the granola bars don’t fall apart and become crumbly instead of chewy. Crumbly = bad. Chewy = good. Enjoy!
One Year Ago: Coconut Shrimp Curry
Two Years Ago: Vanilla Buttermilk Cupcakes and Fantastic {Easy} Buttercream Frosting
Three Years Ago: Fluffy Couscous
Four Years Ago: Quick and Delicious Clam Chowder
Chewy Granola Bars
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons (57 g) butter
- ¼ cup (85 g) honey
- ¼ cup (53 g) packed light brown sugar
- 2 cups (200 g) quick cooking oats
- 1 cup rice krispies cereal
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup (43 g) mini chocolate chips
Instructions
- Lightly coat a 9X11-inch pan with cooking spray and set aside. If you don’t have a pan that size, use a similar sized pan, like a 8X12-inch. This recipe is a bit small for a 9X13-inch pan but if that’s all you have, just pack the granola bar mixture into a smaller portion of the pan – the mixture doesn’t spread so that should work fine.
- In a large bowl, stir together the oats and rice krispies. Set aside. In a small saucepan, combine the butter, honey and brown sugar. Cook over medium heat until the butter melts and the mixture comes together, stirring frequently. Cook at a simmer (so the mixture is lightly bubbling) for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla.
- Pour the wet mixture over the oats/rice krispies and mix with a wooden spoon until evenly moistened. Press the mixture into the prepared pan, pressing down very firmly. If the mixture isn’t pressed down well enough, the bars will be crumbly once they cool. Sprinkle the mini chocolate chips on top. Press lightly if you want them to stick to the bars. Mine tended to fall off, which was just fine since there were a lot of little fingers ready to eagerly pick them up and eat them anyway.
- Let the bars cool for at least 2 hours at room temperature. Cut into rectangles. Store well covered at room temperature for 2-3 days.
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: adapted slightly from Lauren’s Latest via Rachael Ray
108 Comments on “Chewy Granola Bars”
I can’t count how many times I have made these. My kids love them & I make them all the time for take-in meals. I usually make double in a 9×13 pan and add a large scoop of peanut butter to the wet mixture.
Thanks Mel for another awesome recipe.
I made them my daughter & her family of 2 boys (1 teenager, & 5 yr old ) & husband lived them . I made them a/out rice crispy cereal .turned out good, my friends lived them & wanted the recipe,of course told them where the recipe came from. Making another batch now for my other daughter & familyc
No rice crispies or chocolate chips here so I went with cinnamon raisin. They taste exactly like store bought chewy granola bars just better of course! They are sweet- the same sweetness as store bought
what can i use in the place of honey?
You could try pure maple syrup or agave nectar but I’m not entirely sure how it would work (haven’t subbed those myself).
I’m clearly late to this post’s party but if you are still replying I was curious if you can substitute agave for honey. And if so, are there any ratio changes etc for doing that. Thanks so much!!
We haven’t tried that, but it’s certainly worth a shot. I’m not sure if they will hold together as well though. Let us know if you experiment and try it.
Hey! I made this recipe yesterday and I can’t get them to stay together. What did I do wrong?! What should I do to help?
Next time you can try adding more honey…also make sure you are pressing them down really, really well.
We made these yesterday and really liked them. I followed the recipe exactly. I might try to add some chia seeds like another commenter did to use up my bag if them. I used the back of a measuring cup to push the chocolate chips down and they stayed in my granola bars just fine. Some got a little melty, but none fell off! I love the texture of these. I cut mine into 18 bars (I used an 9×11) because I had a Quaker bar and I wanted to cut them the same size. (Granola bars have gotten tiny!) My kids and I did a cost analysis for fun and they worked out to be 10 cents each. Thanks for another great recipe!
These were so much better than any granola bar I’ve ever bought from a store! The butter and honey together are a perfect combination but do you have any recommendations for a replacement for the rice krispies? My grocery store doesn’t carry them so I tried using this granola-esque cereal with a few bits of puffed rice (maybe?) in it and they turned out pretty stiff and tough. The flavor totally made up for it though haha
Hmmm, the rice krispies are a tough substitution. I can’t think of anything that will give quite the same texture. Let me think on it and get back to you if I come up with something!
Hey Mel! Have you tried substituting the butter for coconut oil yet? I think you mentioned that in one of your comments, so I was just wondering.
Thank you!
Yes, works great!
Can you freeze these? I’m trying to get ahead on snacks before school starts.
Yes!
Hi! I’m a fairly new follower. I have tried many recipes and will continue to try more as I have had great success with them. Our current favorite is the oatmeal pancake mix. Anyway, I wanted to share the one and only tried and true recipe I have since you have shared so many with me. We make these granola bars on a weekly basis. My kids wish I’d make them more, but I’m worried they’ll get sick of them.
I found this recipe in Parents Magazine and it’s by Catherine McCord.
Chocolate-Cherry Trail-Mix Bars
Active time 20 minutes
Total time 1 hour (it really took an hour minus the cooling off time)
Makes 16 servings
4 cups old-fashioned oats
1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
1/2 cup mini semisweet chocolate pieces
1/2 cup dried cherries, finely chopped (my kids won’t eat the cherries so I substituted more choc. chips :).
1/4 cup whole-wheat flour
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup honey
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1. Preheat oven to 325 F. Line a 13x9x2 in. baking pan with parchment paper; set aside.
2. Combine the first six ingredients in a large bowl. In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining three ingredients. Pour the wet mixture over the oat mixture and stir until combined.
3. Press combined mixture into prepared baking pan. Bake for 40 minutes or until golden brown.
4. Allow to cool completely, then cut into sixteen 4 1/2 in. x 1 1/2 in. bars. Store any leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Nutrition per serving…
231 calories; 3g protein; 11g fat (3g sat. fat); 32g carbs; 16g sugar; 3g fiber; 1g iron; 4mg calcium; 32mg sodium
Just made these for a sugar bush picnic and they were great. I like that they’re small, so even though they’re quite sweet, they are a nice little kid-sized snack. And yes, at least one of the children plucked off each little chocolate chip first! I like the additions suggested in the comments.
These are amazing! I’ve made this mini chocolate chip version (with chocolate krispies) and a dried cherry one. My husband devoured his chocolate ones, he requested a pb version next. Off to make batch #3 :). Thanks for another great recipe,
These have a wonderful flavor, but mine always get super hard instead of chewy. Only thing I could think of is maybe I’m cooking the syrup a bit too long?
Yes, that might be it, try even just melting the liquid ingredients and not simmering very long (or at all).
My goodness these are tasty. I bet they taste even better when they cool down and I’m not sneaking pieces from the pan. Never thought I would be making granola bars, this one is a keeper!! Thank you!!
I just made these again for the twelfth time or something like that. I love this recipe!! My favorite variations are adding coconut & almonds (1/2 cup of each subbed for 1/2 cup oats and cereal to keep the wet/dry ration even). A new one I just tried subbed peanut butter instead of the butter and worked great! I suppose that could be vegan/dairy free!
Thanks! Love those suggestions! 🙂 Since I have sworn off NatureValley and other GMO, BHA, BHT, artificial this and that, we have gone without good granola bars. These sound even better!!! 🙂
Hi Mel, can the sugar (honey + brown sugar) in the recipe be reduced, and if so what’s the minimum amount one can have in there while not compromising the result? The flavor and texture of your bars turned out real nice but the sugar level was too high for me! Thanks.
Feel free to experiment with those, Nisha – I haven’t cut down the sugar so I’m not sure how it would affect the texture.
I cut sugars in half with all recipes,doesn’t affect outcome at all ,in fact goodies taste better , last longer don’t get hard after while
You know? I have tried several of your recipes and they are ALL SO GOOD! I tried the granola bar recipe today and I can honestly say it will now be a permanent recipe in our home. Thanks!
T
I made these with some unsweetened coconut added, I just omitted some of the rice crispies and made the amount up with coconut. I doubled it and put it into a 9×13. I packed them down by spraying the outside bottom of a smaller pan with some coconut oil and pressed it on top of the bars, worked fantastic and they’re well packed. Thanks for the recipe!!
Brilliant idea!
I wanted to thank you for this AWESOME granola bar recipe! They are SO easy and taste SO good!
I do make a couple changes, but the recipe is basically the same. I use sorghum instead of honey. I love honey, but I generally don’t like the taste of it in other things, so the sorghum works wonderfully for me. I also throw in some flax seeds. I also like to double the recipe and press the mixture into a cookie sheet.
Again, thank you, thank you, thank you! =D
can you substitute rice krispies with corn flakes?
Corina – I haven’t tried it. You will have to experiment and let us know how it turns out with that substitution. Good luck!
My family LOVES these! We make them once a week! I have played with the recipe a bit to use less sugar. I usually triple the recipe and add 1 c. raw honey and reduced brown sugar (equal equivalents). I also use half butter, half coconut oil. I always toast the oats and the last three minutes throw on unsweetened coconut, so its toasted too. Last tip, I throw in a handful of chia seeds, I think it helps bind them together better. They never fall apart. Thanks for all the great recipes!! 🙂
I added shredded coconut and they were delish! Mine crumbled despite my efforts to pack them tight but when I put them in the fridge they were great!
I’ve made these many times and my family loves them! I found the honey to be too sweet and swapped it out for an equal amount of agave nectar. Perfect! I’ve found the humidity and weather really play into the outcome. If it is a humid or rainy day cooking the wet mixture for about a minute longer works great for me. These have become a staple in our home!
Ok, so I’ve made these a bunch of times 🙂 so yummy. But I took these to an all new level today and I just had to share… We added 1/4 cup of nutella and instead of chocolate chips we added 1/4 of crasins! Holy cow! Thanks for all the amazing recipes!
These are so yummy! I used coconut oil instead of butter, and it worked great. I thought the honey flavor was a little too strong for my taste, so maybe next time I’ll add a spoonful of peanut butter or something to offset that. However, they were perfectly chewy and my kids loved them too!
fantastic! I have been an open critic of store bought granola bars and i had a friend recommend this recipe … done and done – i added 1/4c of peanut butter – worked so well! they are a bit crumblier than the packaged ones but oh well. I can now play around with adding other good stuff – thanks for this recipe!
Add cocoa powder to the wet stuff, and brown the butter first. 2 easy ways to up the flavor! I love this recipe!
Hi, I haven’t tried your recipe yet, but I will soon. I just tried a recipe today that I found online that used. I didn’t add the brown sugar, but did press down on the mixture in the pan and baked at 300 for 30 minutes. After letting cool for 1 hour, it was breaking apart. Do you have any other tips besides the ones I listed below on how to make it more intact? Do I need to heat up a brown sugar solution to the candy stage and mix that up with the crumbly oats? I know that you can reheat fudge slowly add some more raw chocolate to temper the sweetness and then let it cool again. Why not for granola bars? I REALLY like the coconut oil as it adds a nice coconut flavor (1st time I used it). Thanks for reading this! DAve
From your comments, I learned some possible fixes:
1) Need to press the oats much harder next time
2 Need at least 1/2 cup of brown sugar and 1/2 cup of honey
3) Add rice crispies or brown rice crispies
5) toast oats for 4-7 minutes at 350 F and then pulse rolled oats a few times
6) add freshly ground peanut butter ( I have a vitamix)
7) Place in fridge to cool and harden more?
Here is the recipe I tried:
4 cups organic rolled oats,
1.5 cups total of toasted & chopped (almonds, cashews, & pecans),
1/2 cup of coconut flakes,
1/2 cup of organic extra virgin coconut oil,
1/2 cup of organic ground flax seed,
1/2 cup of sunflower seed,
1 teas vanilla
1/2 cup of honey,
1 tablespoon of organic Agave nectar
1/2 teasp sea salt,
1 teasp cinnamon,
1/4 cup of brown sugar
Hi Dave – it’s impossible for me to know what may have gone wrong with the recipe you tried since it isn’t one from my site and I’ve never seen it before or made it. It looks like you have a good list of possible fixes, though! Homemade granola bars can be a bit finicky if the liquid to dry ratio isn’t spot on. Good luck with your experiments!
I’ve made these several times. Love them! I like to add peanut butter–a couple of large globs. Once I forgot until they were packed in the pan…honey came thru pretty strong on that batch. One tip: I cut a square of wax paper and lay it over the bars when I pack them down…keeps my hands clean and seems to be easier to pack them evenly. Thanks for a great recipe!
I am so happy I have finally found a granola bar that my kids can eat without breaking a tooth. I got really creative (for me) and threw in half a banana and some peanut butter…so delicious!…I’m also glad I got to finally put my CIA cook book to good use; using it to press the bars for 2 hours…I think that is the longest I have ever had it off the shelf. Thanks so much for posting this recipe.
These sound amazing! Has anybody tried these without rice crispies cereal? Is there some kind of alternative for someone who doesn’t have any?
I made these with my 4 year old this morning and had to make another batch just now so there would be some left for Daddy. I covered them with plastic wrap before pressing on them which allowed me to smoosh them more effectively and with less mess 🙂 Thanks for a keeper!!
Mel!!!!
I had a baking day with my SIL yesterday and we made two versions of these-the regular with extra dark ch. chips, and another with craisins, coconut and extra dark ch. chips! (Swoon!) These taste amazing! We also used local organic clover honey and Mexican Vanilla! Wow! THANKS for this recipe! I was amazed at how easy it was! I will definitely make these on a regular basis! My 5 yr-old could not wait for them to cool down, so he had one warm on a napkin! The rest I chilled over night in my fridge. They are the perfect consistency and are healthy and taste out-of-this-world! My husband has been asking for snack options for work. They only provide chips and pop. THANKS AGAIN!!
I love these! I love plain granola bars, but of course I have to add a few chocolate chips to appeal to my kiddos.
I use corn syrup in place of the honey and they turn out just fine.
Just made these and they turned out perfect! Exactly what I was looking for, thanks!
These are delicious! I followed the recipe exactly and they turned out perfect. Thanks so much!
Jill, if they are extra crumbly, it’s probably due to the different properties of coconut oil vs. butter. Try adding a bit more honey – the extra stickiness might help the crumbles. I freeze them all the time – works great!
I made this today, they are yummy! I replaced half the butter with coconut oil and they turned out fine. I pressed them very firmly in the pan and they are still a little crumbly. Not bad but definitely way more than store bought. Is that normal?
Have you tried freezing them?
Thanks!
We ate the first batch so quickly I had to make more! So this time I doubled the batch and used 1/2 honey and 1/2 corn syrup, resulting in a much more neutral flavor. I’ll make them like that from now on, I think. I also followed a couple of tips from other comments and spread half the oat mixture in the pan, then sprinkled on chocolate chips, then topped with the rest of the oat mixture, packing everything down using wax paper. Worked like a charm, and the granola bars came out firm but chewy, with no chocolate chips dropping off. Thanks again for a great recipe!
These are definitely good, but I wish the honey flavor was more subtle. It came though pretty stong for me using run-of-the-mill clover honey. Still, the kids gobbled them up and I’ll definitely make them again. I’d love to try some of the additions that people have suggested.
We have made a double batch of these 4 times already. Love them. It seems to work great for me to make the single batch in an 8×8 and a double in a 9×13. The recipe is great as is, or to pump up the nutrition for more of a pre/post work out snack I added, to the doubled batch, 1 cup peanut butter and 12 Tb. flax seed (ground in my vitamix). So delicious as well. For the kiddos, the original recipe seems better since the addition of peanut butter and flax seed makes the bars about 300 calories each ( a 9×13 pan cut into 18 bars). Maybe I should just cut them smaller 🙂 Either way, I will not ever buy granola bars again!
Yay, my son has a severe peanut allergy – and we stay away from tree nuts as a precaution…so granola bars have been off limits for the most part. I searched for recipes and almost everything uses Peanut Butter, I will be making these!
These are definitely the easiest bars I’ve ever made. I read another commenter’s decision to up the sticky mixture because of altitude, so I too added about an extra tablespoon of each honey, sugar, and butter. They are pretty dang sweet, maybe too sweet with the extra tablespoon, very much like a certain popular store-bought bar. I haven’t decided whether I like them better than Smitten’s bars (did you try those in your quest, too?), because for a family without picky children (yet), I like the substance and variety of hers.
These were delicious! Made a few changes though. I’m trying to stay away from dairy products, so instead of the butter, I used coconut oil. VERY, VERY GOOD alternative and so much better for you!! I was hungry for more coconut, so I added 1 cup of flaked coconut and reduced the oatmeal to 1 cup. Then added 1/2 cup of toasted sliced almonds. It would have been super good with the chocolate chips (like an almond joy candy bar) but I didn’t have any. I took Jennifer’s tip and used wax paper to press the mixture down really hard. Mine didn’t crumble or fall apart at all. This is definitely a keeper. Next time I’ll make a peanut butter variation.
BTW… Mel, Sara P. said to say hi. My husband is one of her patients.
Can’t. Stop. Eating. These. My hubby wanted them a bit more chewy (we live at 4500 ft. so sometimes the altitude does weird things) so I upped the measurements to 1/3 cup of butter, honey and brown sugar. My oldest doesn’t like chocolate (I know, right?!) so I added some cinnamon and raisins. So much better than store bought! Amazing!
So yummy! Made it for an after school snack one day and we all (my husband included, he thinks he probably ate half the pan) devoured the whole pan. Thanks for the recipe. I think these are going to have to be made at least once a week for our snack.
replaced some of the oats with toasted coconut and it is yummy!!! i am still waiting for them to cool, but I ate some of the crumbles already. I am curious if others had luck with coconut oil instead of butter.
A double batch in a 9×13 pan appears to be just rigt!
I tried these last night because I have been searching for some time for a perfect granola bar recipe. I only had rolled oats, so I gave them a whirl in my food processor as you suggested. I pressed pretty firmly… and then stuck in them in the fridge overnight. This morning, I was so disappointed to find that they completely fall apart after about 5 minutes out of the fridge. They’re delicious and chewy, but definitely not a finger food! Any suggestions? Think I should have “pulverized” my oats a little more? I’ve also considered that perhaps I didn’t cook the honey mixture quite long enough. Honestly, I didn’t time the 2 minutes. I just cooked it while I processed the oats. I read through all the comments hoping someone else had addressed the same problem, but most people had success. Oh well… try, try again!
Kenzie – I would recommend making the recipe how it is written to see if that helps. It’s hard for me to know if it was your oats or the honey mixture that might have made them fall apart. Even processing them too much in the food processor could make the mixture a bit off – they should look like quick oats after processing. Good luck if you try them again! Hopefully timing the honey mixture and using quick oats (or processing them a bit more, maybe) will help.
I made these again today- they are the perfect take-along snack item.
I increased everything a little, and it fit nicely into a 9 x 13. I cut them into bars and put each one in a snack size ziploc. Now treats are ready for the whole week.
These were great! I, too, had trouble with the granola falling apart even though I packed it as tight as I could. Maybe doubling the recipe and then putting in the fridge to cool will help. Next batch will add some peanut butter and I bought the mini Reeses Pieces to use instead of the chocolate chips, as a special treat for the kiddos.
I put half of the mixture in the pan and then sprinkled the chocolate chips on top. I then added the rest of the mixture on top of the chocolate chips and smooshed it down. You get chocolate in every bite and don’t have to worry about them falling off.
Made these today – totally smitten! Officially pinned. 🙂 Thanks, Mel!
Okay, I have to comment one more time on these. We LOVE these bars. Last batch I used 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter and they are loved. My first batch was crumbly although I pressed really well. My last couple batches turned out great because I pressed with waxed paper this time and stuck right in fridge for a couple of hours. I then cut in rectangles and put in bag and back in fridge. These are another great recipe. Thanks again Mel. My 10 year old daughter says you saved our lives 🙂
Mel, I made these Saturday and again tonight because they are so good. I wouldn’t change a thing. Also for dinner tonight we had the spring rolls off your website as well. I make recipes from you at least 2-3 times a week if not more. Thank you for saving me in the dinner department! Oh and one more thing I have made most of the rolls/ breads you have posted and I always get rave reviews and multiple requests for recipes all the time. I always refer them to your website!! Thank you!!
These are so good! I thought that they would be good, but they are reeeeaaallly good. I made them two days in a row. On the second day my son watched me make them because he wanted to know exactly how they were made. Thanks for the recipe.
Made these today and they were delicious!! My daughter snarfed them up. I think next time I am going to add some coconut and try the coconut oil as well. Oh and FYI, without the Chocolate chips, these are just over 100 calories a bar… and just over 130 with! Not bad if you ask me! (when cut into 10 portions)
Jill – I have a big jar of coconut oil sitting on my shelves but have yet to use it. However, I know it is really popular right now and I think it would definitely be worth subbing in these. In fact, I think I’m going to try it, too, and add peanut butter like so many others have.
You know those moments when you’re too preoccupied and you end up doing dumb things like dumping noodles into the sink where you could have sworn you just put the strainer? No? Just me? Well… I ran out and bought Rice Krispies specifically to make this recipe. Then, I forgot to put them in the mix. Duh. It was straight oats and sugar mix, and I thought, “Good golly, these things are super chewy/sticky. Mel’s losing her mind to post these.” When I realized my blunder, I made a new batch and they were fabulous. Lots of possibilities for mix-ins here. Thanks for another simple, yet amazing recipe. I’m sorry I doubted you for two seconds.
Yummy! I followed your recipe exactly and thought they were perfect. Anxious to add peanut butter next time. I’ve been reading a lot about using coconut oil in place of butter and am wondering if you’ve tried it or have any opinions on whether or not it would work??
Yup you’ve done it again! These are amazing! I left the chocolate chips out and they still were amazing! I don’t know what I’ll do when you decide to give this blog up!!!
These are all sorts of awesome! I made some on Saturday night and now they’re all gone! Even my super fussy 6 year old liked them. I added my chic chips before putting it in the pan and they totally melted but tasted awesome! Hubby has already requested more (I busted him scarfing them from the pan) am going to add some apricot and coconut.
Thanks for a brilliant recipe.
These are super duper easy and my kids love them. I had a little trouble with them falling apart and I think it wasn’t thick enough in some areas. I’m going to try it with peanut butter next time to add more protein. Great recipe again Mel. Thanks.
Julie – I’ve only ever made them with honey so I can’t give you a guaranteed substitute. You’d probably have to play around with other ingredients (maple syrup? or something like that).
Hi Mel –
I made these tonight and they didn’t seem to hold together too well. even though I pressed really tight. I may increase the “wet” part next time, to see if that helps. I am going to salvage the crumbs by using them as granola; they taste amazing. I’m still going to give these another try.
What would be a good Honey substitute?
I LOVE that there is no peanut butter in the recipe. My son is allergic to Peanuts, so all commercial granola bars are out of the question. Thanks for sharing. I can’t wait to try it!
BEST EVER!! Threw in freezer for next weeks school snacks last night and kids already have begged them back out again- they defrosted and held shape perfectly!!! THANK YOU!!!! (pressed chocolate chips down as you said and they stuck perfectly, also used brown rice krispies and also worked fab!)
I’d already tried this from Lauren’s Latest (via pinterest) … and after experimenting with half a dozen batches I concluded with the same adaptions you did. Wow! Could I really be on my way to mastering the kitchen? You’ve taught me well! Thanks.
I have a few different chewy granola bar recipes that I absolutely love and make often. One is a granola ‘cupcake’ that I press into muffin tins to shape. So much fun and way tastier than the boxed version!
Thanks for another great recipe They are easy, fast and taste great! I put some chopped peanuts in with the oats and they were really good. My only complaint is that it made such a small batch!! Next time I will surely double it
I LOVE granola bars! 🙂 Can’t wait to try these out! 🙂
Can’t wait to try these! I’ve tried a few other recipes and none of them have been great, but I know this one will be because you never disappoint me!
I love it when I am craving something, today it was oatmeal, then I hop in your site and you have the right thing for me. I added ground flaxseed and wheat germ and a heaping spoon of crunchy peanut butter, oh and subbed brown rice crispies. So I guess not your recipe exactly but the base sugar mix and oat ratio is perfect. I also did grind rolled oats in the bullet and that worked great! Thanks for all the tips they are so yummy. Also I chopped regular chocolate chips and pressed them in the warm bars, it worked great. Haha I love your site and recipes, seriously everything I have made from you has been wonderful, keep up the good work I am sure it is a though gig but I appreciate your site.
If I only have rolled oats (I get it in 50#bags) would I need to pulse them before I toast them? Or could I just toast them whole? :o)
Vanessa – I’d toast and then pulse.
Yay! I have experimented with a lot of granola bar recipes too. Really excited to try these! The ingredient list is short and rice krispies are going to give them a lighter crunch.:)
YUM!! I can’t wait to make these! My little man’s favorite kind of store-bought granola bars are the chewy peanut butter chocolate chip ones, so I was curious if you had tried these with peanut butter in them as well, and if so how much peanut butter did you add? thanks Mel!
Melanie C. – I haven’t tried adding peanut butter but already several people have commented with their experience. Sounds like a good idea!
My sous chef (3 yr old son) and I just whipped up a couple batches of these! The first we did as the recipe states except for mixing in regular chocolate chips right before putting them in the pan, they melted slightly but my 3 and 6 yr old won’t care! 🙂 The second batch we did one and a half of the recipe with no chocolate chips and added approximately 3/4 c peanut butter and it for perfectly in a 9X13 pan! Thanks for a great recipe to satistfy my always hungry 6 year old!!
I can’t wait to make these! Just wondering if they could go in the fridge or freezer for longer keeping and for how long. Thanks!
Jen – I’m sure you could freeze them (I’m not sure if they would be a bit more crumbly after defrosting – but it’s worth a try). I wouldn’t keep them loner than a month in the freezer, personally.
These look great. I am going to try them this weekend. I love that Kellogg’s now makes a Brown Rice Crispy. They will be perfect for this recipe.
This is GREAT! I’ve been looking for a good gluten-free granola bar recipe that is GOOD and I KNOW anything I find and try on your site will DEFINITELY be good. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Okay, Peter, read this posting and make these for me. Don’t forget to use the mini chocolate chips we have in the fridge.
I’m not seeing a “pin” button for this recipe. Am I missing it?
Hi Angie – the “pin it” button is below the recipe – in the same footer area as “save recipe” “stumble it” and “facebook”.”
Had to make this recipe when I saw it this morning! So glad I did! These are soooo good. I added my chocolate chips into mixture right before placing it into my pan and I also stirred in a half cup of peanut butter. I will never buy store bought granola bars again! You have no idea how much your time and hard work in putting together this awesome site has helped our household! I never had the desire to cook before a friend told me about your site. It’s all I cook from now and my husband is a very happy man! I wake up every morning excited to check out the latest recipe and now buy cookware instead of shoes all the time!! Haha!
My husband loves the popular store bought chewy granola bar, and I have been on the hunt for a recipe to make homemade (and without all of that artificial stuff). It looks like I just found it! Thanks, Mel!
Oh, thank you! I’ve pinned several granola bar recipes, but its always nice to know which is the best! Would you just publish a cookbook already?! Your food is so fab!
yum, these look perfect! I am always up for trying new granola bars – my husband takes them in his lunch every day.
These look really good. I might have to try them with a little peanut butter too. 🙂
Hi Mel
I am very happy to see this recipe. I was looking for things like this because one of my goals this year is to pack better take-along lunches to keep hubby away from the vending machines. I’ve already saved alot of money by making home lunches and not going to the hospital cafeteria at work. Thanks for all your great recipes and ideas.
Did you ever do an article on more brown-bag lunch ideas? I’d be interested in that.
By the way, I made the spinach artichoke dip New Year’s eve and nothing but raves
over this dip. Grown people were spooning it up and fighting over it.
We make these all the time and my kiddos love them. Commercial granola bars have a lot of weird ingredients, so I feel like a great mom when I make them. 🙂